December 13, 2024
 Safer West CountyFire Safe Groups Newsletter December, 2024News in West County2025 Meeting CalendarEarthquake Points to Missing AlertsBurn Pile Guide Tips & ChecklistPrescribed Burn Film: FireforestFree Wildfire Risk AssessmentsApply to the Fire Safe Vendor List2025 Safer West County Meeting Dates Safer West County meets quarterly with our wider community. Please join us to learn what we do, give input on priorities for your community, and hopefully get involved! It takes many hands to make an enormous impact. 2025 meetings fall on March 4th, June 3rd, September 9th and December 2nd. Attend the quarterly meetings online with this Zoom link! Did you get the Sonoma County alert for the earthquake last week?We were lucky last week, there was little damage from the earthquake and no resulting tsunami. Yet, had it been more serious, a number of people might have been unaware of the danger as they reported that they did not get alerts for last week’s earthquake or the tsunami warning. This is why it is so vital that you are signed up for multiple types of alerts so that if one fails, you get another. Safer West County often sends you info about fire preparation and fire risk reduction; however, our mission is to create a more resilient West County—which includes being prepared for any emergency. If you don’t already have these apps on your phone, we recommend going to the Apple or Android app store and downloading them today because you cannot plan when something might happen, but you can be more prepared in case it does. Download these apps onto your phone: MyShake AccuWeather FEMA Mobile App There is a GMRS workshop December 15th at 11am in Cazadero where you can learn how to use this form of alternative communication. Safer West County, in partnership with WiConduit, is working on getting people all across West County to use GMRS radios as a backup communications option should our other services fail in an emergency. Click here for more info!Burn Pile Guide Tips for Building and Extinguishing a Burn Pile in Sonoma CountyIt’s that time of year! Do you know what you need for a safe, successful burn pile? Check out this guide on our blog, complete with a checklist from start to finish. Prescribed fire made a difference in Colorado. Is it right for your land?Watch Fireforest, a 16-minute film to see the bold impact of prescribed fire in a community around the Cameron Fire. The film shows how forest restoration treatments enabled firefighters to stop a portion of the Cameron Peak Fire from moving into communities nearby. Amid what feels like an overwhelming crisis that forested lands face, Fireforest helps us understand how fire shapes our forests and how we can prepare them to receive it.The film has been released on the anniversary of the Cameron Peak Fire being declared 100% contained. Funded by the Mighty Arrow Foundation, with roots in West Sonoma County and also helping Safer West County do work in our forests!Have you been assessed for wildfire risk? Get a free wildfire risk assessment through the SoCo Adapts program by December 15, 2024. If you are in the program area, you may be eligible to for up to $10,000 in rebates or contracted work to accomplish the high-priority risk reduction activities identified in the assessments. Call or email for info: WildfireAdapted@sonoma-county.org or 707-565-8575 to schedule yours before time runs out!Applications OPEN: Fire Safe Vendor List! California Fire Safe Council has announced open applications for their first-annual Fire Safe Vendor List! This free publication launching in early 2025, will list businesses throughout California working in the fields of fire safety, prevention, and/or mitigation. By connecting local Fire Safe Councils, wildfire resilience organizations, and homeowners alike with qualified vendors, the Fire Safe Vendor List is streamlining the process of sourcing products and services critical for wildfire mitigation. Applications due January 8th, 2025: promote your business and get connected throughout the community: don’t miss your chance to be included in the 2025 Fire Safe Vendor List! Check out the guidelines and Apply Now! Forward this to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County Newsletter We appreciate your support in time and monetary contributions.DONATE TODAYCONTACT US Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465 saferwestcounty.org info@saferwestcounty.org |
November 22, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Year in Review: Thank You For Your Support!  Safer West County works on your behalf throughout the year to improve our communities’ resiliency—connecting our member Fire Safe, Fire Wise, CERT, COPE, and other groups in West County—with joint missions to strengthen emergency preparedness and reduce risks from fire and other disasters. Safer West County and our member organizations are primarily volunteer-driven groups. While our impact has grown over the years since the 2017 Tubbs fire, so has our need for resources.Our work is at a critical turning point, and we are asking community members to consider contributing financially or with your time to support the continuation of our efforts.Your contributions (financial and time) not only fund the things we have accomplished (see below) but support building and sustaining our organization.DONATE TODAYWhat Safer West County Achieved in 2024Received a County Ag & Open Space grant for a shaded fuel break between Camp Meeker and OccidentalWith WiConduit:Distributed 100+ GMRS radios to West County residents to help create an alternative communications network across our region (Thank you District 5/Lynda Hopkins for funding the radios and repeaters to make this possible)Set up GMRS radio groups in different communitiesWorked with Resilient Landscape Coalition:Participated in the development of the Tending the Land resource guideDesigned two defensible space trainingsHeld meetings/workshops on Homeowner’s Insurance, GMRS radios, Defensible Space Distributed resources at Farmer’s Markets across countyApproved 109 residents for a $1000 rebate for defensible space (with almost 300 still available!)Helped 100+ residents assess priorities for improving their home’s fire resiliencySent out monthly newsletters to 1000’s of residents helping you stay informedCreated the opportunity for our amazing fire fighters to chip debris for 246 resident requests with an average of 3 piles for residents in Camp Meeker, Occidental, Monte Rio, and Forestville—helping make the cost of work around those homes less expensiveConnected 45 large parcel owners who manage nearly 20,000 acres to create landscape-level projects that improve forest and watershed health.Received a grant from Mighty Arrow Foundation to fund a Project Manager who has helped us work with large property owners, creating a list of 60+ fundable projects and connecting neighbors to have a landscape-level impact on the areas surrounding our small towns. Received a Technical Assistance Grant from North Coast Resource Partners to help do technical evaluation of potential Forest Health grant projects.In process of drafting a Bohemian Corridor Forest Stewardship Plan that covers the large properties from Monte Rio and the Russian River to South of Bodega Highway and goes as far east as Green Valley and West to the Coast— doing the pre-work that will make projects “shovel-ready” for grant applications.What We Are Looking Forward To In 2025…Increasing GMRS coverage throughout West County improving our readiness in any emergency.Providing up to 290 more $1000 defensible space rebates in Camp Meeker, Monte Rio, Forestville, and Occidental.Continuing to chip debris from storms and your fire mitigation effortsApply to Calfire for additional communities to receive similar chipping and rebate grant to the one we have in Camp Meeker, Forestville, Monte Rio, and Occidental. (This requires volunteers in new communities to help coordinate efforts.)Conduct additional home assessments and training more assessorsComplete the Bohemian Collaborative Forest Stewardship PlanApply for a Calfire Forest Health grant in early January.Look for and apply for other grant funding for SWC and member organizations to increase our impact.Increase our Board from 8 to 11 to improve representation across West County  Please consider a year-end gift.Any donation is appreciated. and a few examples of what amounts cover:$500 helps pay for our website hosting$1000 helps pay for website updates and social media posts$2000 supports our insurance policy, allowing our member groups to hold events and sponsor workdays without incurring one-time insurance costs$5000 would help support an administrative assistant doing data collection, tracking, and effective record keeping. $10,000 would support a grant writer in finding and writing a grant to fund an SWC project. $20,000 would support the technical assistance required to continue defining and applying for funding to improve the health of the forests and waterways that surround our communitiesDONATE TODAY |
October 22, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter October, 2024News in West CountyOctober 23, 6 – 8 PM, Occidental Town HallTurn Your Mobile Device into a Satellite PhoneWatch: How Prescribed Burns WorkSafer West County Board Member Sara Paul Spotlighted in Sonoma GazetteLocal Roots to Global Impact: Watch Duty’s GrowthJoin the Safer West County Board!Occidental Town Hall, TOMORROW!October 23, 6 – 8 PMHarmony SchoolJoin us for the town hall meeting tomorrow. Main topics to be covered: Roads, Occidental to Graton Pipeline, Community Space Project, Emergency Preparedness, Public Arts, Public WiFi, Pickleball and Community Center updates, plus time after for Q & A.No Service in an Emergency? Turn Your Mobile Device into a Satellite Phone Did you know? You can update your iPhone so that it can function as a satellite phone in emergencies! Fires or other emergencies could take out cellular connectivity and electricity needed for Wi-Fi. Satellite messaging can help you stay connected—if you have the right equipment. Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal or go straight to your iPhone settings and learn how to enable this function in iPhone 14 models or later. No iPhone? Learn more about satellite phones (“satphones”) and some handy adaptors like the SatSleeve+ that can turn any smartphone into a satphone.Safer West County Board member Sara Paul’s efforts to keep community safe spotlighted in Sonoma Gazette “Sara is a hometown hero not just in Monte Rio, Sonoma County, or even California. Her impact reaches far beyond as she continues to make a significant difference through her dedication to her community.” Read on for how Watch Duty was born and how this Monte Rio resident’s determination and care led to community-built and run initiatives! Don’t ForgetMonte Rio, Camp Meeker, Occidental, and Forestville residents APPLY FOR FREE CHIPPING AND $1000 DEFENSIBLE SPACE REBATE HERE Watch: How Prescribed Burns WorkIf you have land that could benefit from prescribed fire for vegetation control but have wondered if the effort was worth it, please watch this video. CalFire Battalion Chief Marshall Tuberville visits areas near the Point Fire to show real-life examples of prescribed fire results.See the benefits of prescribed burns (and defensible space) among small landowners in Sonoma and Marin counties: the section on prescribed fires starts at about 8.56 min. mark. For more information contact the folks who helped this burn and many more around our area, the amazing teams at Fire Forward and Good Fire Alliance.  Local Roots to Global Impact: Watch Duty’s GrowthWe have been so blessed to have Watch Duty in our area, and the app now covers so much more than Sonoma County. Read about their growth and the great work they are doing. We remember when they launched in Sonoma County only. Amazing progress! If you haven’t already downloaded Watch Duty, you are missing out on a great tool during fire season. You can download the app at https://www.watchduty.org/)Safer West County expanding the board: Join us!If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in SWC, we would love to hear from you! We look to include members across all of West County: one of the best rewards for joining is meeting interesting people who are passionate about creating a resilient West County. Our Board members come from varied backgrounds and have experience in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Board members contribute based on their area of interest as well as their expertise, and many focus solely on areas they are already actively engaged rather than picking up a new mantle. However, their input from that area can be invaluable to our member Fire Safe/FireWise Councils, as well as our community as a whole. Forward this to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County Newsletter We appreciate your support in time and monetary contributions.DONATE TODAYCONTACT US Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465 saferwestcounty.org info@saferwestcounty.org |
September 27, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter October, 2024News in West CountyIt’s Not Over YetOctober 13, 9:30am-12:30pm – Resilient Landscape Coalition at OAECOctober 19 – CalPoly Wildfire Resilience WorkshopOctober 23, 6 – 8 PM – Occidental Town HallGiving Back To The Forests: Prescribed Burn 101 on McCleod Soda Springs (a Video )… and moreIt’s Not Over Yet Weather is cooling, and the fire season feels like it might be ending; however, fire risk is still high, according to local fire experts, until our first big rains due to dry vegetation and low humidity. Annual fall winds are also expected. So no time better than the present to make sure you are prepared:Make sure you have a go bag packed, and evacuation plans set with those you live with.Walk around the outside of your house and look for flammable items that should be moved (anything from brooms up against the garage wall to small propane tanks.)Do small defensible space projects every weekend until your home feels like it could be easily defended. Need help making sure you are prepared? Visit SWC’s Emergency Preparedness page Looking for ideas on how to make your home defendable and still look beautiful? Attend our upcoming workshop at OAEC (details below or you can register here)  _______________________Tending the Land Resource Recently, 30 people attended a Resilient Forest & Watershed Tour at OAEC to learn more about tending our land in Sonoma County. If you missed it, you can still explore this great site for ideas and other resources. https://tendingtheland.org/  Want To Learn More About Fuels Reduction Projects On Larger Parcels?Register HERE For CalPoly’s Workshop To Learn More  Occidental Town HallOctober 23, 6 – 8 PMHarmony SchoolMain topics: Roads, Occidental to Graton Pipeline, Community Space Project, Emergency Preparedness, Public Arts, Public WiFi, Pickleball and Community Center updates; as well as time for Q & A.Don’t ForgetMonte Rio, Camp Meeker,Occidental, and Forestville residents APPLY FOR FREE CHIPPING AND $1000 DEFENSIBLE SPACE REBATE HERE Giving Back To The Forests: Prescribed Burn 101 on McCleod Soda Springs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsScQ3TNQ8M Upcoming Events Home hardening workshop to be held at the Rio Nido Lodge on October 26. FREE GMRS RADIOS: The next GMRS class conducted by WiConduit will be held on October 13, 10-2, at the Huerta Gymnasium, 9291 Old Redwood Hwy, Suite 200 in Windsor. You will receive a radio and instruction for its use. We have active groups practicing in Occidental, Rio Nido, Sebastopol, Green Valley, Coffee Lane, Cazadero, and other locations. Be sure you are ready for any emergency. Watch this section for Neighborhood Meeting Information: Neighborhood #14 (Taylor Lane) is Oct. 5th, [3PM] at the end of the road. Neighborhood #1 (Harrison Grade) is Oct. 13th, 3 pm, at 13404 Harrison Grade Place. NG#8 and NG#13 are having a joint Christmas gathering at the CYO camp on Dec. 7th. Details to follow in the next Newsletter. PG&E Resources For WildFire Season Get free resources form PG&E to help you stay safe this wildifre season HERE Safer West County is opening space for new Board members Safer West County would like to expand our Board. Our Board members come from varied backgrounds and have experience in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Board members contribute based on their area of interest as well as their expertise, and many focus solely on areas they are already actively engaged rather than picking up a new mantle. However, their input from that area can be invaluable to our member Fire Safe/FireWise Councils, as well as our community as a whole. We look to include members across all of West County. One of the best rewards for joining is meeting incredibly interesting people who are passionate about creating a resilient West County. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in SWC, we would love to hear from you. |
