startxref 2023 Ask your former broker for suggestions, including whether additional wildfire prevention work might help keep your coverage. To help visualize defensible space, imagine embers carried through the air by the heat of fire and winds. Berkeleyside had conversations with Charlie Crocker, the founder and CEO of Zonehaven, and Assistant Berkeley Fire Chief Keith May, who oversees fire department special operations. Its beautiful, but we know it comes with risks. Intense radiant heat can cause combustible materials to burst into flames. The research also found three major fires that started during the more common west winds, which blow east from the Pacific Ocean. Read more about Zonehaven in past Berkeleyside coverage. Police and fire can feed the software information during incidents and for practices and drills. Firewood should be at least 30 feet from your house. This year, the Berkeley Fire Department is dramatically expanding its formal inspection program. The next opportunity will be a wildfire evacuation workshop later this month, on June 15. The first decisions they must make, he said, are what areas can be fought, potentially saving property and lives, and what areas should be immediately evacuated, to save lives. An arrival place could be a community center, shelter, place to receive hotel vouchers, or meet up with your friends and family. : Photos + videos | WE'RE HIRING. To help the community adapt, the Berkeley Fire Department is working to develop a new wildfire mitigation roadmap, dubbed the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). What should I do if I get trapped during a fire? For now, Berkeley sees these conditions for just a few days each year. What if I want to protect my home? California and the rest of the Western United States are seeing an increase in serious wildfires, which many experts link to climate change. All of these activities are seriously concerning in fire season even more so on Red Flag days. An evacuation zone is a portion of the community that has been sliced out to most effectively call for and manage evacuation, Crocker said. Trimming back plants and trees, mowing grasses and weeds, keeping combustibles off of and away from your house and creating space around plants, trees and backyard equipment like grills. During an emergency, the map will offer real-time useful information, such as areas under evacuation and the best evacuation route for your neighborhood. AC We love the Bay Area. Our multi-year drought is drying out our plants and vegetation. Berkeley Path Wanderers sells ahigh quality, durable map that includes footpaths. Consider first responder access when building or designing fencing of any material. AC Alert (app, text, email, phone, push alert, social media): AC Alert is Alameda Countys emergency warning system for life-threatening situations such as an order to evacuate. They cite large Eucalyptus groves, aging Monterey Pine, and hillsides thick with dry, flammable brush in Tilden Park, smack against residential neighborhoods. Your insurance broker should be able to help with this. Zone 0 isnt yet required by law, but CalFire stresses its importance, and legal regulations are in the works. Hillside Fire Zones Map Details Basemap Print Measure Hillside Fire Zones Map Location of Hillside Fire Zones in the City of Berkeley Web Map by DAVID GOINES: Remembering an iconic printmaker | CULTURE WAR: Hopkins bike lane | SNOW! Update your inventory of belongings and valuables, taking photos and videos inside your home. As the East Bay hills vulnerability to wildland fire grows due to drought and other weather patterns highlighted with each destructive California wildfire local residents, government entities, land managers, emergency operations experts and first responders scramble to adjust. How should I prepare to evacuate my pets? The requirements apply to fire zones 2 Should I use sprinklers or hose down my yard or deck during a fire? Cheryl Miller, the councils executive coordinator, says they currently have a wait list for projects and they hope to hear soon if they get additional funding for the next few years. With fire season already upon us, Berkeley has a range of new programs and efforts underway to ensure the community is ready should disaster strike. To access:Memorize your Zonehaven evacuation zone number and bookmark the map. This year, the tax will fund more than $3.5 million in wildfire preparedness efforts alone. People often point to a 1923 Berkeley fire that started in Wildcat Canyon, and spread as far as Shattuck Avenue, downtown, as evidence of just how far downhill wildfires can travel. To access: Sign up for Nixle alerts online. They can pull out their map book and use their radio. The map book allows police and fire to order evacuations by zone rather than try to describe evacuation areas by street names. Wooden furniture, BBQ grills, propane tanks and garbage and recycling bins should not be stored near your homes exterior. Clearing under and around your decks to create an ember-resistant area of dirt, stones, slate, pebbles or cement. 4 21 The closer to the house, the more space between bushes and trees. The fire started in a grassy hillside lot in Berkeley, near the Caldecott Tunnel and Oakland border. He spent seven of those years at Station 7 in the Berkeley Hills. Note: This feature currently directs users to the map of emergency shelters on the Red Cross website and the map of disaster recovery centers on the FEMA website. Do this for fences, gates and arbors especially where they are closest to your or a neighbors house. Protect yourself and your family. Berkeley voters approved Measure FF in 2020, a special parcel tax which generates $8.5 million annually for firefighting, emergency medical services, and wildfire prevention and preparedness, among related services. Bigger roads will have more space during an evacuation. Yet this narrow range of weather conditions is when the most destructive fires happen. Whats being done to reduce the risk of wildfires in Berkeley? Q. Whos using Zonehaven in the Bay Area now? The Zonehaven go-live date is scheduled for June 15, barring last-minute changes. Aware is a community portal with evacuation updates and prevention tools. Concern over wildfire response led a group of Oakland and Berkeley residents to launch an effort to form a new East Bay Hills Wildland Fire Joint Powers Authority, which is currently in the planning stage. 