 |
|
 |
| An Important Message from Fire Chief Jeff Willis: |
UPDATE 9/16/08:
In July 2008, Big Bear City Fire Department put out a challenge to property owners of the east end of Big Bear Valley to remove 80 tons of brush and small trees to create defensible space.
Congratulations are in order. Big Bear City Fire Department has received better than expected voluntary participation. As of August we easily exceed 200 tons of vegetation removed. Due to this overwhelming response Big Bear City Fire Department for the first time in history has a back log of properties waiting for curbside chipping service. This is absolutely a fantastic problem. A problem that we truly enjoy trying to solve.
Curbside chipping service is made possible by the cooperative efforts between Big Bear City and San Bernardino County Fire Department. Property owners are encouraged to continue defensible space efforts through the month of September. October is the final month for curbside chipping service, as we begin to close in on the winter months.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that participated in the effort to make your property more fire resistive, thereby contributing to neighborhood fire safety efforts.
Through the combined efforts of Big Bear Valley Fire agencies, and all the hard work brought forward by you the property owner we are proving to be a mountain community that others can look at and admire.
There is still much work remaining, and the fire agencies of Big Bear Valley are committed to providing programs that contribute to the individual success of creating defensible space one property at a time.
Together we can make a difference as we look forward in future years in pursuit of an established firewise community.
====================================
The picture above are the San Bernardino County Chipper Crews working hard to clear the curbside debris.
Treasure what you have. For reasons only known by you, you have chosen to purchase a piece of a true island paradise located more than a mile high in the sky. Big Bear City offers plenty of outdoor adventure and a sense of living within a mountain environment, where you most likely know your neighbor.
The unfortunate reality is you and your neighbor’s piece of paradise may be at risk. Over grown dense vegetation growing within the home ignition zone needs to be substantially reduced. Some homes need improvements to construction features such as the removal of wood shake single roofs.
As Fire Chief, I am currently receiving phone calls from residence like yourself telling me that they just received a possible cancellation notice from their insurance carrier that has provided insurance for many years. Telling them that vegetation growing next to the home must be removed or their insurance policy will be canceled.
Insurance companies have taken interest in the mountain communities due to the recent fires, and the loss of over 200 homes in the Running Springs and Lake Arrowhead area. Fire agencies have tried for years to educate and inform residence of this potential hazard with a request to remove light flash fuels, brush, and small trees to create defensible space.
In many cases, insurance companies are now demanding that property owners take steps towards creating defensible space. In some cases, the house requires construction features upgrades to make the house fire resistive. Notice to improve from insurance companies has been very effective and produces results. The risk of losing your home to a wildfire is just as real as the potential to lose insurance coverage. You, the property owner, must take steps to reduce the amount and arrangement of vegetation on your property.
There are no cost and low cost opportunities contained within the literature you should have received with the Chipper Days notice. Please take a moment to look through the information and decide for yourself if your property is in need of some work to help ensure it remains for generations to come. Chipper Flyer Front Chipper Flyer Back
In the event of a catastrophic wildland or urban conflagration fire, fire fighters will aggressively defend and protect your house provided you have taken the necessary steps of creating defensible space around your home. The key word is “defensible”. If you provide it, fire fighters will defend it. Firefighters are trained to triage houses during large scale fires and direct fire fighting activities towards those that can be saved.
If you do your part, they will do theirs. Your fire fighters will put themselves in position, and give everything they can an attempt to save your property. By creating defensible space, you give your fire fighters a position to work from.
If you don’t do your part, and no defensible space is created or given, your fire fighters don’t have a position to work from. Without a position to work from, fire fighting is just simply too dangerous. Fire fighters should not be expected to risk their own life for property that cannot be defended or saved due to insufficient vegetation management.
As you look through the literature contained within the Chipper Days flyer, step outside and take a good look at your property. Decide for yourself if your property is at risk. If your answer is yes, then more than likely your neighbor’s property is also at risk, but not by his or her choice. Fire knows no boundaries. It will move from vegetation to structure back to vegetation, or structure to structure. Gradually one by one the entire neighborhood could be consumed.
Starting July 1 through October 1, 2008, I encourage all residents to take advantage of the FREE Chipper Days program. Once you have created your defensible space, contact our office to be put on the list to remove the fruits of your labor (brush, limbs, etc) to make your property safe.
Big Bear City Fire Department is not asking you, the property owner, to remove trees and brush to a point where the landscape represents that of a desert. We simply need to remove light flashy fuels, brush, and some small trees to a point where continuity of flammable vegetation is broken up horizontally and vertically. When you are done, your property will actually take on a park like setting of a mountain environment with lots of curb appeal.
Big Bear City Fire Department staff will make inspections of your house free of charge. With this free inspection, Fire Department staff will make recommendations for steps that can be taken to substantially reduce the risk of loss due to a fire incident. It is up to the property owner to take responsibility for providing defensible space, and adjunct construction feature upgrades. By applying knowledge and initiative, you will be closer to insuring structure survivability. When your work is complete, you will have done your part in making Big Bear City a safer community, in which to live. You also have taken the necessary steps to insure Big Bear City, the island paradise located a mile in the sky; will remain for generations to come.
Big Bear City Fire Department offers many programs through cooperators that assist the property owner in accomplishing the creation of defensible space. I sincerely hope you take advantage of them.
Make Your Home Fire Safe |
|
|
|
|
