Terrorists May Target California Wildland Fuels

What do you think?

Do you think that “Terrorists” will eventually find California wildlands and forests acceptable targets?

Did you know that during the 2nd World War, the Japanese tried to send over fire-bomb planes in order to devastate our sources of timber? They most certainly did. Fortunately for us, back then, they did not plan their attacks to coorespond with summer. In plane terms, they were attempting to start forest fires and vegetation fires during our winter months. Thats when they sent the planes over.

In this day in age, that is certainly not plausible. I dont know, maybe I am wrong but I am pretty sure that each plane these days is tracked in as they cross the Pacific. However, what if…. What if someone were to rent a small plane for the weekend and execute a fire bomb dropping run.

I think that prior to the plane being shot down, incidentally causing the start of another fire too, they would be able to start a large number of wildfires. Strategically placed, those fires may burn many thousands of homes. So the question is not how to stop them. It seems that the question is how to limit the damage?

The key to success is still the same as with any accidentally started fire. Homeowners must prepare their homes for the best possible defense against wildfire. It really does not matter how the fires start. Make sure you create a defensible space, clean your roof and gutters out as much as you need to during fire season to keep them free of burnable debris and have an escape route.

If you need help creating a defensible space, clearing your roof or gutters or developing an emergency wildfire escape route, then call Firescape LLC at (707) 894-2008.

One last question:

Do you think that illegal immigrants and drug traffickers coming across the Mexican / United States border have ever started wildfires to cover their entrance or escape?

Tell us what you think.

Brush removal project helps to heat the home by creating a source of firewood
Angwin, California (Napa County)

For those of you out there wondering how to finance your brush removal project without breaking the bank, we have a solution for you.

Recently, on a defensible space / brush removal project in Angwin, California (Napa County), we worked with the homeowner to reduce the hazardous brush accumulations in the defensible space zone by converting the removed tree logs into firewood rounds. The rest of the bows and branches were run through the wood chipper and shot back out onto the landscape as a mulch covering. I’ll get into the mulch covering later.

Primarily though, the conversion of removed trees and large brush logs into firewood saved a lot of money. The time it takes for a person to pick up and remove the log to the chipper is not only time consuming but tiring. By changing the physical shape of the material, we were able to eliminate unnecessary hauling time to and from the chipper. In addition, this allowed our personnel to pick up the pace of brush removal and chipping thus resulting in a quicker project completion timeframe.

Another great benefit to this was that the homeowner was left with a large volume of firewood to use in his wood stove. The use of the wood stove is the primary heating source for the homeowner who is also on a fixed “retirement” income.

In these cases, Firescape can utilize out of the box thinking to assist the homeowner. It is very important for us as a company to think of ways to make the project less expensive, more environmentally friendly and safer.

Lets follow up on a benefit mentioned earlier in this blog. Mulch covering. Homeowners are always asking if wood chips will make a wildfire worse. The answer is maybe. The subject is quite deep and is worthy of its own blog at a later date. However, what I wanted to bring up now is that when we shot the wood chips back out onto the landscape where we removed or thinned brush, it provided a ground cover that will surely retard the growth of annual grasses. This will, in the spring of 2008, save the homeowner even more money in grass cutting savings.

Just remember, that as the price of natural gas and electricity goes up, your wildfire “brush” problem may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Be sure to come back soon to read a discussion about wood stoves and air quality.

Happy Holidays and remember, Wildfire Safety does not start during fire season. It is an annual, every day event!

Article by:
Firescape LLC
Cary Gloeckner

Home Appraisals Generally Miss the Biggest Danger. Wildfire

Most people will tell you that their biggest investment and largest asset is their home. It should stand to reason then that home buyers would want to make sure that they are aware of all, not most of, the hidden dangers contained in a home or property. Most new home buyers are so happy to be moving into their new home in the country that they never stop to consider the potential risk to their investment or to the lives of their family.

The Biggest Hidden Danger often times glossed over in a hap-hazard home appraisal is with Wildfire. From personal experience I can tell you that in California, there is a very small paragraph buried in the middle of a large tower of paper warning you of “Acts of God”, “Acts of Terrorism”, Earth Quakes, Floods, Wildfire and other natural or man-made calamities that you may possibly encounter after signing the loan documents. All of these potentially life threatening and investment devastating possibilities are written down on papers that you must sign in acknowledgment of the hazards. Most people understand some or even most of the hazards but for out-of-towners, they have no idea unless someone appraises them of the possibilities.

Now, here’s what you will find disclosed about wildfire in those documents.

(The property referred to as parcel #555-01-021 is located in a high hazard severity zone)

That’s it? What does that mean? Will I burn up in my new home during the first summer? Most people never stop to ponder that because they will never ever even see that section of the disclosure close enough or long enough to even notice. So how does a new home buyer of country property really find out what the threat is? You call Firescape.

Okay. You call us at (707) 894-2008 and speak with our specialist who has over 15 years of professional paid firefighting experience coupled with 17 volunteer years of firefighting experience. Then, our specialist will come out to the property and conduct a defensible space evaluation, fire hazard risk analysis, take some photos, develop a fuel reduction plan and estimate the costs for such repairs. After the defensible space evaluation and site inspection, our specialist will consult with the local fire authority for other pertinent information such as widlfire historical frequency, water availability, response times, fire department staffing levels, etc. to complete a well rounded assessment.

