Wildland Fire Preparedness
- Ready: Create multiple evacuation routes and meeting spot (include animals/horses), portable radio/scanner, weather alert radio, know how to turn off gas and propane at tank, know how to manually open garage door, assemble emergency supply kit and include emergency contacts, back in cars and keep gas tanks full and back vehicle into driveway.
- Set: Monitor fire and weather conditions, stay informed, evacuate. If time allows turn off gas, HVAC, close windows and remove light curtains (close heavy ones), leave exterior lights on, leave gates open.
- Go: Leave early to avoid being caught in fire or road congestion, have a destination and many routes.
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Preparation:
- Pickup an Evac Pack at your local library or at Graton Fire Station. The Sonoma County Department of Emergency Preparedness’s Evac Pack contains a Personal Emergency Plan template for use in planning for disaster. The plan has space to fill in important information like meeting places, emergency contacts, medical needs, and more. Also included is an information sheet, tips for power shutoffs, and a check list for evacuations.
- Create Defensible Space and Harden your Home. (Utilize Permit Sonoma Chipper program to remove cleared vegetation.)
- Fully charge cell phones
- Keep vehicle gas tank at least half full.
- Check in with neighbors
- Dress in long pants, long sleeves and closed toe boots.
- Pack "go bag" for each family member and place by front door.
- Gather pets, pet food and pet carriers.
- Plan multiple escape routes and where you will stay.
- Inventory your house (video/photos)
- Shut all doors, windows, and heavy curtains.
- Move furniture to center of rooms away from windows
- Turn on all lights inside and out.
- Shut off gas, and propane. Move small fuel tanks 30’ away from buildings in non vegetated area.
- Connect garden hoses with shut off nozzles
- Move heavy equipment to non vegetated area.
- Prop open fences & side gates.
- Back car into driveway.
- DO NOT RUN SPRINKLERS.
- Know your zone: https://sonomacounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=69a0e54e9e2b48c086d122027b21c961
Graton Fire Protection District Evacuation Zone Map
Have ready to go:
Disaster Notifications:
- Take irreplaceable items (make a list now) – Wallet, cell phone & charger, legal papers, photos, ID, passport, computers, medications, glasses, family jewelry, favorite toys, sentimental items
- Pets – Crate, food, medications
- Keep shoes handy in case of immediate evacuation
- 3 day water supply- 1 gallon of water per person per day
- non perishable food- 3 days worth
- First aid and sanitation supplies
- Flashlight and batteries
- Extra set of car keys, cash, cards
- Emergency contacts and insurance documents
Disaster Notifications:
- Emergency Alert System (EAS)- Interrupts local broadcast tv and radio programs to provide an alert during a large-scale emergency.
- Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)- are sent as text-like messages to your mobile phone based on your location(you will only receive if you are in the area of the emergency)
- Graton Fire Protection District Siren will sound for 5 continuous minutes in the event of a very large local emergency or evacuation order.
- HI-LO Sirens are installed in first responder vehicles. These European style, two-tone sirens make a different sound than traditional sirens and will only be used in an emergency to alert residents within specific areas to evacuate. If you hear the Hi-Lo, its time to go!
- Sonoma County Alert – www.SoCoAlert.com or 565-1369
- Nixle – cell phone, text 888-777 with zip code (95444)
- Facebook.com – Sonoma Sheriff
- CAL FIRE – Ready for Wildfire App (sign up for alerts & prep advice)
- Map Your Neighborhood (notify and help each other)
- TV & Radio – KRON 4 & KSRO at 1350AM or 103.5FM
- 211 (United Way)
- Siren – Graton Fire siren continuous for 5 minutes (view calls @ gratonfire.com)
- NOAA Weather Radio
Evacuation Checklist
Download our Evacuation Checklist to place in an easily accessible place for quick access in case of an emergency.
evacuation_checklist.pdf |
Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention Chipper Program
Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention Division is providing free chipper service to residents who are engaged in making their property more wildfire safe. The purpose of the program is to create defensible space, specifically around the home, structures and access routes to the structures, for properties located in the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County. For unimproved properties, woody debris generated from areas within 30 ft. of a structure or 20 ft. from a roadway also qualify for the program. Services such as fuel breaks, fuel management and defensible space greater than 100 feet from structures and 20 feet from edges of access roads to those structures fall outside the scope of the program.
FIRE-RESISTANT LANDSCAPING
A fire-resistant landscape isn’t necessarily the same thing as a well-maintained yard. This type of landscape uses fire-resistant plants that are strategically planted to resist the spread of fire to your home. Fire resistant plants are great in California because they are often drought tolerant, too.
The good news is, you don’t need a lot of money to make your landscape fire resistant. And you will find that a fire-resistant landscape can increase your property value and conserve water while beautifying your home.
