Children, and adults, are anxious about the negative effects of wildfires and climate-related disasters. The uncertainty of when they will strike and the restrictions it puts on after-school activities, family vacations, and even on-site classes are taking its toll on all of us.
I recently hosted the North Rodeo Gulch Firewise event to encourage residents to take action to mitigate wildfires. With over 17 expert speakers from Supervisor Manu Koenig to Central Fire’s top brass to SC County sheriff to ARES (ham radio), they addressed concerns and offered excellent tips on how to navigate the upcoming fire season.
My daughter, Dr. Nicole D’Arcy, ER physician at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, spoke about how to treat burns and injuries when emergency aid is not available. Sean Gomez, my 9th-grade student, spoke about his cyber deck project that can give us vital information when we are cut off from all forms of communication.
You can watch the entire presentation at NRGfirewise.com/events.
Here are the 5 steps you can take now to prepare for the inevitable wildfires – and to ease your stress knowing that you are proactive in protecting your family and home.
1. Pack Go-Bag
Besides food, water, meds, toiletries and clothing, add these vital items: butterfly bandages, duct tape, ACE wrap, headlamp, tweezers, gauze, antibiotics ointment/medi-honey, goggles, respirator N95 masks, the list of all your medications, and all your essential prescriptions (inhalers, EpiPens, heart medications). Keep these in your bag so you’re always prepared.
2. Sign up for CodeRED
This reverse 9-1-1 system will alert you about emergency evacuations, severe weather, missing persons, and more. You’ll be notified by cell phone or landline. Go to scr911.org to sign up.
3. Purchase a MURS Radio
When your power goes off and/or you lose cell phone reception, you will be able to communicate with neighbors using the MURS radio system to get emergency updates from the OR3, fire department, sheriff/police, etc. We recommend the Dakota Alert or the BaoFeng UV-82C radios. You don’t need a license to use these radios and you can talk to ham radio operators to relay your emergencies.
4. Clear all Combustible Materials 5 Feet Around your House
Remove all wood, plastic, or anything that is flammable that touches your house and work your way outward 5 feet. That means your patio set, stacks of firewood, planter boxes, and any vegetation. I just cut 100-feet of gorgeous wisteria that completely wrapped around my house. The fire inspector told me the vines would act like a wick to ignite my house; that’s all I needed to hear before I pulled out my shears.
5. Reduce Fire Risk by Limbing up Trees and Clearing Roadways
Think about what you can do to keep wildfires from igniting on your property. Limb up tree branches to 6-10 feet from the ground. Thin trees so their canopies don’t touch each other. Weed whack brush to 2”-4” tall. Clear trees and overhanging branches so a fire apparatus can safely drive up your roads. The road should be cleared at least 26 feet wide and at least 13 feet 6 inches tall. Fire fighters will not drive up roads that are unsafe for their teams. Work with your neighbors to clear your roads and maintain them.
Create a plan that gives you several months to complete your fire prevention preparation. Lay it out in your planner or calendar; having it written will help ensure that you get it done. Continue to make plans into the future so you can take steps that work within your budget and free time.
Check out NRGfirewise.com for resources and more tips.
Children, and adults, are anxious about the negative effects of wildfires and climate-related disasters. The uncertainty of when they will strike and the restrictions it puts on after-school activities, family vacations, and even on-site classes are taking its toll on all of us.
I recently hosted the North Rodeo Gulch Firewise event to encourage residents to take action to mitigate wildfires. With over 17 expert speakers from Supervisor Manu Koenig to Central Fire’s top brass to SC County sheriff to ARES (ham radio), they addressed concerns and offered excellent tips on how to navigate the upcoming fire season.
My daughter, Dr. Nicole D’Arcy, ER physician at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, spoke about how to treat burns and injuries when emergency aid is not available. Sean Gomez, my 9th-grade student, spoke about his cyber deck project that can give us vital information when we are cut off from all forms of communication.
You can watch the entire presentation at NRGfirewise.com/events.
Here are the 5 steps you can take now to prepare for the inevitable wildfires – and to ease your stress knowing that you are proactive in protecting your family and home.
1. Pack Go-Bag
Besides food, water, meds, toiletries and clothing, add these vital items: butterfly bandages, duct tape, ACE wrap, headlamp, tweezers, gauze, antibiotics ointment/medi-honey, goggles, respirator N95 masks, the list of all your medications, and all your essential prescriptions (inhalers, EpiPens, heart medications). Keep these in your bag so you’re always prepared.
