6/5/19 The Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Last month the London
Grange hosted a presentation on preparing our homes and properties for summer’s
upcoming wildfire conditions. It was followed by a pulled pork sandwich meal
and scrumptious desserts— so you know I just had to go. The Grange is only a
few miles down the road from us so Chuck and I showed up, paper and pencil in
hand, promptly at 5 p.m.
Speaker Justin Patten
from the Oregon Dept of Forestry was introduced to the group by Grange
President Alice Nowicki. For an hour, Patten shared some helpful Firewise
information for those of us who live in wooded areas and then took questions on
specific local problem areas.
Until a couple of years
ago, the possibility of a forest fire in our area had never entered our minds. We
love living in the forested area across from C.G. Lake, where wildlife roam
and silence is golden. We were oblivious to the fact that there were no fire
hydrants or an escape route around the lake in case of fire.
Previously we had lived
in cities where there were no wildfire worries. We grew up in Los Angeles in an
era of vacant lots and citrus groves. Large, out-of-control fires were
practically unheard of and if perchance one broke out, there was a firehouse
nearby.
Later, we lived in
Ventura, Ca. It sits near the ocean, has sunny and foggy days; citrus groves
and strawberry patches. Again, fire was not a big worry. Fire hydrants were on
every block and the kids were drilled at school to come home and teach their
parents to put up fire alarms and agree on meeting places in emergencies. Nothing
about wildfires.
The last couple of
summers, it seemed that the whole West Coast was on fire. This year’s
Snowmageddon really got our attention. Dangerously dry, huge debris piles are everywhere
around us—forests, campgrounds and homes. Suddenly we realized that wildfires are
possible in our own backyard. Scary stuff.
Our daughter Kathy, her
husband, their two sons and daughter-in-law live in East Ventura. There are
many houses some near lemon and orange groves. Tim is a 30-year veteran of the
Oxnard Fire Dept. and he was on duty the night that the largest fire in the
state’s history broke out—a few short miles from their home. The Thomas Fire ultimately
burned 282,000 acres and was fought by an army of 8,000 firefighters.
Thomas started in Santa
Paula’s Steckel Park, south of Aquinas College. It soon spread west along the
foothills powered by the dreaded Santa Ana winds. It quickly reached the city
of Ventura where it destroyed neighborhoods in the hills above City Hall. The
fire kept going and didn’t stop for weeks, until it reached Santa Barbara. Lives
were lost and properties destroyed.
That fire and others
caused us to look around and plan how we could lower our own fire danger. We
have a sprinkler system, have knocked down our tall weeds, keep our perimeters
mowed, taken junk to the dump and removed flammable debris. But it takes the
cooperation of everyone in the neighborhood to also keep their properties
cleaned up.
Lightning strikes and other forces of nature are beyond our control.
Forester Justin Patten (at his
Grange talk) pointed out these important reminders:
#1 The leading cause of
human-caused wildfires in Oregon is escaped debris from backyard burning.…
°Check the weather
forecast and call your local fire agency before burning
° Clear a 10-ft radius
around your burn pile.
° Burn yard debris only
and always stay by your burn pile with tools on site
°Make sure your burn
pile is completely out when you leave.
#2 Equipment fires are
the second leading cause of wildfires on state-protected lands in Oregon.
Spring is the time to clean up excess vegetation, not summer. Use the right
tool for the job.
° Call first to find out
if equipment use is restricted.
°Use gas-powered
equipment early in the day.
°Use a weed trimmer with
plastic line.
°Be sure your tools are
in good working order.
°Keep a fire
extinguisher or water hose nearby.
#3 Create a defensible
space around your home free of combustible material: Fire follows fuel.
°Clean up dead or dying
plans, branches, leaves and needles everywhere—decks too!
°Move wood pile 30 feet
from the home.
°Remove flammable plants
and replace with fire-resistant species.
°Prune tree branches to a
height of 6-10 ft to remove ladder fuels.
°Cut grass to less than
4 inches.
°Keep shrubs low and
away from the drip line of house foundations and trees.
°Maintain driveway
clearance that is free of flammable debris to allow fire engine access.
°More information at firewise.org
or www.keeporegongreen.com/preventwildfires/at home/.
Now we are praying for
an uneventful summer. But just in case… I would appreciate it if someone would
tell us an emergency escape route to London Rd. and the freeway.
Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox
by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com
.
