Arnold, CA…Arnold/Ebbetts Pass Corridor Communities participate in National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. Saturday, May 5th – Independence Hall, 1445 Blagen Road, Arnold, 9:00 to Noon. Residents and property owners in high-risk wildfire areas who want to take action to increase their safety but are unsure about how to start can now find the information and the inspiration they need to organize and accomplish wildfire risk reduction projects on their property and in their community. The Volunteers in Prevention Team is partnering with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm® for the 5th annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day event on May 5th, 2018, to help individuals and communities prepare for and work together to reduce their risk of wildfire damage.

“Continued drought, hotter temperatures and tree mortality are major contributors to the increased wildfire activity we are experiencing in our area”, says Jill Micheau, VIP Coordinator for Meadowmont HOA. “That’s why the Ebbetts Pass HOAs (Home Owners Associations) and Subdivisions have organized this event and are committed to working together with NFPA and State Farm to make our community safer from the threat of wildfire. We believe Preparedness Day is a great way to raise awareness of this important issue.”

Cal Fire and your VIP Coordinators will be presenting a number of speakers and providing information on topics relating to the safety of your property and our communities. Planned topics include:

The Multi-agency work being done to complete a fuel break around the entire corridor. U.S. Forest Service representatives will present a map showing boundaries between Subdivisions and forests, and where fuel breaks have been completed or are planned. Preventing fires from entering the community and/or forest is the first step in keeping our homes and towns safe.

Disaster communications, evacuation procedures and timing, and development of evacuation routes will be covered. You must know all evacuation routes and options in our communities.

An overview of the Firewise program and the Volunteers in Prevention (VIP) activities that are directed at maintaining defensible space around our homes and within our neighborhoods. Learn what to expect when property inspections begin this year, and how to be in compliance. You may even want to become a VIP! All you need to know will be presented at this meeting.
An expert will speak about the impact and outlook for tree mortality in our area. How many trees have died? Is the bark beetle scourge over? How to get rid of all those logs in your yard?

Homeowners insurance: many insurers are not renewing homeowners’ policies and are not writing new policies in our area. Find out what’s being done, what you can do to keep your coverage or how to get a new policy.

Through these educational, individual and group activities, residents and property owners in the Ebbetts Pass Corridor can learn more about the importance of wildfire preparedness and planning, the power of prevention, and the requirements for compliance. There are many new owners of property this year who should take advantage of the information covered at this event to understand their responsibilities to be in fire safety compliance along with planning for any evacuation needs.

Learn more about the national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day event on May 5th by visiting www.wildfireprepday.org. For more information contact Jill Micheau, 209-813-7019, jillmicheau@gmail.com