2. Sign up for CodeRED
This reverse 9-1-1 system will alert you about emergency evacuations, severe weather, missing persons, and more. You’ll be notified by cell phone or landline. Go to scr911.org to sign up.
3. Purchase a MURS Radio
When your power goes off and/or you lose cell phone reception, you will be able to communicate with neighbors using the MURS radio system to get emergency updates from the OR3, fire department, sheriff/police, etc. We recommend the Dakota Alert or the BaoFeng UV-82C radios. You don’t need a license to use these radios and you can talk to ham radio operators to relay your emergencies.
4. Clear all Combustible Materials 5 Feet Around your House
Remove all wood, plastic, or anything that is flammable that touches your house and work your way outward 5 feet. That means your patio set, stacks of firewood, planter boxes, and any vegetation. I just cut 100-feet of gorgeous wisteria that completely wrapped around my house. The fire inspector told me the vines would act like a wick to ignite my house; that’s all I needed to hear before I pulled out my shears.
5. Reduce Fire Risk by Limbing up Trees and Clearing Roadways
Think about what you can do to keep wildfires from igniting on your property. Limb up tree branches to 6-10 feet from the ground. Thin trees so their canopies don’t touch each other. Weed whack brush to 2”-4” tall. Clear trees and overhanging branches so a fire apparatus can safely drive up your roads. The road should be cleared at least 26 feet wide and at least 13 feet 6 inches tall. Fire fighters will not drive up roads that are unsafe for their teams. Work with your neighbors to clear your roads and maintain them.
Create a plan that gives you several months to complete your fire prevention preparation. Lay it out in your planner or calendar; having it written will help ensure that you get it done. Continue to make plans into the future so you can take steps that work within your budget and free time.
Check out NRGfirewise.com for resources and more tips.
Here we are again in the middle of a perfect storm: Fires are raging in California after Sunday’s lightning thunderstorms that sparked fires amidst some of the hottest days we’ve had on record. This is unnerving as we’re already dealing with fears of COVID-19, loss of jobs, displaced students, and isolation from friends. This is the best time to fill out my Micro-Community Disaster Plan and Information packet to prepare your family now. Here are 5 proactive things you can do now to give you more control over the many things that feel completely out of our control today.
#1: REACH OUT TO YOUR NEIGHBORS
Put your differences aside, and email or visit with your neighbors today. Check in with them to update their contact information so you can help if they need support in evacuating or taking care of pets if they’re not at home.
#2: CREATE A FAMILY DISASTER PLAN
Select a meeting place to avoid going in circles searching for one another should there be an evacuation or a disaster. Make sure all family members understand that they should meet at this location and wait for everyone to arrive. Choose an out-of-state (or out-of-area) person to be the contact person. That way, if cell phones aren’t working or your internet is down, your contact person can retrieve messages and keep everyone informed of the status of each family member.
* Disaster Plan
#3: MAKE YOUR GO-BAGS
Gather the things you absolutely need to survive, and place them in a backpack or suitcase. Think: medications, personal items, clothing, water, food. Be prepared as evacuation orders don’t give you much time. If evacuation isn’t eminent, then create a Go Bag for your car and your house so you’ll always be ready.
#4: SIGN UP FOR CODE RED
Go to your alert notification systems and sign up for alerts. That way, you’ll be alerted to evacuation orders and you can start preparing by gathering your family, pets, and Go Bags. You can also help your neighbors by giving them a heads up and helping those who are non-ambulatory.
#5: PROTECT YOUR HOUSE
Move wooden or flammable items that are within 5 feet of your house. That means that cord of wood next to the garage, wooden picnic tables, old planter boxes, and other things. Ideally, move them 100 feet from your house but do whatever works for your home and property.
If time permits, remove dead branches and lower limbs on trees that are within 100 feet of your house. This could reduce the chance the wildfires would make their way to your homes. Weedwhack dense areas to create a firebreak. Clean out gutters and debris that have collected on your roofs. Learn more here.
Whether you’re waiting for evacuation orders or you just haven’t had time to prepare for disasters, let this be a wake-up call to get started. Share this with family and friends, and encourage them to do prepare now.