Firewise kicks off 2007 wildfire awareness season

By MIKE WILSON
Special to the Register

With the onset of the 2007 wildfire season, Napa Firewise celebrates its third year as a community-based fire prevention program. The program is designed around the life-safety needs of county residents living in high fire risk communities like Angwin, Deer Park, Dry Creek/Mt. Veeder, Pope Valley, Berryessa Highlands and Circle Oaks.

The goal of Napa Firewise is to raise the awareness in the community to the dangers wildland fire poses and to provide the knowledge and tools necessary to survive.

Starting today we will bring you a bi-monthly column during the fire season. The focus will be on preparing your home and property to survive a wildland fire of the type that ravages California every fire season. We were lucky last fire season that the wildland fires near the Veterans Home of California at Yountville and Atlas Peak were quickly controlled. These fires prove it can and will happen here.

We will share ideas on how to create defensible space landscaping that can add value, beauty and security to your home and property, and point out measures you can take to ensure your home meets new state and local building code regulations and weed abatement requirements.

April is not too early to begin defensible space planning and construction. The law requires a 100 foot defensible space zone around your home or structure as the minimum. While sometimes difficult to achieve, there are ways to accomplish this goal. If you have any questions about defensible space regulations or construction, visit the Firewise Web site at www.co.napa.ca.us., or call the Napa Firewise hotline at 967-1426.

To make defensible space easier to achieve this season, Napa Firewise is once again offering a free chipping program to county residents. The big change in this season’s service is that we will provide chipping all season long. You can deposit as many piles as you like between May 1 and August 31. Here is all you need to know to participate:

• Contact Napa Firewise at 967-1426, e-mail us at napafirewise@co.napa.ca.us, or visit our Web site at www.co.napa.ca.us/firewise to register. Leave your name, phone number, e-mail address, mailing address and parcel (APN) number, and chipping site address if the pile location is not the same as your mailing address.

• Maximum individual pile size is 20 feet long by 6 feet high by 10 feet deep. Multiple piles are acceptable.

• Materials to be chipped should be left at the public road location with cut ends pointing toward the access road.

• The chipper will only take stock that is between 1/2 inch to 6 inches in diameter. The chipper will not accept vine materials such as poison oak, blackberry bushes, garbage or materials that will bind the chipper.

• Chipped vegetation will be left on the ground for decomposition.

This service is not intended for general land clearing. For a list of locations where chipping is available, visit the Napa Firewise Web site at www.co.napa.ca.us/firewise and click on the chipping tab. The Web site also contains information on how to obtain a free ($100 value) defensible space evaluation of your home.

The success of our program is the measure of support we get from the community. To learn how you can become involved in Napa Firewise, come to a stakeholders meeting May 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ag Commissioner’s conference room, Soscol Professional Plaza, 1710 Soscol Ave., Napa. The agenda includes helpful tips on forming community Fire Safe Councils and several case history examples of communities that have made huge strides in fire prevention and wildland fire survival. Pre-registration is required. R.S.V.P. to Roger Archey, rarchey@balzac.com or 255-7667. Seating is limited.

Napa Firewise is a joint effort between government, the business community and private individuals. By acknowledging that government alone cannot keep us safe; and by sharing responsibility with others, we can be ready when wildland fire strikes.

Mike Wilson is the Napa Firewise coordinator and assistant Napa County fire marshal. He is responsible for fire inspection and code enforcement throughout the county. Contact Wilson at mike.wilson@fire.ca.gov.

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