By AMY BRADLEY/For The Herald — The Firewise USA program recognizes communities that take steps in reducing wildfire risk. Oakridge Air facilitates the Firewise program for the area and wants your help in making our community safer from wildfires.
The information you need to become “firewise’ and increase the community’s wildfire resistance is available at the Oakridge Air website. And remember: Every suggestion you’ll find there applies equally wherever you live in the Highway 58 corridor, from the woods of Pleasant Hill to the pine forests of Crescent Lake.
To help the Oakridge-Westfir area or any other community receive good standing in the Firewise program, follow these simple steps: (1) Prepare your home for a wildfire, (2) participate in the Yard Waste Disposal Program and (3) log your Firewise hours.
Preparing your home for a wildfire
Oakridge Air suggests the National Fire Protection Association steps on reducing the risk of wildfire damage to your home. Vegetation management, fire-resistive home construction and preparedness help make your home safer from wildfires.
In the Immediate Zone (0 – 5 feet) around your home, use non-flammable mulch. The idea is to remove flammable materials that may ignite from a hot ember. Trim tree branches 6 – 10 feet from the ground and branches that hang over decks, roofs, and porches.
Other suggestions include using building materials that resist fire like stucco, brick and fiber-cement. And use fire-rated roofing materials, such as metal, clay tile, composite shingles. Remember to keep the porch and deck areas of your home clean by removing dead vegetation from under and around them and make sure to avoid storing flammable materials under the deck.
Being prepared for an emergency helps your chance of avoiding a major catastrophe in case of a wildfire. Ensure your house number is visible from the street and that your driveway is at least 12 feet wide with a 15-foot vertical clearance. Have an escape plan and know at least two ways out of town. Here in the Oakridge-Westfir area, the routes out of town are limited to Highway 58, Aufderheide Scenic Byway (FS-19), and a variety of Forest Service roads. For evacuation information, check the City of Oakridge’s Ready, Set, Go website.
For more information on how to get your home prepared for wildfire season, read Home Builder’s Guide to Construction in Wildfire Zones – Defensible Space and Firewise: How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfires available on the Oakridge Air website.
Yard Waste Disposal Program
In an effort to assist the community in ridding itself of unwanted tree debris, the City of Oakridge is revamping its yard waste chipping program. Register at the Oakridge City Hall, pay the $15 annual fee, and you can take your yard waste to the Industrial Park the first Saturday of each month from 12:00 – 4:00 PM. More details are available on the Oakridge Air website.
Log your tasks and time
After completing a task that makes your home better prepared for wildlife season, record the activity with Oakridge Air. By doing so, you will help our community be Firewise. A list of suggestions to help prepare your house for wildlife season is the Firewise Time and Expense Investment Examples.
Amy Bradley of Oakridge writes an occasional column on environmental conservation for The Herald. You can learn more about her and read her previous writing on her Viridescene blog and her gardening website Thyme to Cultivate.
Sources:
https://www.ci.oakridge.or.us/fire/page/ready-set-go
https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-USA
https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire
https://oakridgeair.org/firewise
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