Choose Fire-Resistant Plants and Materials
http://www.firefree.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fire-Resistant-Plants.pdf
https://firesafemarin.org/create-a-fire-smart-yard/plants/fire-smart-plants/
http://ucanr.org/sites/safelandscapes/files/93415.pdf
The good news is, you don’t need a lot of money to make your landscape fire resistant. And you will find that a fire-resistant landscape can increase your property value and conserve water while beautifying your home.
Choose Fire-Resistant Plants and Materials
- Create fire-resistant zones with stone walls, patios, decks and roadways.
- Use rock, flower beds and gardens as ground cover for bare spaces and walkways and as firebreaks.
- There are no “fire-proof” plants. Select high-moisture plants that grow close to the ground and have a low sap or resin content.
- Choose fire-retardant plant species that resist ignition such as rockrose, ice plant and aloe.
- Select fire-resistant shrubs such as hedging roses, bush honeysuckles, currant, cotoneaster, sumac and shrub apples.
- Plant hardwood, maple, poplar and cherry trees with adequate spacing. These species are less flammable than pine, fir and other conifers.
http://www.firefree.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fire-Resistant-Plants.pdf
https://firesafemarin.org/create-a-fire-smart-yard/plants/fire-smart-plants/
http://ucanr.org/sites/safelandscapes/files/93415.pdf
Fire-Resistant Mulch
Homeowners should choose the right landscaping mulches to reduce the likelihood of ignition from embers during a wildfire and improve the health of plants around their homes.
Mulch plays an important role in Western residential landscapes. Mulches are often promoted as being environmentally friendly and a desirable landscape practice. Mulch can do the following:
Considerations
The Combustibility of MulchFire Safe Marin strongly discourages the use of shredded redwood or cedar bark (sometimes called “gorilla hair”) as mulch in landscaping in Marin’s wildland urban interface areas.An evaluation of mulch combustibility was performed in 2008 by the University of California Cooperative Extension and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. This study resulted in recommendations for mulch use in wildfire hazard areas.
Mulch plays an important role in Western residential landscapes. Mulches are often promoted as being environmentally friendly and a desirable landscape practice. Mulch can do the following:
- reduce the water requirements of plants
- cool soil temperatures
- reduce the occurrence of weeds
- control soil erosion and dust
- prevent soil compaction
- visually enhance the landscape
Considerations
- Maintaining noncombustible, ignition-resistant areas immediately adjacent to structures is particularly important. Embers often accumulate adjacent to structures, providing an ignition source for combustible materials.
- Inorganic mulches such as decomposed granite, gravel, or rocks offer superior fire-proofing as landscape mulches and should be used when mulch is needed within five feet of buildings or any combustible structural materials such as siding or decking. Any fallen or windblown leaf litter or debris that has collected on the rocks must be regularly removed to prevent small debris fires from igniting structures. Live plants, even when irrigated, are not recommended within five feet of buildings.
- For areas between five and 30 feet of structures, large bark nuggets and composted wood chips may be used in small batches. Since these materials are combustible and will transmit fire across an area, do not use them in a widespread or continuous manner. Within this perimeter, alternate areas between bark and non-combustible materials such as concrete, gravel, rock, and lawn.
- In testing, composted wood chips were the best choice of the materials tested for residential landscape use, but may be difficult to source locally. They are organic and will still burn, but tend to burn at the lowest speed and lowest flame length. If this material is ignited, it could still ignite siding, plant debris, and other combustible materials. The smoldering of this product could also go undetected by firefighters during a wildfire.
- Shredded rubber, pine needles, and shredded redwood or cedar bark can have their place in your landscaping design, just further from your home. Fire Safe Marin recommends that these materials not be used within 30 feet of any structure or combustible accessories such as fences or outdoor furniture. These materials could be used selectively for landscaping at least 30 feet from your home (and neighbors’ homes), and ten feet from roads or driveways or any accessory structures (e.g., fences, outbuildings, play structures, etc.).
- Spray-on fire retardants are typically only effective at suppressing fire spread for five to ten minutes. Water-soluble fire retardants are also at risk of losing their effectiveness due to precipitation or irrigation of mulch material.
- Irrigating wood and bark mulches should not be relied upon to lessen fire hazard. Irrigation does reduce the ignitability of mulches, but water supply and pressure may be limited or unavailable during a wildfire. Furthermore, the dry, hot, and windy weather seen during wildfires will dry out the mulch bed well in advance of the flaming front.
The Combustibility of MulchFire Safe Marin strongly discourages the use of shredded redwood or cedar bark (sometimes called “gorilla hair”) as mulch in landscaping in Marin’s wildland urban interface areas.An evaluation of mulch combustibility was performed in 2008 by the University of California Cooperative Extension and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. This study resulted in recommendations for mulch use in wildfire hazard areas.