By Nancy Hiser, Linnton NET
Recent horrific wildfires in the West were caused by severe drought, high winds, and multiple points of ignition and fueled the most destructive wildfires in our state’s history. Oregon’s 2020 wildfire season brought new levels of destruction perilously close to Portland. The current forecast for warm summer temperatures heightens our fire risk and our forested location makes it imperative that we prepare.
Ways to reduce your risk from wildfires:
• Clean roofs and gutters of leafy and woody debris prior to fire season.
• Reduce ladder fuels — live or dead vegetation that allows a fire to climb up from the ground into the tree canopy, including tall grasses, shrubs, and tree branches, both living and dead.
• Identify fire prone vegetation that is within 10 feet of buildings. Replace these with fire resistant vegetation.
• Remove or relocate of flammable ornaments, patio furniture, and firewood to a protected area or away from the structure.
In the event of smoke:
• Keep smoke outside.
• Reduce your smoke exposure by wearing a respirator [PDF – 329 KB].
• Protect pets and other animals from wildfire smoke.
• Be aware of fires near you so you can be ready to evacuate.
• Notice any health symptoms if you have asthma, COPD, heart disease, or are pregnant.
Plan your evacuation route:
• Make sure your evacuation kits are ready to go – for yourself, your family and your pets – in case you need to leave.
• Consider your possible egress routes.
• If there is a fire, check the wind direction, watch smoke and tree tops to choose the best route. A change in wind direction can complicate your evacuation.
• Move laterally or downhill to escape a fire because fire moves faster uphill than down.
• Use paved or semi-paved roads as they are wider and more stable, generally more reliable escape routes than trails.
Prepare to evacuate, doing these ONLY if you can
do so safely:
• Make it easy for firefighters:
• Turn on a light in each room to increase the visibility
of your home in heavy smoke. Turn on exterior lights
as well.
• Leave your gate propped open to allow easy access to your property.
• Connect garden hoses to outside taps.
• Fill buckets with water and place them around your house.
• Put a ladder against a corner of your house so firefighters have easy access to your roof.
• Shut off the gas. Turn off propane at the tank or natural gas at the meter, and turn off all pilot lights.
• Close your vents and windows.
• Wet down your space:
• Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near above-ground fuel tanks.
• Wet down your roof and shrubs within 15 feet of your home, but don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, as it can affect the water pressure.
Get help from the experts:
As Linnton residents, we are fortunate that we can identify concrete steps to minimize our risks. Linnton is part of the National Fire Protection Association’s program known as Firewise USA. One benefit is that Portland Fire & Rescue personnel are available to come to your property and, free of charge, tell you how to make your home safer from wildfires. Those who have taken advantage of this service have been reassured by the expertise shared by Portland’s fire professionals and have gotten specific suggestions to reduce the risks to our homes and families.
Sign up for a free home assessment:
Linnton’s local Firewise coordinator is Shawn Looney. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact her at looneysters@gmail.com
By Nancy Hiser, Linnton NET
JUNE 2021
With summer weather beginning and Linnton’s proximity to the forest, it’s time to think about fire season.
You may be the first one to spot a “hot spot,” so call 911 immediately if you see a fire, even if it’s a small one.
Please don’t make July 4th hazardous: Fireworks trigger people’s PTSD, terrify pets, and cause fires.
In the event of smoke:
- Keep smoke outside.
- Reduce your smoke exposure by wearing a respirator [PDF – 329 KB] .
- Pets and other animals can be affected by wildfire smoke, too.
- Keep track of fires near you so you can be ready to evacuate.
- Pay attention to any health symptoms if you have asthma, COPD, heart disease, or are pregnant.
Plan your egress:
- Make sure your evacuation kits are ready to go – for yourself, your family and your pets – in case you need to leave.
- Consider your possible egress routes.
- If there is a fire, check the wind direction, watch smoke and tree tops to choose the best route. Wind change direction can complicate an egress.
- Fire moves faster uphill than down so it is usually wiser to move laterally or downhill to escape a fire.
- Paved or semi-paved roads are generally more reliable escape routes than trails– wider and more stable.
If you evacuate:
- Make it easy for firefighters:
- Make your home easier to spot by turning on a light in each room to increase the visibility of your home in heavy smoke. Turn on exterior lights as well.
- Leave your gate propped open to allow fire fighters easy access to your property.
- Connect garden hoses to outside taps. Fill buckets with water and place them around the house.
- Put a ladder against a corner of your house, so firefighters have easy access to your roof.
- Wet down your space:
- Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near above-ground fuel tanks.
- Wet down the roof and shrubs within 15 feet of your home, but don’t leave sprinklers on or water running, as it can affect the water pressure.
- Check for your roof and attic for embers, smoke, or fire.
- Shut off the gas. Turn off propane at the tank or natural gas at the meter, and turn off all pilot lights.
- Close your vents and windows.
After Oregon’s catastrophic wildfire season in 2020, The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved new rules for temporary preemptive power shutoffs to prevent wildfires in 2021. An incident report says downed power lines sparked at least 13 fires in the Santiam Canyon, which eventually merged with the devastating Beachie Creek Fire.
According to temporary new rules, utility companies will have the final say on whether they will cut power, but they will have to notify the public – especially vulnerable populations that could be impacted by an outage.
From the May newsletter about Firewise . . .
- Sign up for a free wildland-urban interface home assessment
- Reduce your risk of wildfire from the Portland Fire Bureau
- Learn about the Firewise program
Again, Linnton’s local Firewise coordinator is Shawn Looney. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact her at looneysters@gmail.com
HOW TO BE FIREWISE
MAY 2021
Recent horrific wildfires in the West caused by severe drought, high winds, and multiple points of ignition fueled the most destructive wildfires in our state’s history. Oregon’s 2020 wildfire season brought a new level of destruction perilously close to Portland. The current forecast for warm summer temperatures heightens our fire risk and our forested location (referred to as the Wildland-Urban Interface or WUI) makes it imperative that we must act.
Linnton residents are fortunate that we can face our fire concerns and identify concrete steps to minimize our risk. Linnton is part of the National Fire Protection Association’s program known as Firewise USA. One of the benefits is that Portland Fire & Rescue personnel are available to come to your property and, free of charge, inform you of actions you can take to make your home safer from wildfires. Those of us who have taken advantage of this service, have been reassured by the expert knowledge shared by Portland’s fire professionals and have received specific suggestions of how to reduce the risks to our individual homes and families.
- Sign up for a free wildland-urban interface home assessment
- Reduce your risk of wildfire from the Portland Fire Bureau
- Learn about the Firewise program
Following Linnton NA’s commitment to Firewise, priorities were created for our Firewise Action Plan:
- Encourage residents to clean roofs and gutters of leafy and woody debris prior to fire season and in the fall after trees shed needles and leaves.
- Assist residents in identifying fire prone vegetation that is within 10 feet of structures. Replace these with fire resistant vegetation.
- Encourage removal or relocation of flammable ornaments, patio furniture and firewood to a protected area or away from the footprint of the structure.
- Create and distribute a Community Response/Evacuation Plan in the event of a wildfire. Install signage that identifies escape routes.
- Utilize planned Firewise community events to work on reducing ladder fuels in community areas and break up fuel continuity.
Linnton’s local Firewise coordinator is Shawn Looney. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact her at looneysters@gmail.com