September 6, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter September 6th, 2024News in West CountyHelping Seniors Be Prepared Upcoming WorkshopSeptember is National Preparedness MonthSafer West County is opening space for new Board membersSeptember 15, Sunday at 11am – 2pm, Monte Rio – GMRS TrainingSeptember 8, Fire Safe Occidental Neighborhood 11 MeetingOctober 13, 9:30am-12:30pm – Resilient Landscape Coalition at OAECHelping Seniors Be Prepared Upcoming Workshop Emergency Prep Help is holding an emergency preparedness workshop for seniors in the Guerneville area. Workshop participants will get a FREE go bag with supplies. If you know any seniors in the Guerneville/Russian River area, please encourage them to sign up right away. Use this link to sign up on our website, or call the Russian River Senior Center at 707-823-1640 x400 to register. DATE: Tuesday, September 10, TIME: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm. WHERE Russian River Senior Center  September is National Preparedness MonthThe Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office shared that there are things you can do to help them help you! During a disaster, they work alongside other County agencies to issue alerts. The County will issue a SoCoAlert (register here), and the Sheriff will send a Nixle text message (register here). Both messages will contain important information, such as the type of emergency, its location, and what they need you to do to stay safe. If they issue an evacuation order, it will be by evacuation zone. Make sure you look up your zone (Know Your Zone) and write it down somewhere handy. Finally, make sure you have a plan for getting you and your family out of harm’s way. You should know two ways to evacuate without GPS if your normal route is inaccessible or the internet isn’t working. Safer West County is opening space for new Board members Safer West County would like to expand our Board. Our Board members come from varied backgrounds and have experience in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Board members contribute based on their area of interest as well as their expertise, and many focus solely on areas they are already actively engaged rather than picking up a new mantle. However, their input from that area can be invaluable to our member Fire Safe/FireWise Councils, as well as our community as a whole. We look to include members across all of West County. One of the best rewards for joining is meeting incredibly interesting people who are passionate about creating a resilient West County. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in SWC, we would love to hear from you. Monte Rio News There will be a GMRS training: Sunday, September 15 · 11am – 2pm PDT Monte Rio Community Center 20488 Highway 116 Monte Rio, CA 95462 Reserve A Spot This training aims to educate community members on using two-way radios for emergency communications when all else fails. Additionally, each participating household will receive a free programmed radio!Fire Safe Occidental Neighborhood 11 Meeting Fitzpatrick Lane will be holding an FSO meeting for Area 11 residents only (Fitzpatrick Lane plus the first few homes on lower Coleman Valley Rd) on Sunday September 8th at 4:00pm, at the “Gray Barn” at 18605 Fitzpatrick Lane. The agenda centers on a presentation and discussion on being prepared for a wildfire, and a discussion on the future leadership of group 11. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Just bring yourselves. Please RSVP to Ann Hines, 707-874-2085 so we know how many people to expect.  Join Safer West Countyand the Resilient Landscape Coalition at Occidental Arts and Ecology October 13th 9:30 – 12:30 Discover how to make your home and the landscape around it fire resistant and Get help applying for our $1000 rebate for doing the work! |
September 1, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter September, 2024News in West CountyWhat do a shovel and a gallon of water have in common?Do Fire Mitigation work nowJourney towards becoming a Fire Wise CommunitySeeking a Fuel Reduction ContractorSeptember 15, Sunday at 11am – 2pm, Monte Rio – GMRS TrainingFire Safe Occidental and Camp Meeker Had A Great Event at the Altamont  What do a shovel and a gallon of water have in common? Together they can make a world of difference in fire prevention. Did you know … When doing work outside on your land with mowers, weed eaters, chainsaws, or other mechanical devices, placing a shovel and one gallon of water somewhere nearby can save you a lot of damage, stress and danger. We know too well that all it takes for a devastating fire is a few sparks and time spent looking for supplies to quell the growing flames. Be prepared while you are working to stop sparks where they start. In a time of crisis, having that shovel and gallon of water on hand is equivalent to:50 gallons of water five minutes away at the barn or house, or500 gallons on a fire truck 15 minutes out. This dynamic pair can be used to shovel dirt onto sparks to snuff out flames, dampen the area and prevent the spread. A gallon of water and a shovel are inexpensive, common household items – have a few on the property if you’ve got multiple projects going on, and make sure everyone in your home knows where to find them if anything goes awry! Do Fire Mitigation work now As fires blaze elsewhere in the west, it is a great reminder to continue making your home more and more fire resilient. It is no longer a question of whether defensible space and home hardening work, it really just boils down to what you can afford, what you can do yourself, and how much time you invest. To learn more about both home hardening and defensible space go to https://saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation/ And to help reduce the burden of this work for residents of Camp Meeker, Forestville, Monte Rio and Occidental you can get free chipping of debris and a $1000 rebate for defensible space work. Both are easy to receive. Below are the steps to take: How do I get FREE ChippingLimb and trim trees and ladder fuel, and remove dead and dying vegetationCreate piles for chipping in an easy to reach locationApply at https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/Your local fire department will come chip the debris for freeNOTE: if you are outside of these four communities, you can apply for free chipping from the County here: https://permitsonoma.org/divisions/firepreventionandhazmat/servicesandfees/chipperprogram/chipperprogramapplication. How do I get the $1000 rebatesTake pictures of the area/project you want to doApply at https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/ (If you haven’t had a home assessment in the last year, let us know on the application you need one and Safer West County will do an assessment for free to help you prioritize projects.)Once approved, have a contractor complete the defensible space projectSend in your invoice from the contractorReceive $1000 rebate for a $1500+ invoice or ⅔ of the invoice if less than $1500.NOTE: if you cannot afford the $500 portion, let us know in the application and we can provide a $500 scholarship for the first 40 people to apply Its that easy! Don’t delay! Journey towards becoming a Fire Wise CommunityAdvice from one neighborhood By Vesta Copestakes, Forestville neighborhood leader After attempts to get a Fire Safe Forestville group started, I took the advice of local small groups who say door-to-door close neighborhood organization works best. My neighborhood is easy to define because it is literally one road that loops from River Road back to River Road bordered by canyons on two sides. This led us to investigating becoming a FireWise Community. It’s a complex process that can be daunting, but with neighbors being denied insurance, and others getting letters that they can have reduced insurance rates if they are registered as FireWise, there is more incentive to go through the steps. But defining the area your group wants identified as Fire Wise is not as simple as downloading a parcel map and drawing a line around the border of your neighborhood. Your identified community needs to be submitted to an Outreach Coordinator in order to be OK’d by SoCo Fire. Getting assigned an Outreach Coordinator seems to be the most important step so that your application gets accepted and processed step-by-step. Information can be found on this website: NFPA – Firewise  Our neighborhood group has had three meetings so far and with each meeting we get more neighbors on-board. In the meantime, as we work on the FireWise process, people are clearing their yards for flammable material, getting tree work done, and applying for grants through the Safer West County Defensible Space Incentives Project:https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/When we learned that “priority will be given to applications of neighboring parcels” for the rebates people got inspired to connect, which was also the next step in FireWise, as well. We had questions around getting a FireWise assessment and it took some digging to understand that it’s a self-assessment online that allows the organization to compile and compare data from individuals residents in our defined neighborhood. Which took us back to the drawing board of getting our neighborhood defined. Once we get the go ahead from SoCo Fire and our Outreach Coordinator on our boundaries, then we will be on to the next step – getting the assessment; and, if all goes well, onward to becoming registered Fire Wise. Seeking a Fuel Reduction Contractor Safer West County was awarded an Open Space grant to conduct fuel reduction work along the old Hampton Fire Rd in Camp Meeker and is seeking a qualified local contractor to do this critical work. Contractors can learn more about the project and application process at: https://saferwestcounty.org/rfp-hampton/ Monte Rio News There will be a GMRS training: Sunday, September 15 · 11am – 2pm PDT Monte Rio Community Center 20488 Highway 116 Monte Rio, CA 95462 Reserve A Spot This training aims to educate community members on using two-way radios for emergency communications when all else fails. Additionally, each participating household will receive a free programmed radio! Fire Safe Occidental and Camp Meeker Had A Great Event at the Altamont What a fantastic turnout Fire Safe Occidental and Camp Meeker had at the Altamont a few Sundays ago! Over 75 people visited tables learning about the $1000 rebate, defensible space, emergency alerts, GMRS, evacuations, home hardening, fire extinguishers and more! The Altamont was such a great place to meet! Inside and outside spaces, plus great food and drinks, really were the perfect backdrop for everyone to socialize and get to know their neighbors. In addition to our heartfelt thanks to the Altamont for hosting us, we want to give a shout-out to Kistler Vineyards and Osmosis Day Spa, who sponsored a Safer West County silent auction, helping us raise money for these types of events across West County and other services we provide. If you missed our event and would like to learn more, please contact your neighborhood leader to help organize a local meeting where we can bring similar information to your area. Or contact us at info@SaferWestCounty.org with specific questions. Fire Safe Occidental Neighborhood 11 Meeting Fitzpatrick Lane will be holding an FSO meeting for Area 11 residents only (Fitzpatrick Lane plus the first few homes on lower Coleman Valley Rd) on Sunday September 8th at 4:00pm, at the “Gray Barn” at 18605 Fitzpatrick Lane. The agenda centers on a presentation and discussion on being prepared for a wildfire, and a discussion on the future leadership of group 11. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Just bring yourselves. Please RSVP to Ann Hines, 707-874-2085 so we know how many people to expect. Save the DateDefensible Space hands on workshop with Resilient Landscape Coalition @ OAEC October 13th. More info to come |
August 11, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter August 2024News in West CountyDo Fire Mitigation work nowAugust 18, 2-4PM – Get Ready for Fire Season!Having trouble with your insurance?Community NewsDo Fire Mitigation work now As fires blaze elsewhere in the state, it is a great reminder to continue making your home more fire-resilient. It is no longer a question of whether defensible space and home hardening work; it really just boils down to what you can afford, what you can do yourself, and how much time you invest. To learn more about both home hardening and defensible space go to https://saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation/ There are lots of easy weekend project ideas you will find there. And to help reduce the burden of this work for residents of Camp Meeker, Forestville, Monte Rio and Occidental you can get free chipping of debris and a $1000 rebate for defensible space work. Both are easy to receive. Below are the steps to take: How do I get FREE ChippingLimb and trim trees and ladder fuel, and remove dead and dying vegetationCreate piles for chipping in an easy to reach locationApply at https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/Your local fire department will come chip the debris for freeNOTE: if you are outside of these four communities, you can apply for free chipping from the County here: https://permitsonoma.org/divisions/firepreventionandhazmat/servicesandfees/chipperprogram/chipperprogramapplication How do I get the $1000 rebatesTake pictures of the area/project you want to doApply at https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/ (If you haven’t had a home assessment in the last year, let us know on the application you need one and Safer West County will do an assessment for free to help you prioritize projects.)Once approved, have a contractor complete the defensible space projectSend in your invoice from the contractorReceive $1000 rebate for a $1500+ invoice or ⅔ of the invoice if less than $1500.NOTE: if you cannot afford the $500 portion, let us know in the application and we can provide a $500 scholarship for the first 40 people to applyIts that easy! Don’t delay! Get Ready for Fire Season! Fire Safe Camp Meeker and Fire Safe Occidental will be at The Altamont August 18th to help you prepare your home and yourself for fire season. (Plus free ice cream for attendees) See below for details.  Having trouble with your insurance?Watch this webinar put on by United Policyholders https://youtu.be/CoGvo17njJE?si=ZLKBE9RBCcRw2bDd  Upcoming EventsAug 12 – 5:30-8:00 PM Summertime Potluck at OCC (see below)Aug 18 – Get Ready For Fire Season (see above)Oct 13 – Defensible Space hands on workshop with Resilient Landscape Coalition @ OAEC October 13th. More info to come  Community NewsOccidental August 12, 5:30-8:00 PM Summertime Potluck at OCC  Forward this to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County Newsletter Safer West County Monthly Meetings Safer West County’s Board and leaders from our various community organizations meet via ZOOM on the first Tuesday of each month. Join us. We appreciate your support in time and monetary contributions.DONATE TODAYCONTACT US Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465 saferwestcounty.org info@saferwestcounty.org |
