SAN JUAN ISLAND FIRE

Leeward Cove: SJI's 22nd Firewise Community

posted 06/26/2009
The eight families of Leeward Cove worked together to make their neighborhood a firewise community. Last evening, San Juan Island Fire Department's Firewise Coordinator Ron Garner awarded them pins and the sign for their neighborhood.

Leeward Cove, one of the three Homes for Islanders owner-built neighborhoods on San Juan Island, is the 22nd firewise community on San Juan Island.

Garner says three more are almost completed, and he expects to have 30 by the end of 2009. The program started in the county in 2005. There are also two programs going on Orcas Island with a third program set to begin operation. There is another program on Decatur Island and one on Jones Island.

For more information about the program call Garner at 378-7722.

Firewise chipper coming available Jan. 31-Feb. 17

Skagit County is lending the Firewise communities of San Juan Island a chipper to help maintain safety zones and reduce fuel loads. As long as the chipper is here, any present or new Firewise Community can use the chipper for a day. If any non-Firewise Community joins the free nationally recognized program, they also qualify for a free chipper day.

The chipper will be on island January 31, to about February 17, 2009.To organize a chipper day call Ron Garner, San Juan Island Fire Department's Firewise coordinator at 378-7722. Scheduling will be on a first-come basis until the chipper is recalled by Department of Natural Resources. Brush needs to be brought to the roadway before the chipper day and residents need to be available to help feed the chipper. Joining Firewise is a start toward protecting your home from wild fire.

Firewise Meeting for eight potential communities Oct. 29

posted 10/27/2008
Byron, Eagle Cove, Foxhall, Hannah Heights, High Haro, Leeward, Timber and Yacht Haven community members are invited to attend an introductory Firewise meeting discussing wild fire behavior and actions home owners can take to prevent catastrophic destruction in their neighborhoods. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 29 at the San Juan Island Fire Department headquarters station at 1011 Mullis Avenue.

The Firewise program is a voluntary program that gives communities guidelines to protect themselves from wild fires. Joining this program is relatively simple with only a one-day project per year required. Several members of each of these communities are interested in starting a Firewise Community in their area. They would be joining the 15 established Firewise Communities on San Juan Island. This meeting is open to all interested island residents.

New Firewise Communities eligible for free Chipper Day

posted 10/08/2008
Communities that join the Firewise program by October 15, 2008 are eligible to use a chipper in their community for a day. San Juan Island Fire Department will bring a chipper and staff to operate it, for chipping woody debris collected by the residents along the common roads in your community. With the chipper and help from the residents, a community can become a safer place to live.

To be eligible, the community must start the process of joining the free Firewise program by October 15. The Chipping will be done in mid November. The SJI Fire Department will assist areas with organizing, assessing and completing all paperwork, which is minimal.

The Firewise program helps homeowners protect themselves from wild fires. Such simple actions as cleaning the gutters in June, filling pot holes and keeping a 12x12 foot opening along all driveways and roads for fire truck access will be a start toward self protection.

Visit the Safety Fair at the District 3 headquarters at 1011 Mullis from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 11 for a personal explanation of the program. For more information, view the Firewise Firewise Web site or contact the Fire Marshall's office at 378-fire.

Join your neighbors in protecting your home from wild fires

posted 02/25/2008
PRESS RELEASE: Many of our Island neighborhoods are becoming Firewised to protect themselves against wild fires. The Firewise USA program is designed to help Islanders understand the potential threat of wild fire, what to do before one starts, and how to react when one comes to their area. Actions such as cleaning gutters, keeping access roads open for fire vehicles, and dealing with ladder fuels may help save ones home.

The South Cady Mountain Firewise Community will be hosting an introductory meeting to discuss these issues and the logistics of becoming a Firewise Community at 6 p.m. February 26. It will be held at the San Juan Island Fire Department’s headquarters at 1011 Mullis Avenue. Tom Pence will also discuss the progress they have made to protect the Gerry Oaks in their neighborhood.