4. Simons. I rent. Taking responsibility for emergency preparedness differs based on the type of emergency, of course, but includes protecting your property by creating defensible space in areas of wildfire risk; reaching out in advance to neighbors who may need assistance in an evacuation to make sure they have a plan; signing up for alerts, and preemptively leaving your house and relocating in high-risk conditions such as red flag fire warnings. What if Im unhoused or know people who are in my area? Were a little late.. %PDF-1.4 % Though in high wildland fire risk zones, creating defensible space is the law. Its so much easier for them to communicate using the zones, Crocker said. 0000001226 00000 n More by Emilie Raguso. You will get different types of alerts based on the current threat level inyour evacuation zone: Fires are unpredictable and conditions can change rapidly. City Map - 2013. This year, presentations covered a range of updates from the Berkeley Fire Department, a presentation from the state insurance commissioners office and advice from an architect about what residents can do to reduce fire risks at home. This years extreme drought, likely worsened by climate change, is a major contributing factor to heightened fire danger. Check what your homeowners insurance covers and make sure its enough to help you rebuild if needed, taking into account updated square footage, improvements and current building costs (from a contractor). How can I monitor air quality in my neighborhood? Aim for replacement coverage, versus cash value, which wont pay you the actual costs of rebuilding and replacing, just depreciated value. Removing flammable plants and shrubs from windows, and from under or near decks. Northwestern Alameda County This includes replacing flammable materials with fire-retardant or noncombustible options, protecting against embers and removing fire hazards. This Emergency Access and Evacuation Network map identifies roads with capacity for more cars. Emergency planners are asking residents to immediately do a few things to prepare for Zonehaven: Be ready to receive information, May said. 2023 The Berkeley City Council is in the early stages of considering a parking policy to help keep narrow streets clear for emergency vehicles. Along with defensible space, home hardening, once a rare term, is now finding its way to the common lingo of wildfire prevention. Unlike property owners, rebuilding or dealing with homeowners insurance wasnt relevant. xb``b``fg``d@@---IXd0-9`s? [}A S' Credit: Zonehaven Update, June 15, 8:30 a.m. The horrific wildfires of Northern California brought attention to how renters can be impacted, including losing all their belongings in a blaze and then experiencing homelessness. A. No mulch and limited plants. WebBerkeleys vegetation management program applies to the citys hillside fire zones, which are made up of two zones, called 2 and 3. How do distant fires cause pollution in the Bay Area? Why should I preemptively relocate during Extreme Fire Weather and Diablo winds? It is the only warning system designated for this and requires you to sign up or opt in to receive alerts. Original post, June 1: If Berkeley police and fire get their way, city residents will soon have another number etched in their memory cells, along with phone, address and date of birth. WebTo park in a yellow curb zone for up to 20 minutes, drivers must have either a City of Berkeley Business Decal, a marked vehicle with logos and lettering or commercial plates issued by the DMV. EBRPD closes many parks on Red Flag days. The cost of insurance if you can get it is challenging or prohibitive for some family budgets. <<105bccc2147a294ab837fa88ff5aed6f>]>> I have fire insurance for now. Dont plant water hogs. 0000523586 00000 n Receive periodic safety tips on numerous disasters by texting the type of event (blackout, earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, or tornado) to 43362. How can I reduce the impact of wildfire smoke inside of my home? In an emergency, listen for your zone number on the radio (1610 AM in Berkeley), look for it on Twitter and Facebook and use Zonehavens real-time evacuation map to see where to go. The safest place for you to be on a day like that is out of the hills.. Which masks best protect against wildfire smoke? During a fire, emergency responders will use this portal to post real-time, zone-specific evacuation warnings and orders. It takes power to run Zonehaven, and if this goes out, so does the data crunching. The firestorms combined loss of life, injuries and economic loss what would be more than $4.4 billion today made it one of the worst fires in American history. Am I legally required to evacuate? Whats the difference? (Emergency alerts such as evacuation orders and Extreme Fire Weather warnings are sent out by all means available text, phone, email, social media, push alert. Fire officials reminded meeting attendees about the citys fire fuel chipper and debris bin programs, designed to help community members dispose of plant materials. He also happens to live there. In October 1991, gusting dry winds spread a firestorm through 2.5 square miles of mostly residential neighborhoods, destroying nearly 3,500 homes and apartment units in what would be known as the Oakland firestorm.
Nyu Stern Graduation Awards, Pros And Cons Of Glow In The Dark Animals, Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Mexican American War, Oklahoma City University Police Lawsuit, Unable To Send Teams Meeting Invite In Outlook, Articles C