June 24, 2024
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| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter June 2024 |
| News in West CountyJune 27, 1-2PM – Wildfire Preparedness Communications Webinar for Rural County LeadersAs Joy Road deteriorates, residents wonder ‘When will it ever get fixed?’Gardening for a defendable homeRecording – Home Insurance Shopping Help WebinarOccidental Arts & Ecology Center Named North Coast’s 2024 Nonprofit Of The YearSoCo Adapts Program Update and Webinar Invitation Small-Diameter Log Provision for Local MillUpcoming EventsCommunity News |
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| Register at: https://bit.ly/3ySp0TR or scan the QR code above in poster. |
| As Joy Road deteriorates, residents wonder ‘When will it ever get fixed?’ Joy Road is a primary evacuation route for over 600 residents—assuming all other routes are passable, more if any are closed. While full of potholes and crumbling edges, like many West County roads, two winters ago a slide narrowed the road further making two-way traffic impossible. It is also a primary road for Bodega Fire and other emergency resonders. Residents are worried about going into another fire season with the road unfixed and the possiblity of residents evacuating south while emergency vehicles or residents returning to get elderly residents are attempting to go north on Joy Rd. |
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| Fire Safe Occidental is asking for your support by signing their petition. https://www.change.org/Fix_Joy_Road Your local Fire Safe/Firewise organizations work with Safer West County to lobby for work on evacuation roads in West County—working on roadside fuel reduction as well as pavement improvements. Please reach out to highlight any unsafe roads in your area. Here is a link to an article on the topic from the Sebastopol Times Article |
| Safer West County’s member gardens A few weeks ago, over 200 residents toured the Safer West County’s member gardens, Ellie Insley, where they learned how to garden and create a fire-resilient landscape. Homes on this tour demonstrated how beautiful defensible space can be. If you are in Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker or Occidental you can even get $1000 rebate when you do defensible space work. Read on to learn how. Ellie’s garden was part of the Eco-Friendly Garden Tour, hosted by the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Program and California Native Plant Society. The garden was designed in collaboration with the Resilient Landscapes Coalition as an educational program to teach people about gardening in the defensible space and beyond. The garden demonstrates the coalition’s principles and shows Ellie’s process to create a fire-resilient area surrounding her home. Some of the steps and actions demonstrated were:“Hardening the home” by installing 1/8” mesh over all vents and around the perimeter of the deck to keep embers from entering, Installing a 5’ edging of decorative gravel around the home and deck, removing all flammable material. Adding gravel immediately next to home. Without the traditional “foundation planting”, which can create a fire hazard, Ellies garden proves that gravel edging can still be very attractive. Ellie’s home integrates with the other firewise features, like islands of low native shrubs, perennials, grasses and annual plants in the 5-30’ zone around the home. The planting islands are separated by non-flammable flagstone and gravel pathways that allow you to meander through, with seating areas to afford different views of the plantings, surrounding valley oak savannah, and distant Atascadero Creek. To learn more about plant selection, spacing and more visit: ResilientLandscapesCoalition.org. Ellie co-leads SWC’s educational programming and has been an active driver of the Resilient Landscape Coalition through her years of work with Sonoma Ecology Center. To learn more about Defensible Space or apply for a $1000 rebate towards defensible space work visit SaferWestCounty.org. (Rebates available to residents of Camp Meeker, Monte Rio, Forestville, and Occidental.) |
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| Home Insurance Shopping Help WebinarRecordingUnited Policyholders is working hard to help California property owners stay financially protected despite unprecedented insurance availability and affordability challenges. If you missed it, you can still view the recording of UP’s Executive Director, Amy Bach, and a panel of agent/broker experts for a Home Insurance Shopping Help Webinar to get the straight scoop and answers to common questions. This webinar will cover:What to do if you are “dropped” (non-renewed)What you can do to keep your insurance affordableThe current California home insurance marketplaceInsuring your home through the CA FAIR PlanHome improvements that should qualify you for insurance discountsHere is the link to the recording https://youtu.be/CoGvo17njJE?si=ZLKBE9RBCcRw2bDd |
| Hot Dam! Beaver Believer Occidental Arts & Ecology Center Named North Coast’ 2024 Nonprofit Of The Year Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) has selected an environmental powerhouse – the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center – as the 2024 California Nonprofit of the Year for California’s North Coast. Congratulations from Safer West County! See the full article here |
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| SoCo Adapts Program Update and Webinar Invitation Below is an update from the FEMA Grant Team at Permit Sonoma, on SoCo Adapts Program. SoCo Adapts project Phase 1 provides consultation for defensible space and structure hardening to help Sonoma County property owners create wildfire-wise landscapes and harden homes to be more resilient to ignition from the heat and embers of wildfire. The second phase of the project will provide $10,000 rebates to help property owners complete high priority projects. Go to www.SoCoAdapts.org to check eligibility and learn more about the program. |
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| Small-Diameter Log Provision for Local Mill Unmanaged Sonoma County forests tend to be full of small-diameter trees that require thinning to improve habitat, watersheds, fire resilience, and more. Instead of leaving this material in the forest as chips or burning it in piles, Forestree Collective is working to source and process this material and they are now accepting logs at their western Sonoma County mill site. If you’re a forest landowner or manager and have logs that fit the specifications below and you would like them utilized, please take a moment to fill out this form. Log Specifications:Logs must be relatively straightLength: 8’ – 16’ ft lengths ideal with a minimum of 4’ lengths acceptedDiameter: 6” minimum to 12” maximum diameter butt endFor pick up, a minimum of 10 logs must be limbed, stacked and accessible next to a roadwayTree tops less than 6” cut offTrees must be recently cut and not more than 2-years post harvest No visible rot or bug damageAny species |
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| Upcoming EventsJun 27 – Wildfire Preparedness Communications Webinar for Rural Community LeadersJul 6 – Monte Rio BBQJul 21 – Occidental Volunteer Fire Dept Association Annual Picnic in the Union Hotel Grove north of townRio Nido Radio Training – August 11th – Rio Nido Lodge 11AM Sebastopol Radio Training- August 18th – Sebastopol Community Center/Youth Annex 11AMBrunch with Lynda – Russian River Senior Center- August 15th. 10:15AM (RSVP Russian River Senior Center)Petaluma Radio Training – Luchessi Center – September 8th – 11AMMonte Rio/Villa Grande Radio Training – September 15, Monte Rio Community Center |
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| Community News Occidental Volunteers needed at the Occidental Fire Department BBQ, both to staff the SWC/FSO/FSCM table and to help the OVFD with serving. It is a fun way to get to know your community. Contact info@SaferWestCounty.com for details. Rio Nido Congratulations to our newest Firewise Community, Rio Nido. Those who put work into this, are benefiting the entire community. Rio Nido’s first Firewise Community Cleanup Day, was organized by Anne McInerney. The activities included a group cleanup project, assisted by Ryan Osborne from the Sonoma County Fire District, that successfully cleared an overgrown and dangerous intersection that was also a significant ground cover fire hazard. Recology donated its largest Compost Bin, and residents had filled it by the end of the day. Fire Safe Sonoma made the Listos Tool Trailer available, which was widely used; Anne also organized opportunities for residents to utilize the County’s Chipping Program and created the maps for the County to organize the work—many of our residents made good use of this opportunity. BIG THANKS to Fire Safe Sonoma for the use of and delivery/pick-up of the Listos Tool Trailer; Recology for the donation of the compost bin; Arielle at the County Chipping Program; Ryan Osborne from SCFD for his guidance on vegetation management; Brandon Hart from the county’s Integrated Waste Division, who waived tipping fees for our residents; and to all the volunteers here in Rio Nido who helped make this happen. Anne was also responsible for Rio Nido being officially Firewise Certified, which included a certificate all Rio Nido residents can now use to hopefully get discounts on their homeowners insurance, and/or help in keeping their insurance in place. If you would like to contact Anne with any questions, she can be reached at [rionidofirewise@gmail.com] |
| Safer West County Monthly Meetings Safer West County’s Board and leaders from our various community organizations meet via ZOOM on the first Tuesday of each month. Join us. Next meeting: Look for it on July 2nd at 4PM by ZOOM |
June 18, 2024
 News FlashJune 18Did you know this past weekend, we had the first Sonoma County mandatory evacuation order? It’s a poignant reminder that fire season is hereIt’s unlikely very many residents near Lake Sonoma began Father’s Day weekend thinking they might need to evacuate. But within hours of the Point fire starting emergency evacuation orders were given. If you don’t have much time to plan, prior planning can make a big difference. Are you ready? Below are key areas to assess for you and your family. Sign up for Alerts If you didn’t get alerts blowing up your phone Sunday, go to the Safer West County emergency preparedness page and sign up for alerts here.If you are not already on a community automated call system, now is a good time to organize your neighborhood. Fire Safe Occidental uses the One Call Now and all Occidental residents should talk to their neighborhood leader to make sure they are on the list. Is your Go Bag packed? There are a lot of items you can have packed before an evacuation occurs, so you can grab a bag and go. Things like a change of clothes, water, shelf-stable foods, wool blankets, and other items can already be in your preferred evacuation vehicle. You can also create a detailed list of last-minute things to grab like medications, so you don’t have to think of them while worried and in a hurry. For more info on go bag essentials, go to the Safer West County page section on preparing yourself for emergencies. Do you and your roommates and family have a plan? During an evacuation is not the time to coordinate what needs to be done before you leave, plan meeting places, or write down people’s phone numbers outside of your phone. But those are all things you need to know. To help you be better prepared in case of an emergency Safer West County has prepared a resource list of what to do before evacuating depending on how much time you have and also a list of things to discuss with family now, before you need it. Click here for the list. Do you remember your evacuation zone? Finding information, like your evacuation zone, will be stressful in an emergency and possibly impossible if your power is out. Learn your evacuation zone, put it on your refrigerator, in your phone, and any other place you need now– before you need it. Find your evacuation zone here Lastly, do your Zone 0 defensible space work now. Look around your home for ways to improve its safety. Move firewood away from your house, trim back vegetation up close to your house–especially anything overhanging your roof and eaves. If you live in Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, or Occidental, you can get a $1000 rebate for defensible space work. Learn more at https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/ CONTACT US Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465 saferwestcounty.org info@saferwestcounty.org |
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May 22, 2024
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| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter Late May 2024 |
| News in West CountyMay 29, 5:30-7:30PM – Don’t Be Sacred, Be Prepared – West County Fire & Emergency / Public Safety Town HallSonoma County Woody Utilization Planning Project Seeks Public InputNewsom announces Wildfire Preparedness Week 2024Wildfire Evacuation VideoUC Davis Health Effects of Wildfire SurveyUpcoming EventsCommunity News |
| Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared! West County Fire & Emergency / Public Safety Town Hall May 29 – 5:30 to 7:30PM As we enter fire season, take time to learn all the ways you can improve yours and your family’s safety. We are joining Supervisor Hopkins on Wednesday evening, May 29, at Guerneville School to bring vital emergency preparedness to West County. Some of the groups you will learn from include: Safer West CountySonoma County Fire, Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, WiConduit / GMRS Radio Operators, West County Health Centers, Environmental Justice & Safety Elements of the General Plan Update), Permit Sonoma (to provide input on policy concepts being considered for the the Environmental Justice & Safety Elements of the General Plan Update),Watch Duty and more!Snacks and childcare will be provided. |
