After ALL. THAT. RAIN. May is wildfire preparedness month!
May is wildfire preparedness month. Every year fires threaten homes. The time to prepare is now, before the threat of fires are here. This is the time to remove weeds and any other combustible materials and create a defensible space around your home.
Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation, debris and other types of combustible fuels have been treated, cleared, or reduced to slow the spread of fire to and from the building.
The most important person in protecting houses from wildfire is not a firefighter, but the property owner. It is the action taken by the owner before the wildfire occurs that is most critical. Everyone needs to know about defensible space.
It is every property owner’s responsibility to eliminate these fire hazards on their property that may endanger their neighbors and the community at large. Every property owner, regardless of type – including residential, commercial, and parcels of land — is ultimately responsible for managing their vegetation to meet Fire District requirements. Helpful guidelines may be found at Contra Costa County Fire Protection District here.
Fire preparedness also means being aware of your surroundings and having a plan of action should you need to act quickly. Again, the best time to plan is before an emergency!
Some things to consider now, in case you need to evacuate
Are you registered with the Contra Costa Community Warning System? CWS Do you know the evacuation zone for your home and other locations you and your family frequent? Can you open your garage door if your home is without power? Is your car pre-loaded with a Go Bag, first aid kit, and drinking water? Please include supplies for your pets too! Always know where your keys are and be ready to leave before a mandatory evacuation order is issued.
More information is on our CERT website. A PDF for the May guide may be downloaded here.
We offer FREE preparedness information and instruction periodically throughout year. Tell us you are interested here, and we’ll reserve a space for you at our next Basic Training session.
In the meantime, take a Free Mini Summer Class! We are offering three great FREE classes: Wildfire Preparedness, Earthquake Hazard Mitigation and Personal Emergency Preparedness. Click here for more information. Contact us here to register for these Free Mini Summer classes or get on the wait-list for Fall Basic Training. Don’t leave your preparedness to chance!
GET ALERTS
The Contra Costa County Community Warning System (CWS) is one of the nation’s most modern and effective all-hazard public warning systems. CWS is an all-hazards system designed to alert the community of an emergency through multiple communication tools. Sign up to receive important alerts from CWS here.
KNOW YOUR ZONE?
Be prepared for wildfires that may affect your home. Know when to take action and what action to take. In the event of a wildfire or an emergency situation, law enforcement and fire agencies issue evacuation warnings or evacuation orders for impacted areas. These notices are issued for a Zone with an evacuation status. Find out your home’s zone at CWS Know Your Zone or at ZoneAware. More information about ZoneHaven may be found here.