Lower North Fork Fire & Prescribed Fire Review

Another thing to remember is that if the smoke is blowing over your house, the wind is also blowing the embers, the ash and the fire in your direction. Common sense, really. Get out! 5 acres doesn't sound like a lot, but with the winds we had that day, I promise, I'd have everyone (all my animals) and everything in the truck and out. Smoke in my house? I'm outa here!

Becky wrote:
I didn't get a sense listening to the audio or reading the transcript that the dispatcher imported any real sense of danger.

Not that it was the dispatchers fault, but what can we do better to help people like Mrs Appel?

Yeah, the people who are in charge of notifying us blew it...that is for sure, but what I took from this tragedy was that we, not the govt., need to know our neighbors, and know who might need help. I checked on a few close neighbors right away when I saw the smoke, but as I thought about it later....how come I don't know all my neighbors who might need help? That is my problem, and one I plan to remedy. We need to take care of each other. The govt. is inept to do so. When we live in the foothills like this, we should be helping our own.

I agree LopingAlong.

But if your sick, alone and you have a flat tire.....what do you do?

Yeah, the people who are in charge of notifying us blew it...that is for sure, but what I took from this tragedy was that we, not the govt., need to know our neighbors, and know who might need help. I checked on a few close neighbors right away when I saw the smoke, but as I thought about it later....how come I don't know all my neighbors who might need help? That is my problem, and one I plan to remedy. We need to take care of each other. The govt. is inept to do so. When we live in the foothills like this, we should be helping our own.

I agree.
If we are going to live in a wildland fire zone we need to take responsibility for ourselves and our properties.
We need to clear our own properties. We need to help our neighbors do the same.
I think it would e great to put together a group of folks who are interested in helping to do that. Any takers?

Thanks. Good idea Becky. Some of us have been working on it for years. Not only our own place but a neighbor with a larger parcel.

We took our cue from the same neighbor who had another neighbor who made up a list of all the neighbors in the hood, their addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

We did the same in our own neck of the woods, our own little community if you will. We know everyone on our road and who needs help. But go one better and have a backup plan for those who need help just in case their primary helper is at work, away from home, etc.

Came back to add that we have volunteered with wildfire mitigation for young and old in our hood.

It was the original focus and reason for Disaster Support Volunteers.
Perhaps, as a community....we need to get together and get this done.

edited to add that many people have tried to put together a community resource to help in such disasters.

MCVOAD was another great non profit that partnered with many local organizations to create such a plan.
It fell apart due to lack of interest and participation from the community.

Ok then perhaps on a smaller scale. Getting to know the people on your road and asking them if they would like help with wildfire mitigation. That's a good time to get your local fire dept. involved making sound suggestions that will be more readily accepted by reluctant homeowners who haven't mitigated?

I agree.
For some...it may be just as you suggested. for others, perhaps their HOA, church, school or any organization can put something together.
I just think it is time to be proactive.

I live in a neighborhood that is blessed with an outstanding HOA. They do not try to intrude into the lives of the residents here but instead offer and provide opportunities to improve our quality of life and our neighborhood.
I live in one, of very few, FireWise communities in Colorado.

http://www.firewise.org/

Becky wrote: I agree.
For some...it may be just as you suggested. for others, perhaps their HOA, church, school or any organization can put something together.
I just think it is time to be proactive.

I live in a neighborhood that is blessed with an outstanding HOA. They do not try to intrude into the lives of the residents here but instead offer and provide opportunities to improve our quality of life and our neighborhood.
I live in one, of very few, FireWise communities in Colorado.

http://www.firewise.org/

We don't have an HOA and I find working with a few works for us considering there is so much to do. But we live next door to a subdivision with an HOA so now I want to know how did your HOA put it together? Newsletters, meetings, door to door? Did they work with the local fire dept?

Our subdivision worked very closely with Platte Canyon Fire.

We were notified by emails, meetings and just word of mouth.
I believe that Platte Canyon Fire had a federal grant and some of the costs were taken care of by that.
We personally mitigated our property but many many properties here were done y Platte Canyon Fire themselves.
You might check with the Fire Dept because I don't think those funds were specifically for our subdivision. We all just happened to be very open and receptive to the mitigation.

I will get some information to post here.

Hey trekker, thanks for the pictures. I went over to that location where you took the pix, no smoke showing from the Lower North Fork fire. Really windy though.