| Sonoma County Woody Utilization Planning Project Seeks Public Input A feasibility study is underway in Sonoma County to assess the economic and ecological viability of managing the flow of woody material from our forests to support forest treatment activities. The study has just opened a public comment period and is looking for feedback on potential activities that include the creation of an entity to manage this work, recovery of woody material, transport and processing it into wood products, soil amendments and more. If you have thoughts on this work, the Sonoma County Woody Feedstock Pilot Project would like to hear from you. The public comment period is open until October 1, 2024 via the 5 – 10 minute survey that can be found here. More information on the pilot can be found on Regenerative Forest Solution’s website. |
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| Newsom announces Wildfire Preparedness Week 2024 Did you know that Governor Newsom declared May 5th – 11th Wildfire Preparedness Week? You can read the entire proclamation here; and, importantly, he pointed out the importance of two key things:Working collaboratively with your neighbors and community organizationsCreating defensible space and home hardening “This year’s Wildfire Preparedness Week theme, meeting the mission through partnerships, emphasizes the importance of collaboration and collective responsibility in reducing and managing wildfire risk. Californians can make their neighborhoods safer by creating defensible space around homes, hardening homes, developing wildfire action plans and teaming up to join Fire Safe Councils and Firewise Communities, which work to regularly assess wildfire risk and prioritize action to address it.”Safer West County’s mission is to create resilience through connection. We encourage you to join with your neighbors and get involved because each of our homes is only as safe as the land surrounding us. If you aren’t already connected to your local Fire Safe or Fire Wise organization, contact us and we will connect you: info@SaferWestCounty.org And remember, Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental residents can apply for $1000 rebates towards defensible space work and receive free chipping. Go to https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/ to learn more. |
| Wildfire EvacuationIf you missed it in our last newsletter, please watch this evacuation video to learn important information on evacuating safely. |
| UC Davis Health Effects of Wildfire Survey Researchers at the University of California are interested in learning about residents’ experiences and unmet needs during the California wildfires. If you were residing in California at a time before a wildfire broke out in a county affected by the fire or its smoke, we invite you to take the survey. Take the survey |
| Upcoming EventsRio Fest in Monte Rio on June 15Monte Rio BBQ Jul 6Guerneville evacuation drill: It’s on Sunday June the 23rd and it’s for the Guernewood Park neighborhoodOccidental Neighborhood #1 will host its next meeting on June 9th. Stay tuned for details. |
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| Community News |
| Occidental Fire Safe Occidental’s Neighborhood 16 had 30+ people attend their local area meeting last Sunday. Here is a sampling of topics they covered that you might want to have a similar neighborhood gathering to discuss:Growing a GMRS networkBecoming a FireWise neighborhoodSafer West County’s Defensible Space Rebate (for Occidental, Camp Meeker, Monte Rio, and Forestville residents)Free chipping program (Sonoma County or Safer West County’s Fire Department run program for Occidental, Camp Meeker, Monte Rio, and Forestville residents)Possible community projects for group workdaysUse of Safer West County’s Free toolbox to equip volunteers on workdaysIf you have questions about any of these programs, email info@saferwestcounty.org, and we will get you in touch with someone who can help. |
| Rio Nido update Rio Nido had its first Firewise Community Cleanup Day, organized by Anne McInerney. The activities included a group cleanup project, assisted by Ryan Osborne from the Sonoma County Fire District, that successfully cleared an overgrown and dangerous intersection that was also a significant ground cover fire hazard. Recology donated their largest Compost Bin, and residents had filled it by the end of the day. Fire Safe Sonoma made the Listos Tool Trailer available, which was widely used; and Anne also organized opportunities for residents to utilize the County’s Chipping Program, and created the maps for the County to organize the work—many of our residents made good use of this opportunity. BIG THANKS to Fire Safe Sonoma for the use of, and delivery/pick-up of the Listos Tool Trailer; Recology for the donation of the compost bin; Arielle at the County Chipping Program; Ryan Osborne from SCFD for his guidance on vegetation management; Brandon Hart from the county’s Integrated Waste Division, who waived tipping fees for our residents; and to all the volunteers here in Rio Nido who helped make this happen. Anne was also responsible for Rio Nido being officially Firewise Certified this month, which included a certificate all Rio Nidans can now use to hopefully get discounts on their homeowners insurance, and/or help in keeping their insurance in place. If you would like to contact Anne with any questions, she can be reached at rionidofirewise@gmail.com |
| Safer West County Monthly Meetings Safer West County’s Board and leaders from our various community organizations meet via ZOOM on the first Tuesday of each month. Join us. Next meeting: Look for it on June 4th at 4PM by ZOOM |
| We appreciate your support in time and monetary contributions. |
| CONTACT US Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465 saferwestcounty.org info@saferwestcounty.org |
May 6, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter May 2024 News in West CountyLearn life-saving info from this video on how to evacuateDoes Home Hardening Work?Local businesses making commitments to a safer West CountyHome Hardening and Defensible Space Before & After Photo ContestWildfire Preparedness Month town hallUC Davis Health Affects of Wildfire SurveyCorrection to Insurance Information in last newsletterUpcoming EventsCommunity NewsLearn life-saving info from this video on how to evacuate by Mark Brown Mark Brown is a Sonoma County resident working for the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. Everyone should watch this at least once. And join your neighbors to work on your driveways and local evacuation routes—removing vegetation near the roads making your exit safer. For neighborhoods with only one official way out, this month would be a great time to drive the alternative/secondary egress routes you don’t normally drive to ensure you’re familiar with the alternate route. Watch on YouTube “Does Home Hardening Work?: A Closer Look at the Lahaina “Miracle” House” webinar recording now available How many of us have wondered whether making changes to our structures and landscaping will actually reduce wildfire risk? Learn about the science behind mitigating wildfire exposures to homes and businesses with Safer West County Board Member and Madronus Wildfire Defense CEO, Ivan O’Neill, using the famous Lahaina “Miracle” House as a case study (spoiler: nothing miraculous about it!). Finally, Ivan answers audience questions about home hardening and provides practical advice. Watch on YouTube And, if you missed our recent webinar about how to create defensible space that not only improves your home’s fire resilience but also can be really beautiful, you can watch the replay: Resilient Landscaping  Local businesses making commitments to a safer West CountyBig thanks to our many donors and, most recently, the generous donations from local companies who have supported our Bohemian Collaborative events for large parcel owners. The Gonnella’s and the Union Hotel, have fed our group of 45+ people at all four meetings over the past year. We have had the luxury of enjoying local wines from Kistler Vineyards supplying wine at three meetings, Furthermore Vineyards at our January meeting, and at this recent 4/14 meeting we enjoyed wine from Boheme. The Bohemian Collaborative is a Safer West County group of large parcel owners representing over 15,000 acres surrounding our local communities. They are working collectively to reduce fire risk and improve forest and watershed health in our area. We have held meetings with over 45 people each time, hosted by Alliance Redwoods, Bohemia Preserve (LandPaths & Will and Julie Parish), OAEC, and recently Green Valley Farm & Mill. Please support these local businesses as they help us create a more resilient West County. Home Hardening and Defensible Space Before & After Photo ContestIn recognition of May being Wildfire Preparedness Month, FireSAFE SONOMA announced their DIY Wildfire Defense Photo Contest! We’re calling all homeowners to showcase their DIY home hardening and defensible space projects. SEE MORE HERE  Kicking off Wildfire Preparedness Monthwith an important town hall May is National Wildfire Preparedness Month and California is gearing up and getting ready as the start of summer is just around the corner. To prepare, Senator Mike McQuire is hosting a critical Town Hall on Wildfire Preparedness and Preventionthis Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30pm. The State has invested mightily over the past several years making the Golden State more fire safe. California has significantly beefed up firefighting resources in every corner of the State, hiring thousands of additional CalFire firefighters and advanced record funding for vegetation management, dead and dying tree removal and creating new fire breaks around communities. That said, there’s much more work to do. We hope you can join this important Town Hall with CalFire Chief Joe Tyler to hear the latest updates and, of course, we’ll be taking your questions and comments. Here are the Town Hall details: What: Town Hall on Wildfire Preparedness and Prevention When: Join us live online on Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30pm. RSVP and ask a question for the Town Hall presenters by clicking here! How to attend: Watch the Town Hall live here: https://sd02.senate.ca.gov/videosUC Davis Health Effects of Wildfire Survey Researchers at the University of California are interested in learning about residents’ experiences and unmet needs during the California wildfires. If you were residing in California at a time before a wildfire broke out in a county affected by the fire or its smoke, we invite you to take the survey. Take the survey Correction to Insurance Information in last newsletter As it turns out the only community-level mitigation discount currently offered by The California Fair Plan is the Fire Wise Discount. This discount is available for all properties that are part of a Firewise USA Community in good standing. Safer West County is encouraging each of our members to work together to become Fire Wise Communities. The Harrison Grade neighborhood in Fire Safe Occidental and Hacienda and Hollydale/Canyon/Terrace communities in Forestville, have done this work and are now certified Fire Wise communities. You can learn more about what it takes from Fire Safe Sonoma here. In addition to the Fire Wise Discount, the Fair Plan also offers Wildfire Hardening Discounts. There are two Wildfire Hardening discounts available: one for Protecting the Structure, and another for Protecting the Immediate Surroundings of the dwelling. When applied, these discounts will reduce the wildfire portion of the policy’s premium by 10% and 5%, respectively. These discounts can be obtained separately or together; policyholders do not need to qualify for one discount to qualify for the other. If a policyholder is eligible for both discounts, the total discount will be approximately 14.5% because the second discount is applied to the wildfire premium after the first discount is applied. In order to qualify for these discounts, the insured property must meet the following qualifications. For the Wildfire Hardening – Protecting the Structure Discount, the property must meet ALL of the following qualifications: • The dwelling must have a Class-A Fire Rated Roof (meaning composition shingle, stone, concrete or clay tile, or metal) • 6 inches at the bottom of all exterior walls must be made of non-combustible material • Vents must be ember and fire resistant (wire mesh covering) • Windows must be double paned • Eaves must be enclosed For the Wildfire Hardening – Protecting the Immediate Surroundings Discount, the property must meet ALL of the following qualifications: • Vegetation and debris must be cleared from under decks • There must be an ember resistant zone maintained within five feet of the home • There must be no combustible sheds or outbuildings within 30 feet of the dwelling • Defensible space must be maintained including trimming trees, clearing of brush, and removing debris from yard (including trimming trees, removal of brush and debris from yard, in compliance with California Public Resources Code 4291) The Fire Wise Discount can be added at the time you apply for coverage, or midterm to an existing policy. All policies requesting the Firewise Discount will be checked against the current Firewise Community Database https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa/firewise-usa-sites . The Wildfire Hardening Discount can only be added to an existing policy at this time. To request either discount, contact your broker. Please note, all policies which receive the Wildfire Hardening Discounts will be inspected to confirm their eligibility and the discount(s) may be removed if the inspection reveals the property does not qualify. Upcoming EventsRio Fest in Monte Rio on June 15Monte Rio BBQ Jul 6Guerneville evacuation drill: It’s on Sunday June the 23rd and it’s for the Guernewood Park neighborhoodOccidental Neighborhood #1 will host its next meeting on June 9th. Stay tuned for details. Big congratulations to Occidental Neighborhood #9 who had a great turn-out for their meeting last week. Many thanks to Ann Hamilton and Art Hsieh who are the co-Leaders. If you have a GMRS radio and haven’t had it reprogrammed, please contact carolynsell@gmail.com. We are currently checking in every Tuesday at 7pm. Community News Community access Wi-FiGreat news for community WiFi in Jenner and Monte Rio. Wi-Fi is now up and working in Jenner at the Jenner Community Center and in Monte Rio at the Fire Station on Main Street. The server on both is named “EQAC” (equal access). No password is needed, and it is solar powered with a battery backup to help the community in an emergency. Camp Meeker News: Next time you are driving Bohemian Highway through Camp Meeker, take a few minutes to pull off and admire the work the Fire Safe Camp Meeker volunteers have done by the fire department and Post Office! Two years ago, working with Americorp volunteers, they cleared the embankment by the post office and exposed a culvert that long time residents had never seen. This year they have cleared a beautiful rock formation that residents of 40+ years had never seen. Forward this to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County Newsletter Safer West County Monthly Meetings Safer West County’s Board and leaders from our various community organizations meet via ZOOM on the first Tuesday of each month. Join us. Next meeting: Look for it on May 7th |
