Fire safety in the Lake Tahoe Basin

Fire Defensible Space and BMP Conservation Event to be held in Meyers this Weekend

The Nevada Fire Safe Council (NVFSC) Tahoe Basin Region and its partner agencies are hosting its first South Shore ‘Conservation Block Party’ event of the summer this Saturday off Mandan, at 1569 Cree Street. Come learn about Fire Defensible Space, Best Management Practices (BMPs), water conservation, native and adapted plants, and invasive weeds by taking a guided tour to view example homes. Please arrive at 10am for the start of Block Party presentations, which will be followed by a free barbecue lunch!

For more information, call 530-543-3473.

What: Conservation Block Party
When: Saturday, June 6th 10am-12pm
Where: Off Mandan, 1569 Cree Street


Background Information:
The 2009 fire season has already come upon us quickly, with several brush fires in the Reno area just this past month. So as a responsible homeowner, it’s time to begin your spring cleaning and take another look at your defensible space. Every season, homeowners should, in conjunction with standard yard maintenance, make sure your defensible space is still in good order.

In Tahoe, that means doing a spring raking of the pine needles within 30 feet of your structure and cleaning them from your roof. Make sure all of your landscaping plants are well-spaced and are coming back, if they died over the winter – remove them. Broken branches, pine cones, and general dead vegetation debris that is emerging from under your snow banks – all need to be addressed. If you had firewood stacked near your home – remove it, cover it or move it to a safe distance away from your structures.

Assess your structure. How’s your roof? What about your deck? And your siding? A well kept structure is better prepared to handle wildfire season. As a home ages and the materials used to build it start to age, it can become a greater fire hazard… So stay on top of your general home maintenance as well lawn maintenance.

The Tahoe Basin Region will be continuing to offer our 5-Step Rebate Program for defensible space. This is our offer to homeowners to reimburse you 50% of your defensible space costs up to $1,000. Even if you’ve already completed your defensible space, spread the word to your neighbors. Remember you are only as safe as your neighbor, so encourage them to do their work and let them know about the financial assistance we have to offer. Contact our Tahoe office for more information (530) 543-FIRE (3473) or 1-877-LT-NVFSC (586-8372) or check out the website at www.nvfsc.org

In April we once again offered a North Shore and South Shore Contractor’s Workshop, to inform our area contractor’s about the rules and regulations in the Tahoe Basin concerning defensible space work. We had wonderful attendance at both workshops, with a total of 74 people, representing 59 companies. These workshops are designed to keep the defensible space work being done in Lake Tahoe consistent and within the guidelines we follow through the Living with Fire program.

As the season begins, we are continuing to share with homeowners how best to the implement the rules and regulations post-Angora Fire; how to blend fire safety with conservation; how to get the correct messages out to homeowners; and most importantly, how to all work together to protect lives, property and our environment.

Many homeowners in the Basin have struggled with their feelings as to whether they could do their best management practices (BMPs) and their fire defensible space. Many felt that there was too much conflict to be able to do both on their properties. This winter and spring, through many meetings and much work, agreements have been made to allow homeowners to have both.

Everyone agrees that Tahoe residents should not have to choose between fire safety and conservation. At the end of the day, having both your defensible space and your BMPs completed, is the best thing for our Lake and our environment.

To better help homeowners understand the steps they can take to create good fire defensible space and complete their BMPs, The Nevada Fire Safe Council along with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District and South Tahoe Public Utility District will be hosting five Conservation Block Parties. In addition to fire defensible space and BMPs, other topics will include conservation landscaping options and USFS / CTC urban lot information. These events will be in participation with many of our partnering agencies in the Tahoe Basin. I would like to strongly encourage all of our Chapter members to come join us and bring your friends and neighbors.

Also, throughout the season we will continue to offer individual Chapter, Neighborhood Events.

Some of the events that are currently scheduled include:

· May 1-9 Nevada Wildfire Awareness Week
· May 5, Tuesday, 5pm-7pm – Education Evening & BBQ, Sierra Nevada College
· May 6, Wednesday, 6pm-8pm – Fire Education Movie Night, Kahle Community Center
· May 7, Thursday, 2pm-4pm – Great Basin Outdoor School, NVFSC presentation
· May 9, Saturday, noon-3pm – Montgomery Estates Fire Safe Chapter, Neighborhood Meeting, the Garner’s @ 2495 Del Norte St.
· May 16, Saturday, 10am-3pm – Kid America Day, Magnet Elementary School, outreach & kid events with Lake Valley Fire
· May 19, Tuesday, 9am-3pm – “Together is Better” State Farmers Insurance Group Seminar, Harrah’s South Lake
· June 6, Saturday, 10am-noon – Conservation Block Party, North Mandan Chapter
· June 13, Saturday, 10am-noon – Conservation Block Party, North Tahoe area
· July 11, Saturday, 10am-noon – Conservation Block Party, Emigrant Rd – Fallen Leaf Chapter
· July 18, Saturday, 10am-noon – Conservation Block Party, Meeks Bay/Tahoma area
· August 8, Saturday, 10am-noon – Conservation Block Party, South Lake Tahoe area
· August 16, Sunday, TBA – Conservation Landscape Tour

We have a lot of work to do this season both on the ground and in the realm of public information. Getting the correct information to our Basin homeowners is critical. Helping people know that you can do your defensible space and your BMPs; and that doing both will not only benefit you and your property, but it will also benefit Lake Tahoe.