August 23, 2023

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 LawsonSonoma 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 & Events Occidental 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_________________________________________

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