April 9, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter April 2024News in West CountySafer West County Wins Award for Best Emergency Preparedness Service In Sonoma April 23 Safer West County 6:30-8pm zoom Defensible Space made beautiful webinar April 18th Outlook for Fire Season 2:00pm zoom GMRS radio network is growing! Congratulations to SWC Community Leaders Homeowner’s Insurance 101 Who wants $1000? Community NewsSafer West County Wins Award for Best Emergency Preparedness Service In Sonoma County in the Bohemian  Safer West County & the Resilient Landscape CoalitionDefensible Space made beautiful virtual webinar April 23 6:30-8pm Register here: https://tinyurl.com/3wfnxnyd Learn how to create and maintain a fire-wise, sustainable garden that supports biodiversity while meeting County code requirements. We can help you with plant selection, placement, and maintenance, to preserve and even enhance wildlife habitat, while keeping your property and neighborhood fire-wise and sustainable. The Resilient Landscapes Coalition is a partnership of Fire Safe Sonoma, the Sonoma Ecology Center, The UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County and The Habitat Corridor Project.  Outlook for Fire SeasonHear Calfire Chief Ben Nichols give us his outlook for fire season at Fire Safe Sonoma’s Speaker Series on April 18th at 2 pm. Register here GMRS radio network is growing!On Sunday, March 10th, 61 West County residents met in Occidental for another round of training on GMRS radios and to get their radios reprogrammed. Safer West County received a grant from the County District 5 to install repeaters in key locations and purchase 100 radios to create a network across the area, giving neighborhoods connections with others in the case of emergency, when power is off and cell phones and WiFi go down. If you would like to be part of this important and growing emergency communication network, please contact https://www.wiconduit.org/radio for details. Participants must be members of their local Fire Safe, Fire Wise, or other community resiliency organization and part of Safer West County’s email list, plus attend regular networking tests to keep our communications network operable.  Congratulations to Community LeadersCongratulations to Carolyn Sell, SWC Board member, active member of Fire Safe Occidental, and neighborhood organizer for her area of Harrison Grade. She received the Fire Safe Sonoma award for outstanding leadership in Sonoma County last Saturday at the FSS Leadership Council. Also awarded for her consistent efforts in the Hacienda area was Sarah Yardley. Sarah gave a great presentation on her work along with all the information needed for any community to organize an effective neighborhood work day which can be found on the Fire Safe Sonoma website. Sarah has tirelessly committed to organizing community chipping days in her area for years.  Homeowner’s Insurance 101 Safer West County hosted insurance meetings over the past few months (one in Occidental and then one in Monte Rio) to help residents understand the current insurance landscape and give homeowners practical information to help keep or secure insurance. Some key takeaways from both meetings were:If you have insurance today, don’t start shopping for a better plan and switch carriers. This is not the time to try and find cheaper insurance. Keep what you have and fly under the radar.If you are on the California Fair Plan, shop around every 3-6 months as you never know when an insurance company may have room in your area to write new policy. Carriers with many policies in one region often reduce the risk in that area by decreasing policies; however, another carrier with fewer policies in your area might pick you up. Each home has an insurance risk score. To find your score, go to the website Riskfactor.com, type in your address and you should see your flood and Fire score for that property. If your insurance company uses a risk model to determine eligibility or rates, they must share it with you before each renewal, after an initial application, and before non-renewal. Feel free to ask your agent for yours. If you have completed mitigation work (for example, defensible space work) on your property since your last application or renewal, your insurer is required to provide you with an updated wildfire risk score or classification no later than 30 days. Insurance carriers will likely soon be required to give discounts or at least keep you renewed based on work you do to make your home more fire-resilient. Visit saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation to learn about what and how to do this. If you live in Monte Rio, Forestville, Camp Meeker, or Occidental, you are eligible for a $1000 rebate on defensible space work to help you get started. Go to SaferWestCounty.org/grants to learn more. While the CA Insurance Commission helps regulate the industry, our government cannot force companies to write policies. They are working with the industry to make sure the insurance carriers are financially sustainable in the light of climate change while making sure homeowners can both be insured and afford insurance. It is a delicate balance. CA FAIR Plan policyholders can get up 4.0% off the wildfire portion of their premium simply for living in Sonoma County, which is a Board of Forestry designated Fire Risk Reduction Community. Additional premium discounts up to a maximum 16% are available for mitigation actions like defensible space, home hardening, and being part of a Firewise USA Community. Contact your insurance agent/broker to request the latest Attestation Form to get your discount. California is pushing for all insurance carriers to recognize Firewise USA Communities when writing policies as being more fire resilient, and homeowners in those communities being more active at improving their home’s space. Safer West County is promoting neighborhoods to become Firewise USA Communities and Fire Safe Sonoma is helping each group with the steps. For more information on how to become a Firewise neighborhood go to https://www.firesafesonoma.org/sonoma-county-firewise-communities/.  Who wants $1000?The cost of improving our home’s fire resiliency can be daunting. Safer West County has a Calfire grant to help residents of Monte Rio, Forestville, Camp Meeker, or Occidental pay for Defensible Space work around their homes, and we are sending checks for 2/3s the cost of what is paid to a contractor (up to $1000) for defensible space work. Applicants need to have a recent assessment (this can be free), photos of the area to be improved, and submit applications at SaferWestCounty.org/grants. We even have a generous grant from Sonoma County to help residents who cannot afford their $500 contribution (⅓) to apply for a scholarship to cover that portion of the work. To help you apply, Safer West County and each of the Fire Safe organizations in these four communities are having local Defensible Space Rebate program meetings at your local fire station where you will get assistance with the application and learn more about what types of projects to tackle. Here are the dates and times at each location: Camp Meeker: April 18th from 6-8 pm (location announced soon) Occidental: April 25th from 5-7 pm (at the Occidental Fire Station) Forestville and Monte Rio coming soon! Community News Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, andOccidental residents The chipping program through our local Fire Departments is still going strong; however, you may experience some delays because wet foliage clogs the chippers and prevents them from functioning. If you have applied for chipping, it will happen but there may be weather-related scheduling issues. Sign up here for:Free chipping$1000 rebate program Occidental News: Harrison Grade Road is having a Barn Sale on May 5th, 10-3. There will be multiple vendors and three locations. Spring cleaning from all of our households. Clothes, tools, dishes, pet toys, art, etc. Come one, come all! (Take Harrison Grade and watch for directions). Camp Meeker News: Next time you are driving Bohemian Highway through Camp Meeker, take a few minutes to pull off and admire the work the Fire Safe Camp Meeker volunteers have done by the fire department and Post Office! Two years ago, working with Americorp volunteers, they cleared the embankment by the post office and exposed a culvert that long time residents had never seen. This year they have cleared a beautiful rock formation that residents of 40+ years had never seen. Forward this to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County Newsletter Safer West County Monthly Meetings Safer West County’s Board and leaders from our various community organizations meet via ZOOM on the first Tuesday of each month. Join us. Next meeting: Look for it on May 7th |
March 6, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter March 2024News in West CountyMar 8 – Pile Burning Workshop – Friday, March 8, 2024 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in Occidental, CA Chile’s deadly wildfires wiped out neighborhoods. One stood unscathed. Fire Use Around the World: Purposes, Principles, Policies, and Practices West County Homeowners Insurance Seminar Mar 16 – Sonoma County Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS) & Sonoma County Neighborhood Communication Service (NACS) Announcement of Interoperability exercise Neighborhood NewsPile Burning Workshop Friday, March 8, 2024 9:00 am to 12:30 pm Occidental, CA  Chile’s deadly wildfires wiped out neighborhoodsOne stood unscathed A Chilean community of 80 or so houses somehow emerged unscathed from what has been called the deadliest fires in Chilean history. It has generatedviral social media posts and headlines of disbelief and awe. Read the excellent Washington Post article here. Fire Use Around the World: Purposes, Principles, Policies, and Practices The California Fire Science Consortium has provided an excellent webinar series on fire use here. You can also find past webinars, like the excellent Preparing for the “big one”: prescribed fire as a strategic fuel reduction tool. West County Homeowners Insurance Seminar This recent Feb 17 seminar had lots of great content about homeowners insurance. Here is a link that tells you how to find the information. West County Homeowners Insurance Seminar Sonoma County Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS) & Sonoma County Neighborhood Communication Service (NACS) Announcement of Interoperability exercise March 19, 2024 – 9AM This exercise helps bridge the gap between neighborhood resiliency groups and local government agencies and NGOs for support. Communication will be two-way, using GMRS and Ham radio, sending information from EOC to neighborhood groups, or for example sending a ‘911’ message to the EOC such as calling for police action, obtaining beds and medical supplies. Find out more here West County Community News Occidental GMRS Radios Fire Safe Occidental has approximately 25 more GMRS radios to distribute. Our next training date is Sunday, March 10 at noon, Salmon Creek School cafeteria. If you are interested in joining your Neighborhood group as part of the GMRS communications program, please plan to join us. Fire Safe Occidental Social Fire Safe Occidental will be having a social gathering. We are hoping for representation from all our neighborhoods! · at the Union Hotel Ballroom · on Sunday, March 17th · from 3 – 6 pm. In addition to enjoying each other’s company, we will also discuss: · How to access grant money for neighborhoods from the SWC rebate program · What is the neighborhood leader’s role? How might a neighborhood share the role of multiple people? · Get input on priorities for FSO in the coming year Please extend the invitation to new neighbors and new Occidental residents so that we can grow our community and our leadership. Please RSVP to Elizabeth Lawson by email so we know you are attending and, if you already know a few people you will invite, how many people you will bring, so we can give the Union Hotel an approximate idea of the numbers. And don’t let the RSVP stop you from inviting one more person later! Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental residents The chipping program through our local Fire Departments is still going strong; however, you may experience some delays because wet foliage clogs the chippers and prevents them from functioning. If you have applied for chipping, it will happen but there may be weather-related scheduling issues. Sign up here for:Free chipping$1000 rebate program If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County Newsletter |
February 2, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter February 2024News in West CountyFeb 17 – Home Insurance in California: Sustainable Insurance Strategy (SIS) program and Update on Safer from Wildfires (SFW) – Saturday February 17 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Monte Rio Community Center AT&T Asking CPUC To Take Your “Land Line” Phone Service Away Mar 8 – Pile Burning Workshop – Friday, March 8, 2024 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in Occidental, CA Federal grants to low- and moderate-income homeowners whose residence is located in Sonoma County and affected by 2020 disasters The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martin Neighborhood NewsHome Insurance in California: Sustainable Insurance Strategy (SIS) program and Update on Safer from Wildfires (SFW) Saturday February 17 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Monte Rio Community Center If you missed the meeting in Occidental last fall, West County residents have another opportunity to learn from representatives of both the CA State Insurance Commissioner’s office and United Policyholders (a non-profit consumer advocacy group) on the state of homeowners insurance in our area and things we can do to best protect our insurance policies. The presentations will also discuss how to navigate obtaining insurance in today’s marketplace, IBHS Mitigation Standards for fire safety and available discounts, and insights on filing insurance claims. There will be plenty of time for Q&A, so please join us for a lively conversation… AT&T Asking CPUC To Take Your “Land Line” Phone Service Away AT&T has submitted an application to the CPUC to be removed as the “Carrier of Last Resort” for much of California. This could affect the future of landline and Voice over Internet access and support for our area. Given the challenges of communications in our region and the need for reliable back up systems, removing landlines as a last resort leaves us even more vulnerable in emergencies. Look here for the Notice of Pending Regulatory Application We strongly oppose the AT&T request and ask that each household, whether you are an AT&T customer or not, contact the CPUC to oppose this proposal in writing to: CPUC Public Advisor’s Office 505 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco, CA 94102 Reference Application 23-03-003 on the envelope and in your letter You can also submit your public comment on the application at: apps.cpuc.ca.gov/c/A2303003 The CPUC will also hold two public hearings. One in February and one in March. The details on this application are in the attached letter from AT&T at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/pph. Pile Burning Workshop Friday, March 8, 2024 9:00 am to 12:30 pm Occidental, CA Are You Affected by the 2020 WildfiresThis Program provides federal grants to low- and moderate-income homeowners whose residence is located in an eligible county affected by the 2020 disastrous wildfires.  The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural Historyby Manjula Martin In 2020, when a dry lightning storm ignited hundreds of simultaneous wildfires across the West and kicked off the worst fire season on record, Martin, along with thousands of other Californians, evacuated her home in the midst of a pandemic. Both a love letter to the forests of the West and an interrogation of the colonialist practices that led to their current dilemma, The Last Fire Season, follows her from the oaky hills of Sonoma County to the redwood forests of coastal Santa Cruz, to the pines and peaks of the Sierra Nevada, as she seeks shelter, bears witness to the devastation, and tries to better understand fire’s role in the ecology of the West.  Neighborhood News Occidental OCSD Neighborhood #1 will have its next meeting on Saturday, Feb. 10, 4 pm, to be held at 3335 Harrison Grade Rd. We will discuss the Year 2 goals for our Fire Wise commitment. Please plan to attend if you live on Harrison Grade Rd., Harrison Grade Place, Tanuda, Heather Lane, or Facendini! Contact Carolyn Sell at carolynsell@gmail.com if you have any questions. Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental residentsSign up here for:Free chipping$1000 rebate programIf you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County NewsletterSee our most recent Newsletters here While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAYIf you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com |