At the conclusion, you will be delivered a report that will tell you exactly what the wildfire risk is both in terms of a numerical and name rating, the amount of defensible space work that would need to be done to comply with local vegetation management fire codes and ordinances, a defined list of areas for improvement that will cause a lowering of your rating and finally an estimate of what it would cost to become “as safe as possible from wildfire” in this new home.

This defensible space evaluation and appraisal is very important to the new buyer because it will shout out the hidden wildfire dangers, lay out a plan to mitigate the hazards to an acceptable level and present the buyer with a factual piece of information that should be used to lower his/her final offer in the event that defensible space work must be done. Generally speaking, a home in the country surrounded by forest or brush on 1-2 acres will cost approximately $3,000 to $10,000 dollars to remedy depending upon a variety of factors.

Heres the bottom line. Before buying, start prying (for answers). If you dont know the questions to ask or would feel more comfortable having an expert appraise your potential new home in the country then call us at Firescape. We would love to help save your life!

Firescape Defensible Space Evaluators have conducted hundreds of these evaluations/inspections throughout Northern California. We were one of two contractors hired by Napa County Fire Department to provide them to their constituents an no cost through a grant program. We evaluated homes in Deer Park, Atlas Peak, Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena, Angwin, Berryessa Estates, Berryessa Highlands and Browns Valley. We have worked with other clients from Mill Valley, Kentfield, San Anselmo, Ross, Novato, Tiburon, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Fountain Grove, Philo, Healdsburg and Cloverdale. We have also been as far south as the Santa Monica Mountains. We will go wherever we are needed! So dont wait, call us right away.

Firescape LLC
(707) 894-2008
www.firescape.us

Firescape is now offering a new type of chipping service not offered before. As of January 1, 2008, you may now call Firescape at (707) 894-2008 to schedule a local curbside chipping of either brush, branch, limbs, etc. This service is currently being offered in the following Northern California towns: Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg and Hopland.

There is nothing more frustrating than having to load up a small amount of brush into your truck and drive it all the way to the dump. In this antiquated process you are wasting time, scratching up your truck, burning expensive fuel, paying high dump fees, hassleing with the dump personnel on where to put the brush/limbs all for a relatively small project.

Don’t waste time with the dump anymore. Call us and we’ll come out and chip up the material and either shoot it into your green waste barrel or our truck. Either way, you won’t have to touch it! How much you ask?

Most Sonoma County Landfills or Transfer Stations charge between $15 and $40 for pick-up trucks of brush or yardwaste. Our prices are easy. $40 will get you 15 minutes of chipping and you wont have to even touch a twig!

Call us now for more information or to schedule a curbside chipping.

Thanks for choosing Firescape LLC

Firescape LLC 2007 BRUSH REMOVAL TOTALS
(707) 894-2008
www.firescape.us

This year has been an excellent year for Firescape. We had a tremendous amount of new clients in Napa County in the following areas: Atlas Peak, Angwin, Berryessa Estates, Berryessa Highlands, Calistoga, St. Helena, Deer Park and others too.

Many, many thanks go out from all of us here at Firescape to you and your families. We take pride in knowing that we have touched so many of your lives in such a positive way and are pleased that your properties are so much safer from wildfire than before we worked on them.

Take a minute to look at our work statistics below.

ESTIMATED ACREAGE OF BRUSH REMOVED/THINNED:
16.75 ACRES

ESTIMATED ACREAGE OF GRASS MOWING:
3.25 ACRES

ESTIMATED TONS OF WOOD CHIPS GENERATED:
75 TONS

ESTIMATED CUBIC YARDS OF BRUSH RECYCLED:
240 CUBIC YARDS

NUMBER OF DEFENSIBLE SPACE EVALUATIONS CONDUCTED:
55 EVAULATIONS AND REPORTS CONDUCTED

In todays declining housing market it is more important than ever to make your home stand out to potential buyers. It is also even more important to add value to your home by upgrading a few key areas of your home and land.

First, by replacing old roofing materials with new fire resistive materials you will not only help to prevent the loss of your home to wildfire, it will help as a selling point for potential buyers who are worried about losing their investment to wildfire. Not to mention the added value of having a brand new roof on the home is very appealing to buyers who want a turn-key home with little or no “fixing” to do.

The next most critical safety measure to be taken that will add un-believable appeal to your home is to replace old siding with no fire resistive materials. This will really grab potential buyer’s attention when it really matters most. Right when they first see it. From a wildfire safety standpoint, siding is the second most important factor to your homes ignitability factor. Installing fire resistive or non-combustible siding will assist in the overall defense of your home by battling radiant heat and direct flame contact.

In my mind, the number one factor to consider when trying to increase your property value by implementing fire safety measures is to manage your defensible space and vegetation. As a potential home buyer, I am more likely to buy a home in the country that has had all the brush removal, tree trimming and thinning done than one that has not. Thinned, trimmed and clean is what you should be looking for when purchasing a home in the country. This “Defensible Space” will slow the approaching wildfire, reduce its overall size and intensity and allow firefighters to get in and protect your home. Homes without a good defensible space will most likely be left to fend for themselves if firefighting resources are thin. That means your home will not stand a very good chance of surviving a wildfire.

When you are looking to purchase a home in the country, insist on getting a Defensible Space Evaluation. Firescape can conduct these inpsections and they will potentially save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Please give us a call at (707) 894-2008.

Happy New Year