We continue to face dangerous fire conditions in our Cloverdale community and there are things you can do to help lower the danger for all of us. Support your firefighters by providing a safe and defensible space.
Keep us all safe:
- Remove dead vegetation.
- Trim away branches within 10 feet of chimney.
- Remove branches hanging over your roof
- Keep rain gutters and roof clean.
- Move woodpiles 30 feet or more away from all structures.
- Propane tanks: remove all flammable materials around tank (leaves, needles) and position the tank at least 30 feet from the house or other structures.
A free chipping program to help residents create defensible space around occupied homes and reduce vegetation along access routes is being offered through Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services. County crews will come to homes and chip for three hours for free. For more details contact fireprevention@sonoma-county.org
Be sure to address the following:
- Roof: A roof in poor shape will increase risk of home loss more than any other single component.
- Vegetation: Keep the area around your home clear of debris
- Firewood piles: Keep them 30 feet from any structure
- Wooden Trellises: Consider a trellis made of a noncombustible material.
- Windows: Glass can break when exposed to radiant heat or flames and can provide an entry point for flames and embers. In dual pane windows, the outer pane protects the inner pane; the inner pane heats up more slowly and uniformly, and may not break even though the outer pane does.
- Decks: The initial ignition point for many homes – keep it clean of debris. Don’t store flammable items such as firewood or the gasoline can on a deck.
Another option is a company called All Risk Shield, represented by local resident Bobby Payne. All Risk Shield offers a wide array of services from brush removal, special vent installation to embers out, gutter guards and pump systems if the property has a water source. They can even apply Phos-Check which is what you have been seeing dropped out of airplanes to fight the Walbridge fire. Bobby and All Risk Shield work directly with Phos-Check and have a colorless, odorless, environmentally safe agent which is applied to the most vulnerable locations on one’s property. It lasts 6-8 months and is best applied at the start of fire season and at the peak. Bobby is well known in our area and has been posting informative videos on social media during the Walbridge fire. He knows how important it is that people have the current updates and facts.