| Stay safe and keep in touch. Safer West County is always looking for people who can get involved, or ideas you may have about how we can best serve our community. Let us know by emailing us. Copyright © 2024 Safer West County & FireSafe Groups, All rights reserved. You asked to be contacted with important Community Safety Information from Safer West County and FireSafe Groups Safer West County saferwestcounty.org/ info@saferwestcounty.org Our mailing address is: Safer West County & FireSafe GroupsPO Box 1132Occidental, CA 95465 |
January 12, 2024
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter January 2024 News in West County2024 Looking ForwardUpcoming Events Safer West County & Local Community 2024 Looking Forward Safer West County and local organization volunteers have continued to work hard for you and our communities. Below are just a few of the ways together helped build a more resilient West County. We hope you will join us in 2024. There are so many ways to get involved, depending on your interest. HOW MIGHT YOU CONTRIBUTE IN 2024? Get involved in your neighborhood:Host a neighborhood potluck.Gather your neighborhood’s contact info in case of emergency.Organize a neighborhood work party to clear dead and dying debris from the side of your street to make an evacuations safer. Help post flyers in your area when there is an upcoming event.Organize a GMRS network in your neighborhood.Apply to become a Fire Wise NeighborhoodAnd of course, you can always donate to Safer West County to help us continue our work. Get involved in your local community: Safer West County is made up of multiple community-level organizations. Each organization works on projects in their own community based on that area’s priorities. Then at SWC we share resources and ideas making it easier to create real impact. Our communities include:Bodega/Bodega BayCamp MeekerCazaderoForestvilleFreestoneGratonGreen ValleyGuernevilleHaciendaMonte RioOccidentalRio NidoPocket CanyonWest Sebastopol Contact info@saferwestcounty.org if you want help connecting with your community organization or don’t see yours and want to start one. Get involved in topic related work across all communities: SWC also has people and small sub-committees working on a variety of topics you might enjoy contributing to:Emergency Preparedness (including creating GMRS radio networks across West County), Wildfire Prevention, Grant writing and grant management, Educational Events, Educational Materials (virtual/online and print material), we even have a subcommittee called the Bohemian Collaborative (a group of property owners with greater than 50 acres who are helping create healthier forests and watersheds surrounding our communities). If you have an interest in these, or another topic related to community resiliency, we would love for you to join our efforts. Upcoming Events:Jan 20th – Bohemian Collaborative of large parcel owners (50+ acres) at OAEC (contact us to learn more) Russian River Insurance 101 meeting with CA State Commissioner’s Office, United Policy Holders and Fire Safe Sonoma (discussing Fire Wise) Fire Safe Occidental Neighborhood #1 has a work-day scheduled for this Saturday, Jan. 13. First drive on the left, Heather Lane. Three huge pine trees fell a year ago and we will help clean up the vegetation debris and create firewood. Many thanks to Ishi Woods of Duncans Mills who offered to help Mr. Weitz with this project. Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental residentsSign up here for:Free chipping$1000 rebate programIf you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend Subscribe to Safer West County NewsletterSee our most recent Newsletters here While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAYIf you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com |
| Stay safe and keep in touch. Safer West County is always looking for people who can get involved, or ideas you may have about how we can best serve our community. Let us know by emailing us. Copyright © 2024 Safer West County & FireSafe Groups, All rights reserved. |
November 18, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter Late November 2023 News in West County11/28 – Giving Tuesday, consider SWC11/19 – Free GMRS radios & training Sun11/30 – Does Home Hardening Work12/4 – Rio Nido Firewise meeting12/9 – LandSmart Grazing ProgramBurning debris – Quick Info11/30 – Want input on Sonoma County road work?Giving Tuesday is Novmber 28th Tuesday, November 28th is “Giving Tuesday.” In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Safer West County wants to thank all the official and unofficial volunteers who are the backbone of our organization, and each community organization that is working hard at building resilience and for you, the people who make living here great. We hope you find our work helpful to you personally and to the specific area you live in. We are happy to report that Fire Safe organizations are growing in West Sonoma County! Please consider a donation to help fund Safer West County’s volunteer efforts and if possible consider getting involved in your local Fire Safe Council. Your donation helps us buy tools for community work days, apply for and orchestrate grants, host our website, and hold webinars. Also, please consider helping as a volunteer. Your time could be the difference in Safer West County’s continued success at improving our collective resiliency. We will be tracking volunteer hours in 2023 to serve as matching for grant applications. Your work could help us bring important educational material to our community, or improve our alert systems. Whatever your finances, skills, and passions, there is a place for you to contribute to a safer and more connected West County. Donations can be made either to Safer West County itself or on behalf of your local Fire Safe Council. Simply make a notation on your donation, and we will be sure it is allocated as you prefer. Thanks for being WEST COUNTY! Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465 DONATE! You can donate now for Giving TuesdayWhat is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday is a global movement that aims to encourage people to spread generosity through philanthropy. Giving Tuesday takes place every year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Many organizations, companies, non-profits, and individuals donate money to participate in this recognized day. It is common to see brands and companies launch giving campaigns as a way to showcase their mission and increase brand image. Ultimately, the day serves as a reminder for people to give back in whatever amount, form, or act of kindness they can. Free GMRS radios and training Sunday, November 19th from noon – 2 pm Next Sunday 11/19/23 12 noon – 2 pm, Safer West County and Fire Safe Occidental are sponsoring a GMRS training presented by WiConduit at the Occidental Community Center, and the first 100 households that RSVP and attend receive a FREE per-programmed GMRS radio purchased through a grant from Supervisor Hopkins and District 5. Recipients must commit to obtaining a GMRS FCC license ($35 for a 10 year license) and agree to regular use in an Occidental GMRS network group. Let’s make sure every neighborhood has backup communications! RSVP Here  RSVP HereFind out about WiConduit here Does Home Hardening Work? Webinar on November 30th, 7-8:30 pm Home hardening is an important tool to help make your property more resilient. Plan to attend this upcoming webinar to learn why some homes survive and how you can increase your own home’s survivability in the event of a wildfire in your area. Signup for this Free Webinar here here  Rio Nido FireWise Kick off Meeting!Monday, December 4th at 6:30 pm Join us for the Rio Nido FireWise Kick-off Meeting at The Rio Nido Lodge (also held via zoom) on Monday, December 4th at 6:30 pm. This event offers an opportunity to learn about fire safety and prevention in our community through the FireWise program. Participation in the FireWise Program could offer savings on your homeowner’s fire insurance. The NFPA FireWise program was designed to help people learn about wildfire and how they can make their homes and neighborhoods safer. It is based on research that shows how to prepare homes to withstand embers and prevent flames or surface fire from igniting the home and its immediate surroundings. A recognized FireWise Neighborhood can apply for grant funding to help offset some of the expenses of home hardening and vegetation mitigation. Membership may help you qualify for insurance and many companies provide a discount on your premiun for recognized FireWise neighborhoods. Learn how to reduce wildfire risk for your home and your neighbors through participation in the commmunity wildfire risk assessment and neighborhood work parties. This is the only meeting we will be hosting for the kick-off. Thanks! Anne McInerney – Firewise@rionido.net LandSmart Grazing Program Gold Ridge and Sonoma RCDs have opened their LandSmart Grazing Program designed to reduce fuel loading. The program provides participants a list of contract grazers and pays land participants to contract with the grazer. The program can assist in planning a grazing project and helping to assess the need of temporary infrastructure, such as electric fencing or portable livestock water. Priorities are multi-property projects and areas of high fire risk–especially if there is a close proximity to at-risk, densely populated, or underserved communities. The deadline to apply for LandSmart® Grazing is Friday, December, 8th. More information is available on our website here: https://goldridgercd.org/work-with-us/#toggle-id-1 A recorded webinar on the program is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7G7DKH1fBY Here is a link to the application, which should take less than 30 minutes to complete: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSBvzNW9ga9OObkGwaYYTJiRWH8dWN0zgX9m5JWNEQQ0Na5A/viewform   Burning Debris Quick InfoIt is time when many of you will begin burning piles of debris. Please make sure you have a current 2023-2024 burn permit, and that you call before you burn. And remember, Occidental, Camp Meeker, Monte Rio, and Forestville residents have free chipping service. Apply for chipping here. Sonoma County fire practitioners have created a very helpful and comprehensive “Burn Pile Guide” for 2023-2024 in which you can find links to permits, important phone numbers to call on the day of the burn, and a comprehensive list of best practices for building effective piles, weather markers to watch, and tips for extinguishing piles in dry weather. Please forward this link to your neighbors and community groups that you think might find this useful. https://sonomaforests.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Burn-Pile-Guide-23-24.pdf  What input on where we have bike lanes and more?Survey closes November 30th SCTA is currently creating a Sonoma County Active Transportation Plan (ATP)–“human-powered” modes of travel, like walking, biking, or using mobility devices. The ATP will focus on increasing access to active transportation modes by planning for infrastructure projects and supportive programs. The planning team needs your input to identify needs, barriers, and opportunities here! If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAY |
November 12. 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter November 12, 2023 Free GMRS radios and training Sunday, November 19th from noon – 2 pm Next Sunday 11/19/23 12 noon – 2 pm, Safer West County and Fire Safe Occidental are sponsoring a GMRS training presented by WiConduit at the Occidental Community Center, and the first 100 households that RSVP and attend receive a FREE per-programmed GMRS radio purchased through a grant from Supervisor Hopkins and District 5. Recipients must commit to obtaining a GMRS FCC license ($35 for a 10 year license) and agree to regular use in an Occidental GMRS network group. Let’s make sure every neighborhood has backup communications! RSVP Here RSVP HereFind out about WiConduit here Rio Nido FireWise Kick off Meeting! Monday, December 4th at 6:30 pm Join us for the Rio Nido FireWise Kick-off Meeting at The Rio Nido Lodge (also held via zoom) on Monday, December 4th at 6:30 pm. This event offers an opportunity to learn about fire safety and prevention in our community through the FireWise program. Participation in the FireWise Program could offer savings on your homeowner’s fire insurance. The NFPA FireWise program was designed to help people learn about wildfire and how they can make their homes and neighborhoods safer. It is based on research that shows how to prepare homes to withstand embers and prevent flames or surface fire from igniting the home and its immediate surroundings. A recognized FireWise Neighborhood can apply for grant funding to help offset some of the expenses of home hardening and vegetation mitigation. Membership may help you qualify for insurance and many companies provide a discount on your premiun for recognized FireWise neighborhoods. Learn how to reduce wildfire risk for your home and your neighbors through participation in the commmunity wildfire risk assessment and neighborhood work parties. This is the only meeting we will be hosting for the kick-off. Thanks! Anne McInerney – Firewise@rionido.net If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link:Forward to a Friend If you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com |
