Safety Information | Cloverdale Connect

CLOVERREADY Evacuation Guide

vickie — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 23:07:18 +0000

Evacuating Horses

vickie — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 00:01:32 +0000

Brigid Wasson recently evacuating her horses, Maggie (tan Fjord) and Sunny (red Arab), from Dutcher Creek due to the Walbridge fire.

Evacuation Information

vickie — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:26:06 +0000

By leaving early, you will give your family the best chance of surviving a wildfire. Help firefighters by keeping roads clear of congestion, enabling them to move in and out of your neighborhood, and thereby doing their job – saving the lives and property of people affected by the threat of fire.

Keep a flashlight handy for a night evacuation.
Keep the six “P’s” ready, in case immediate evacuation is required:
People and pets
Papers, phone numbers, and important documents
Prescriptions, vitamins, and eyeglasses
Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
Personal computers (information on hard drive and disks)
“Plastic” (credit cards, ATM cards) and cash

If you’re told to evacuate, leave early enough to avoid being caught in fire, smoke, or road congestion. Don’t wait to be told by authorities to leave. In an intense wildfire, they may not have time to knock on every door. If you think it’s time to leave, don’t wait – get out.

If you see smoke or fire in your area, immediately report it by dialing 9-1-1. Remember to take note of the location so that the dispatcher can send emergency equipment to the
correct location before you hang up.

Evacuation May Be Necessary

Back your car in the garage heading out with windows closed. Be sure to keep your keys with you so that you can evacuate quickly should it become necessary.
Close the garage door, leave it unlocked, and disconnect automatic door opener in the case of power failure.
Keep a flashlight and portable radio with you at all times and stay tuned to your local news station.

Outdoors

Move combustible yard furniture away from the house or store it in the garage.
Cover windows, attic openings, eaves, and vents with less combustible material, such as 1/2-inch or thicker plywood.
Close window shutters and blinds if they are fire-resistant.
Attach garden hoses to faucets and place them so that they can reach all areas of your house.
Place a ladder against the house on the opposite side of the approaching fire for access to the roof.
Shut off Butane/propane or natural gas valves.

Indoors

Close all windows and doors around your home to prevent sparks from blowing inside.
Close all doors within the house to slow fire spread inside the house.
Turn on the lights in all the rooms of your house, on the porch, and in the yard. Your home will be more visible through the smoke or darkness.
Move furniture away from windows and sliding glass doors to avoid ignition from the radiant heat of the fire.

FREE Rattlesnake Removal

vickie — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 17:20:39 +0000

Rattlesnakes are one of the most misunderstood of all snakes yet they are one of nature’s forms of rodent control, and they play a vital part in the balance of our environment. If you find a rattlesnake on your property, please contact Sonoma County Reptile Rescue and they will safely remove the snake. There is no charge for this service, however, donations towards the cost of travel are always appreciated.

Contact Al Wolf (707) 829-8152 or email screptilerescue@comcast.net.

Al Wolf, director of Sonoma County Reptile Rescue which he founded in 1989, has been an animal lover from childhood. Al has an extensive background in reptile care, animal husbandry, and conservation. He has worked for the Louise A. Boyd Museum of Natural History and as an administrator at the San Francisco Zoo, as well as other animal rescue organizations.

Al has appeared on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Animal Planet, The Today Show, Britain’s Animal Rescue Squad, and several other television programs.

Be a Good Neighbor – Keep our Cloverdale Community Fire-safe

vickie — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 16:38:08 +0000

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.

Be Prepared – Protect Your Estate

vickie — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 20:06:16 +0000

Have you wondered “should we get a living trust for our estate” rather than a Will. Living Trusts have become the “go to” estate planning device.
A Trust is a legal relationship that involves three parties: the trustor, the trustee, and the beneficiary. The trustor transfers his or her assets to the trustee, who holds, manages, and distributes those assets for the benefit of the beneficiary.
A Living Trust is a trust you create to hold your assets for your own lifetime. In a typical Living Trust, you are the trustor and the trustee and your children are the beneficiaries. If you become incapacitated, the trust names a successor trustee to manage things for you. Upon your death, the trust directs how the trust assets are to be distributed. A Living Trust is revocable, meaning you can terminate the trust or amend it at any time. Thus the term sometimes used for these trusts is “Revocable Living Trusts.”
The primary advantage of a Living Trust is that it avoids probate. Probate is the process of administering and distributing your estate under the local court’s supervision following your death. Probate can be lengthy and expensive.
Unlike assets in a Living Trust, assets passing under a Will generally must go through probate.
Under California Probate Code, the executor and the trustee both receive 4% on the first $100,000, 3% on the next $100,000 and 2% on the next $800,000. So for an estate worth $600,000 the fees work out at approximately $15,000. So if you own a home in Sonoma County your executor plus Trustee fees are about $30,000.00 plus, while administration of a Trust can be as little as $1500. Costs of drafting a trust vary with the number of children, the number of properties and the
complexity of your distribution. Legal costs run from $1500.00 up to $5000.00.
Living Trusts also offer more privacy than Wills do. As part of probate, a Will must be filed with the court and becomes a document of public record. A Living Trust, however, does not need to be filed with the court.
A Living Trust is more expensive to set up than a Will, because it requires the additional step of transferring assets into it after it is written. This includes significant bank accounts and real property. If your assets you wish to pass on are not held by the Living Trust when you pass they will have to be probated which was to be avoided.

Gas BBQ Tip

vickie — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:42:58 +0000

Gas BBQ Tip: Want to know how full your propane tank is without weighing it? Pour hot water down the side, and use your hand to feel where it’s cool. The hot water warms the empty area and stays cool where there’s propane. This will let you know if you’re good-to-grill or need to go to Cloverdale ACE Hardware!

Our Cloverdale Community Mask-Makers

vickie — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 20:58:15 +0000

Pictured: Lynn, Leilani, Nila, Daisy, Tammy Azcarate & Maxine Bate
Not pictured: Sherry Wright, Ipolani Bovee, Sherry McGinnis (launders & irons fabric)