The San Island Fire Department understands the valuable aid they receive when a community has achieved Firewise Community status. It makes it considerably safer for the Fire Department to defend successfully a neighborhood against the wild fire that is bound to come through our Island. With this in mind, the Firewise Team is encouraging all neighborhoods to join the Firewise program before the high fire danger season this summer. Your fire department does not have enough firefighters to protect every home. This is where your pre-fire actions can make a difference. After all, the home you save could be yours.

To receive more information call Ron Garner, Firewise Coordinator, at 378-7722 or stop by the headquarters station to pick up printed materials. The program is free and voluntary. Also, if you would like a Firewise evaluation of your home, call Ron to make an appointment.

Ron Garner earns national recognition for wildfire risk reduction

posted 11/12/2007
For several years, local Firewise Specialist, Ron Garner has taken the lead to ensure local communities don’t suffer the same losses as in southern California.

The recent fires in southern California are a painful reminder of the importance of wildfire preparedness. Residents who take simple "Firewise" steps around their homes to clear vegetation and create defensible space will reduce their vulnerability from the threat of wildfire.

Ron Garner has done just that. His hard work has earned him national recognition from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s (NWCG) Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Working Team with a Firewise Leadership Award. San Juan Island Fire Chief Steve Marler announced Garner as winner at a Firewise Communities dinner at the Mullis Street fire station.

"Garner has volunteered countless hours furthering the Firewise message throughout our area," Assistant Chief Brad Creesy of the San Juan Island Fire Department said.

Garner has been active in fire education since becoming a founding board member of the Alaska Place Firewise Community in 2004. Since then, he has worked to establish six other Firewise Communities on the San Juan Island.

"Some of the groundwork for three of these communities had been laid in 2004, but with department staff changes, were not pursued." Creesy said. "During the first half of 2007, Ron revitalized the process and recruited additional communities."

Garner received a Firewise Leadership Award recognizing his outstanding efforts in promoting a cooperative approach to reducing the loss of lives, property, and resources in the wildland/urban interface.

The Firewise Leadership Awards are designed to honor individuals and organizations conducting wildland fire mitigation activities in residential developments in the wildland/urban interface. Winners were selected based on their efforts on the local, state, and regional level. Garner has been recognized for his extensive efforts furthering Firewise programs and minimizing loss of life and property to wildland fire independent of firefighting efforts.

"I’m honored to receive this award and be recognized for my work." said Garner, "I don’t do this for awards. I’m working to keep our island and the firefighters safe from devastating fires."

"Leadership Award winners serve as a perfect example of how communities and homeowners can work together to prepare for the threat of wildfire and their work deserves recognition," said Alan Dozier, chair of the NWCG’s Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Working Team. "What makes Firewise work are these individual "spark plugs" that are passionate about the Firewise mission and who are leading the way to getting the work done."

In addition to recognizing the winners, the Firewise Leadership Awards program helps program administrators capture success stories and share best practices across the country, between all types of interests – public, private, and tribal. This year, six individuals and organizations from across the country are being recognized for their outstanding efforts.

Communities and residents interested in learning more about the Firewise Communities program may visit www.firewise.org, or contact Ron Garner at 378-7722 or rggarner@interisland.net.

The national Firewise Communities program is an interagency program designed to encourage local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters, and others in the effort to protect people and property from the risk of wildfire. The Firewise Communities program is sponsored by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team, a consortium of wildland fire agencies that includes the USDA Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Emergency Management Association, the US Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, the National Fire Protection Association, and state forestry organizations. For more information, visit www.firewise.org.

Five San Juan Island Communities Awarded National Firewise Status

posted 10/27/2007
The communities of Cady Mountain, Cape San Juan, North Forty and Hillview Terrace II and III have joined seven other San Juan Island Firewise Communities with national status. To honor this achievement, San Juan Island Fire Department will present them with signs and plaques at a Firefighter's dinner on Monday November 5, 2007 at 6 PM. The presentation will be held at the headquarters fire station located at 1011 Mullis St. All Firewise members as well as anyone interest in learning about the program are invited to attend. The national project manager for Firewise USA, Judith Leraas Cook, will speak and answer question about the program. Space is limited, so please RSVP at 378-5334.