Novenber 5, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter Update November 5, 2023Homeowner’s Insurance 101 The Current Landscape If you are like most of us, watching large insurance companies leave California’s homeowner’s insurance market due to our fire risk is nerve-wracking. Safer West County is providing a series of meetings across our area, the first of which is in the Occidental area on November 8th, @7PM, at Harmony/Salmon Creek School. We will review the State’s current insurance strategy, hear guidance on your homeowner’s insurance policy, and get valuable tools about Fire Wise neighborhoods to help you protect your home and insurance. NOTE: This same event will be held later this fall in both Monte Rio and Forestville to serve the northern part of West County.  And some news related to this hot topic!As insurance companies raise rates, deny policies, or even pull out of California, many people are turning to the CA FAIR Plan and they started receiving around 1,000 applications a day. Even the FAIR plan rates are going up by around 15%, varying by wildfire exposure of the property. And they are offering discounts to people for taking steps to harden their homes. You can learn more about home hardening at https://saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation/ and the full article about FAIR is here: California Insurance Crisis: ‘Insurer of Last Resort’ Gets ‘Astronomical’ 1,000 Applications a Day Another resource for information is to watch: First Street Foundation’s 9th National Report: The Insurance Issue Safer West County continues to help residents learn about defensible space, especially the first 5 feet around your home called Zone Zero. Now there are possible CA Board of Forestry Codes to require adherence to a Zone Zero plan on all new construction. Below is the article about this. But why wait for government codes? Learn more about defensible space and Zone Zero on our website https://saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation/. With wildfires growing, California writes new rules on where to plant shrubs If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend If you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAY |
October 31, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter November 2023 News in West CountyState of CA Homeowner’s InsuranceRoad ClosuresDefensible Space RebatesFire Safe Sonoma Speaker Series!Special GMRS Event coming soonYour Local Community News & EventsThe State of CA Homeowner’s Insurance If you are like most of us, watching large insurance companies leave California’s homeowner’s insurance market due to our fire risk is nerve-wracking. Safer West County is providing a series of meetings across our area, the first of which is in Occidental on Nov 8th at Salmon Creek School. We will review the State’s current insurance strategy, hear guidance on your homeowner’s insurance policy, and get valuable tools about Fire Wise neighborhoods to help you protect your home and insurance. NOTE: This same event will be held later this fall in both Monte Rio and Forestville to serve the northern part of West County. WHAT: Homeowner’s Insurance 101 – The Current Landscape WHEN: Wednesday, November 8th, 7 pm WHERE: Harmony / Salmon Creek School Presenters: Durriya Syed, California Department of Insurance Outreach AnalystAnnie Barbour, United Policyholders CoordinatorFire Safe Sonoma – Fire Wise CommunitiesAnd some news related to this hot topic! As insurance companies raise rates, deny policies, or even pull out of California, many people are turning to the CA FAIR Plan and they started receiving around 1,000 applications a day. Even the FAIR plan rates are going up by around 15%, varying by wildfire exposure of the property. And they are offering discounts to people for taking steps to harden their homes. You can learn more about home hardening at https://saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation/ and the full article about FAIR is here: California Insurance Crisis: ‘Insurer of Last Resort’ Gets ‘Astronomical’ 1,000 Applications a Day Another resource for information is to watch: First Street Foundation’s 9th National Report: The Insurance Issue Safer West County continues to help residents learn about defensible space, especially the first 5 feet around your home called Zone Zero. Now there are possible CA Board of Forestry Codes to require adherence to a Zone Zero plan on all new construction. Below is the article about this. But why wait for government codes? Learn more about defensible space and Zone Zero on our website https://saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation/. With wildfires growing, California writes new rules on where to plant shrubs Road Closures The county provides regular road closure updates on the link below for those of us lucky enough to have our local roads being improved. https://roadclosures-sonomacounty.hub.arcgis.com/ Defensible Space Rebates Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental residents can now apply for defensible space rebates of up to $1,000. To learn more about this program please visit our website grant page. And remember, any debris created by this or other defensible space work is eligible for free chipping from your local fire department. Apply for chipping from the same website grant page.  Fire Safe SonomaSpeaker Series! Fire Safe Sonoma offers a monthly virtual speaker series you may be interested in attending. This month they had Dr. Nancy Brown cover the changes in Sonoma County’s emergency management system since 2017. Topics included alert and warning, new emergency operations standards, preparedness programs, and more. Listen to the recording here. You can register here for the November Speaker Series! event. It will be coming up on November 16. This will be the last Speaker Series! of the year. Here are the other Speaker Series recordings from this year so far!January 2023 – CAL FIRE Forestry Fire Pilot, Justin WickFebruary 2023 – Registered Professional Forester, Jason WellsMarch 2023 – Wildfire Resilience Support FrameworkApril 2023 – CAL FIRE Wildland Fire Seasonal OutlookMay 2023 – OAEC’s Brock Dolman: “Fuels to Flows”June 2023 – Caerleon Safford of Permit SonomaJuly 2023 – Arborist Merlin SchlumbergerAugust 2023 – Durriya Syed of the CA Dept of InsuranceSeptember 2023 – Mike Wilson of the CA Fire Safe Council |
October 7, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter October 2023 News in West CountySWC taking applications for Defensible Space $1000 RebatesAmazing work using FREE chipping program.Increased fire risk weather — are you prepared?Oct 12th — PGE presentation at LRRMAC meetingSpecial GMRS radio distribution & trainingOct 22nd — Final Session of the Resilient Forest SeriesOct 22nd — Meeting of Bohemian Corridor Large Parcel Owner GroupCal Fire establishes defensible space & home hardening training programYour Local Community News & Events $1000 Defensible Space Rebatesfor residents of Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental Safer West County, in partnership with Fire Safe Sonoma, received a Calfire grant that includes the free chipping many of you are already using and also up to $1000 rebates for defensible space work. Applications are now open for people to apply for these rebates to assist in improving their home’s resilience to fire. You can learn more information about qualifications and how to apply at: SaferWestCounty.org/grants Amazing work by residents and firefighters in Occidental, Camp Meeker, and Monte Rio Local residents of these areas have been hard at work improving their lands’ fire resiliency by limbing and trimming around their homes, and their local firefighters have been chipping the resulting debris for free using the new chippers purchased from the Calfire grant awarded Safer West County and Fire Safe Sonoma. In just a few short months, this grant and your local firefighters have: · Served 160 requests for chipping · Chipped over 250 piles To apply for FREE CHIPPING please go here for the application.  Increased fire risk weather — are you prepared?1. Prepare yourself: pack a go-bag, identify what and where your important items are that you will take in an evacuation, know where your alternative evacuation routes are, and have your evacuation zone on your refrigerator or another place easy to find. You can find out more about go-bags, evacuations, and links to sign up for alerts at saferwestcounty.org/you. 2. Prepare your household: agree to a meeting place if you evacuate from different locations, practice what needs to be done if you evacuate (closing windows, turning off propane, etc.), and talk about it beforehand, not just if it happens. You will find practical ideas at saferwestcounty.org/your-home-and-family 3. Prepare your home & land: Look for ways to improve your home’s ability to survive a fire and make it easier for firefighters to defend. Move flammable firewood and other material away from your house, cut back tree and shrub limbs that overhang your roof, and clean out your rain gutters. You will find more ways to improve your home’s resiliency here saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation. While we all hope we won’t experience a wildfire, our best tactic for decreasing the anxiety the idea can create is to take action to reduce our risks and be prepared. Safer West County will continue to add resources to our website, apply for grants, and educate our community to help you and your family stay safe. In the meantime, it is up to us individually to connect with our neighbors because, in an emergency, the most resilient communities will be those that work together. If you want to connect with your local fire-safe organization, email us at SaferWestCounty@gmail.com. Another great resource was recently published by the Chronicle that will give you lots of ideas on how to prepare for fire season.2023 fire survival guide.pdf Lower Russian River Municipal Advisory Council 5:30- 7:00 PM, October 12 Monte Rio Elementary School Gym 20700 Foothill Drive Monte Rio In Person or by Zoom This will be of interest to Safer West County residents as the major agenda item will be a presentation by PG&E, discussing unplanned power outages, EPSS events, veg management, emergencies, and more.You can find additional information here Special GMRS Event coming soon Thanks to Mike Nicholls, newest member of the Safer West County Board, for initiating the next phase of the GMRS radio grant that we received from the County. The radios have been ordered, received, and programmed. There will be a 1.5-hour distribution, training, and licensing procedure meeting for radio recipients – within the next 30 days. If you are interested in being part of your community’s GMRS network, contact us at info@saferwestcounty.org Stay tuned for the announcement. Final Session of the Resilient Forest Series Our friends at Resilient Forest Series and Green Valley Farm + Mill are hosting a Resilient Forest Series and the last date is October 22nd. It is intended for forest landowners, managers, and those interested in restoring our forest ecosystems. You will hear from expert speakers, tour the forest, make connections between forest health and watershed health, see a milling demo, learn more about regional infrastructure, and work together on planning and practices to bring about greater forest health. We hope that you’ll join us! It is limited to 30 attendees and costs $25. Register here.  Bohemian Collaborative of Large Parcel OwnersA group of large parcel owners between Green Valley on the east, Monte Rio on the north, and Freestone on the south all the way to the coast has begun a collaboration to steward the beautiful forests and watersheds surrounding our West County communities. If you own a parcel of 50 acres or more and want to get involved in this stewardship effort, please get in touch with us at info@saferwestcounty.org. Our next group meeting is Oct 22nd. Cal Fire expanding who can do home hardening and defensible space assessments Calfire is initiating training of people outside their organization to help expand the ease with which we can have our properties assessed. Assessments help us understand our highest risks and how to reduce them—empowering us to make our homes more fire-resilient, which is critical if we elect to live in a WUI area (Wildland Urban Interface). Read more details on their training program and who is eligible here. Your Local Community News & Events Occidental Occidental Building the Future – This is the last week to give your input for Occidental’s Community Action survey that will help shape the next decade in Occidental. Topics include the Community Center, roads, and governance, and we need your input. There is also a community meeting on Oct 11th at the Community Center TIME where you can learn more about this effort and give your input. Learn more here. Next FSO Leaders and Steering Committee meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 17th at a NEW TIME, 7 pm. We are hoping this will allow more folks to attend. We are still looking for Leaders for Neighborhoods #4, 5, 10, 11 and 12!! Please contact us if you are interested at carolynsell@gmail.com. Sonoma County has informed us that there will be paving work requiring road closure due to narrow road width on Joy Rd scheduled for Oct 9-11, from 8am to 5pm. Neighborhood #1 has a meeting this Sunday, Oct. 8th, at 3 pm at the property of John and Pauline Loades (we’ve been there before–5502 Graton Rd.). Topics include our Fire Wise requirements to complete before the end of the year; GMRS radios; evacuation plans; the Community Council survey; and the rebate program now rolling out (part of the Cal Fire grant). Neighborhood #3 is meeting on Sunday, Oct. 29th, at 3 pm at the home of Asmara Marek, 7117 Stoetz Lane. The agenda will focus on a One Call Now test, GMRS radios, the requirements and option of becoming a Fire Wise Community; and the money available via the Cal Fire rebate program for defensible space work. If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend If you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAY |
October 2, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Special Alert October 4 2023 Special Federal Level Alert Greetings, (from Skip Jirrels, City of Sebastopol Public Safety Outreach Coordinator) Underlines below are my highlights: The federal government said it will conduct on Wednesday afternoon a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The EAS portion of the test will send an emergency alert to all radios and televisions, while the WEA portion of the test will direct alerts to all consumer cell phones. “The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is conducting the test in coordination with the Federal Communication Commission, said in a statement. Here’s what to know. How does this impact me? Beginning at approximately 2:20 pm ET (11:20 am PT) this Wednesday (4 October), all wireless phones should receive an alert and an accompanying text message that reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” The free text message will be sent in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of your device. The text will be accompanied by a unique tone and vibration that is meant to make the alert accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, FEMA said. The test will be broadcast by cell towers for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:20 pm ET, FEMA said. During this time, all compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless providers participate in WEA tests should receive the text message. Meanwhile, all radios and televisions will also broadcast a test emergency alert at the same time as part of the broader test. This message, which will run for approximately one minute, will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.” As the agency has said, no action is required by youafter you receive the emergency alert test on your phone or hear it through the radio or TV. ************* Keep in mind these are federal level systems being tested, not county. There are a few caveats as to why you might not hear the alerts. Your phone may have a setting that impacts such alerts. Or your service provider might not participate in WEA test (larger providers are more likely to participate than small ones). Do check it out on Wednesday at 2:20…all tv’s and radios and cell phones at one time. Damn. Be safe, Skip Skip Jirrels City of Sebastopol Public Safety Outreach Coordinator 707 799 2204 SebastopolReady.org If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend If you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAY |
August 23, 2023
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| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter Late August 2023 |
| News in West CountyWest Sonoma County Town Hall with Senator Mike McGuire – Aug 24Your Local Community News & EventsThe Ins and Outs of Structural Hardening: What Insurers are Looking forCA FAIR to Offer Wildfire Mitigation DiscountsNews from Listos |
| Save the Date! August 24, 5:30 – 7:30West Sonoma County Town Hall with Senator Mike McGuire hosted by the Lower Russian River and Sonoma Coast Municipal Advisory Councils. Insurance will be one of the topics discussed |
| Your Local Community News & Events Occidental August 27th: Pod and Neighborhood Leaders’ Meeting, 2-4:40PM at the lower CYO campground. September 12th: St. Philip’s is hosting an AED/CPR class at 11 a.m. on Sept. 12th. The class will be 1 to 1.5 hours. If anybody is interested, please let Cathy McCool know as they need a headcount prior to the class (cmccool318@hotmail.com). There is no charge but St. Philip’s is requesting a donation. |
| The Ins and Outs of Structural Hardening: What Insurers are Looking forCOPE (Northern Sonoma County Communities Organized to Prepare for Emergencies) has released this great video by Ivan O’Neill of Madronus Widfire Defense on “The Ins and Outs of Structural Hardening”: Here |
| CA FAIR Plan to offer wildfire mitigation discounts This is one of the first rate plans to be approved under the CA Dept of Insurance’s new wildfire risk rating and mitigation discounts policy. All admitted carriers in CA will soon be offering discounts ranging from 3-30% subject to receiving rate plan approval. More info here. |
| News from Listos Given September is Emergency Preparedness month, Listos California would like to provide you the tools and resources ahead of time for you to use. There’s no better time than now to make sure you are prepared and ready to play a part in helping your community stay safe. See the newsletter here. |
August 9, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter August 2023News in West CountyAs we head into fire season, prepare in three important waysChipping updateParks lead the wayUpcoming Resilient Forest SeriesYour Local Community News & EventsWest Sonoma County Town Hall with Senator Mike McGuire – Aug 24News from the CountyCalfire partners with UC and AI to improve alertsAs we head into fire season, residents of West County must prepare in three important ways1. Prepare yourself: pack a go-bag, identify what and where your important items are that you will take in an evacuation, know where your alternative evacuation routes are, and have your evacuation zone on your refrigerator or another place easy to find. You can find out more about go-bags, evacuations, and links to sign up for alerts at saferwestcounty.org/you. 2. Prepare your household: agree to a meeting place if you evacuate from different locations, practice what needs to be done if you evacuate (closing windows, turning off propane, etc.), and talk about it beforehand, not just if it happens. You will find practical ideas at saferwestcounty.org/your-home-and-family 3. Prepare your home & land: Look for ways to improve your home’s ability to survive a fire and make it easier for firefighters to defend. Move flammable firewood and other material away from your house, cut back tree and shrub limbs that overhang your roof, and clean out your rain gutters. You will find more ways to improve your home’s resiliency here saferwestcounty.org/risk-mitigation. While we all hope we won’t experience a wildfire, our best tactic for decreasing the anxiety the idea can create is to take action to reduce our risks and be prepared. Safer West County will continue to add resources to our website, apply for grants, and educate our community to help you and your family stay safe. In the meantime, it is up to us individually to connect with our neighbors because, in an emergency, the most resilient communities will be those that work together. If you want to connect with your local fire-safe organization, email us at SaferWestCounty@gmail.com. Another great resource was recently published by the Chronicle that will give you lots of ideas on how to prepare for fire season.2023 fire survival guide.pdf Chipping Update for West County There are many ways to get free chipping, making it easier and more cost-effective to continue improving your home’s fire resiliency!Sonoma County’s free chipping program is again open to residents throughout West County. Residents can apply for the program up to three times each year. To apply, please go here. Forestville, Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Occidental residents also have access to free chipping through their local Fire Departments from a Safer West County Calfire grant. Note that this program depends on firefighter availability, as their first priority is responding to emergency calls. As we enter fire season, they will be less likely to travel far from the station, so they have quicker response times. The County will be helping Occidental’s fire department complete existing piles and any new applications that come in through August 17th, the last week of August. To apply go to www.saferwestcounty.org/grants. Occidental Fire will resume chipping after the end of fire season. Please apply for chipping through the County programs between August 17 and then. Community chipping days. Fire Safe Occidental coordinates community chipping for the County if you live within the OCSD boundaries. The deadline to apply for the next Occidental chipping days is also August 17th. Piles must follow County guidelines as in the past. Sign-up by emailing David Shatkin (dshatkin@sonic.net),or contact David if you have any questions. Parks continue to lead the way toward a safer West County! “If you have walked Willow Creek lately, you know that CA State Parks has been doing amazing clean up along their roads and trails, making West County a little bit more resilient! Thanks, CA State Parks!”Elizabeth Lawson  Sonoma County Regional Parks is inviting you to get involved in their Sonoma County Parks Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan here.Regional Parks has more than 50 parks and beaches from Petaluma to Gualala and Sonoma to Bodega Bay. They also manage the county’s largest ocean marina and largest extracurricular environmental education center.Resilient Forest Series Our friends at Resilient Forest Series and Green Valley Farm + Mill are hosting a Resilient Forest Series this fall. The series is intended for forest landowners, managers, and those interested in restoring our forest ecosystems. During the series, you will hear from expert speakers, tour the forest, make connections between forest health and watershed health, see a milling demo, learn more about regional infrastructure, and work together on planning and practices to bring about greater forest health. We hope that you’ll join us! Each date is limited to 30 attendees and costs $25. Register here. Your Local Community News & EventsOccidental August 13th: Neighborhood #8 (Bohemian Hwy south of town) is meeting at the CYO camp, 3:30 pm (follow signs). Residents in this area, please plan to attend and to meet Noah, our new co-Leader who works at the camp. August 27th: Pod and Neighborhood Leaders’ Meeting, time and place TBD. Watch for an announcement. September 12th: St. Philip’s is hosting an AED/CPR class at 11 a.m. on Sept. 12th. The class will be 1 to 1.5 hours. If anybody is interested, please let Cathy McCool know as they need a headcount prior to the class (cmccool318@hotmail.com). There is no charge but St. Philip’s is requesting a donation. Save the Date! August 24, 5:30 – 7:30West Sonoma County Town Hall with Senator Mike McGuire hosted by the Lower Russian River and Sonoma Coast Municipal Advisory Councils. Insurance will be one of the topics discussed News from the County A panel of fire and emergency leaders told the Board of Supervisors last month that an unusually wet winter and chilly spring are delaying the onset of conditions that fuel explosive fires. “This is not the time for us to breathe a sigh of relief and expect that we will have a low-key fire season,” Cal Fire Division Chief Ben Nicholls told the board. “It just gives us roughly a month extra of time to prepare.” Fire and emergency response agencies are taking advantage of the extra time, using prescribed burns to reduce fire fuels in key areas, conducting emergency alert and evacuation exercises, training staff, and meeting weekly to prepare for potential threats. (Click here to view a video of the 26-minute presentation) Calfire partners with UC and AI to improve alerts CAL FIRE and University of California San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia Program Join Forces to Enhance Wildfire Response with Artificial Intelligence Implementation Trial. See the full News Release here. If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend If you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAY |
August 4, 2023
| Occidental Community Council CAP Survey August 4, 2023 |
| Greetings! The Occidental Community Council is on a mission to improve life for everyone in our town. We’ve formed a Community Action Planning (CAP) committee that focuses on enhancing the downtown area to meet local needs. We want your input to identify priorities and find volunteers for action. In our first CAP meeting, we collected valuable insights from a diverse group of representatives, including businesses, schools, non-profits, residents, and county parks. Based on surveys and community input, we’ve outlined NINE (9) high-priority initiatives and created three (3) sub-committee groups. Please help us by taking this important survey and sharing it with anyone who loves Occidental. Our goal is to ensure we’re focusing on the right priorities and find dedicated volunteers to contribute ideas, time, donations, or support. Together, let’s shape the future of Occidental and create a stronger, more vibrant community. Your participation matters! Survey Link_________________________________________ |
July 23, 2023
| Safer West County Special Announcement July 23, 2023The Ins and Outs of Structural Hardening: What Insurers are Looking for Join COPE on July 27th at 5PM for a free webinar It’s harder and harder to get insurance! What can a homeowner do? In this webinar learn about: The 5 most important interventions to make your home more ember resistant and programs available to help. Practical information will be presented and ample time will be provided for discussion. REGISTER HERE  Save the Date! August 24, 5:30 – 7:30West Sonoma County Town Hallwith Senator Mike McGuire hosted by the Lower Russian River and Sonoma Coast Municipal Advisory Councils. Insurance will be one of the topics discussed |
July 7, 2023
| Safer West County Special Announcement July 6, 2023  |
July 6, 2023
| Safer West County Fire Safe Groups Newsletter July 2023News in West CountyHas Occidental ever burned?—Major Fires That Have Burned in the Occidental AreaThere’s a lot going on this month in West County!July 15th – Atascadero-Green Valley Watershed Gathering, Saturday from 10 AM-NoonJuly 16th – Occidental Volunteer Fire Dept. Annual BBQ, Noon-6PMJuly 29th – Watch Duty Annual Fundraiser, Saturday from 5PM-9PMFree Chipping continues for Forestville/Camp Meeker/Occidental/Monte RioHas Occidental ever burned? Major Fires That Have Burned in the Occidental Area ___ This poster was created and donated by members of the Salmon Creek Watershed Council  There’s a lot going on this month in West County!Atascadero-Green Valley Watershed GatheringJuly 15th Saturday from 10 AM-Noon ______________________  Occidental Volunteer Fire Dept.Annual BBQ July 16 Sunday, Noon-6PM  Watch Duty Wine Country FundraiserJuly 29 Saturday, 5PM-9PM _____________Watch Duty is a citizen-driven wildfire alert app (free to all) that provides real-time intelligence about wildfires and firefighting efforts. Our staff and technology’s immediacy and accuracy has been embraced by citizens and fire chiefs alike, alleviating stress and trauma for fire-affected residents of California and the American West.This year’s event will be set in a picturesque vineyard a short distance from Healdsburg Plaza at Orsi Family Vineyards. We will be featuring their beautiful Italian wines grown in Sonoma as well as local food truck favorites from 6-8 PM:Los Plebes Taco Truck (staple of Lytton Springs exit)Cajun Connect Truck (former head chef of the Parish Cafe) Please come and enjoy a beautiful evening connecting with your community, firefighters, and many of the Watch Duty staff. We look forward to seeing you and sharing what’s next for Watch Duty! Get Tickets HERE Free Chipping continues for Forestville/Camp Meeker/Occidental/Monte Rio ______________________ Free Chipper Request Link Camp Meeker, Monte Rio and Occidental Fire crews have begun chipping in their local neighborhoods, helping the community remove downed debris from winter storms and removing fuel before fire season. The chippers were provided by a recent Safer West County awarded CalFire grant that will help communities of Occidental, Camp Meeker, Monte Rio and Forestville make greater progress at fire mitigation efforts. To apply for FREE chipping in one of these communities, go to:https://saferwestcounty.org/grants/ Need financial help with your defensible space work? Our incentive program will begin Aug. 1 and provide $1,000 of refund for a $1,500 expense. Stay tuned for details! If you want to share this Newsletter with a friend, please use this link: Forward to a Friend If you have fire safety or emergency information that is related to your local West County community that you want us to publish please email us at: SaferWestCounty@gmail.com While not required, we ask everyone to consider making an annual donation of $25-50. We appreciate any and all contributions of any size. Donations contribute to our expenses such as web hosting, bulk email services, and similar expenses. Please make a donation through our website, or by pushing the button below, if you can. Our US Mail address if you want to send a check is: Safer West County PO Box 1132 Occidental, CA 95465DONATE TODAY |
| Safer West County Fire Safe Communities BODEGA/BODEGA BAY CAMP MEEKER FREESTONE FORESTVILLE AREAS OF HOLLYDALE/CANYON/TERRACES, CHAMPS, AND HACIENDA GRATON/GREEN VALLEY GUERNEVILLE MONTE RIO OCCIDENTAL POCKET CANYON RIO NIDO WEST SEBASTOPOL |
| See our most recent Newsletters hereStay safe and keep in touch. Safer West County is always looking for people who can get involved, or ideas you may have about how we can best serve our community. Let us know by emailing us. Copyright © 2023 Safer West County & FireSafe Groups, All rights reserved. You asked to be contacted with important Community Safety Information from Safer West County and FireSafe Groups Safer West County saferwestcounty.org/ info@saferwestcounty.org Our mailing address is: Safer West County & FireSafe GroupsPO Box 1132Occidental, CA 95465 |