Firewise USA is a program that helps communities protect themselves from the threat of wild fires. Providing advice on how to prepare for the inevitable wild fire before it happens is the main point of the program. Working together as a neighborhood is a more productive and fun way to accomplish this goal. Simple ideas, such as keeping gutters clean of potential fuel to more complex projects like developing an escape plan are all part of the program. Firewise USA is voluntary and communities choose the elements of the program that best fit their needs. Individuals can also plan ahead by having a home evaluation done by a specially trained member of the fire department. Home evaluations are free and can be obtained by calling Ron Garner, Firewise Coordinator, at 378-7722.

Become part of a Firewise Community

posted 04/11/2007
In the event of a widespread wildland fire, San Juan Island Fire Dept. resources will be expended where they will result in the greatest success. Some San Juan Island neighborhoods don’t even offer safe access for fire fighting equipmen.. For example, a 12x12 clear drive is needed to assure safe access, and if necessary, a safe and hasty exit.

The Firewise program is designed to assist neighborhoods in achieving both smart and safe, maintenance and landscaping practices, aimed at reducing an area’s vulnerability in the event of a wildland fire. Unpredictable by nature, a wildland fire will travel according to weather conditions and available fuels. The goal of Firewise is to achieve and maintain a safe zone around each home, which in turn protects the neighborhood, and inhibits the spread of a wildland fire. Taking steps to remove overgrown brush, limb trees of overhanging branches and even routine cleaning out of gutters, all contribute to removal of the fuel a fire needs to advance.

The San Juan Island Fire Department’s Firewise program has been rejuvenated under the guidance of Ron Garner and Brent Johnson, Firewise Specialists for District 3. Since assuming the role in November, Garner has been getting acquainted with the Who’s Who of this national program and working with Johnson in overseeing the final approval of new San Juan Island Firewise communities.

But it takes more than just a one-time cleanup of your neighborhood to qualify as one of the nation’s Firewise Communities. Every community has to develop and commit to a Five Year Plan, detailing what the community is going to do to remain in compliance with Firewise Community requirements.

On request, District 3’s Firewise Specialists will visit your neighborhood and provide an onsite inspection offering suggestions for improvement. Since the beginning of the year, two more communities have taken the first steps toward becoming a Firewise community. This includes familiarization with the program through a presentation at the Mullis Street Station, and a neighborhood assessment by the District 3 Firewise Specialists.

In addition to public education and recruitment of interested neighborhoods, Garner and Johnson are coordinating efforts to support neighborhoods already participating in the program. For example, in late November Garner learned of an additional $2,000, made available by The Department of Natural Resources, for San Juan Island’s Firewise efforts. Plans for these funds immediately came together, funding five "Chipper Days" throughout December.

Alaska Place, Cattle Point, Mt. Dallas and Roche Harbor were among the island neighborhoods already recognized as Firewise communities, and benefited from the funding by participating in the "Chipper Days." Funding went toward rental of a chipper and machinery operation by qualified Fire Department volunteer personnel. The chipper was stationed in an area where Firewise Community residents gathered brush and debris removed with the Firewise standards in mind. Other Firewise communities include, Mitchell Hill, Three Meadows, the North Forty, and Brown Island.

When asked about "The Big One", Acting Fire chief Brad Creesy offered "Additional firefighters would be called from Orcas, Lopez and the Department of Natural Resources in Sedro Woolley. Even with the eventual arrival of these additional resources, there aren’t enough engines and firefighters to fully defend every single house. Every step a homeowner takes to reduce the ignition potential of their home increases the chance that it will survive a major fire. A Firewise home and a Firewise community make a safer working environment for first responders and reduces the potential property loss."

A demonstration of Firewise practices is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 12th. Watch for more information about how to attend this event and learn more about how to protect your home and your neighborhood.

Working together to prepare your neighborhood for the possibility of a wildland fire, increases the likelihood of a safe recovery of property. "After the fire has started to spread, there may not be much we can do to help. But before the fire even starts, there is a lot you can do to save your home." says Garner, adding, "A Firewise community is a place to start."

For more information, please contact the San Juan Island Fire Department at 378-5334.

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