Hoodland Fire receives grant money for Govy fire prevention posted on 04/01/2022
The Hoodland Fire District (HFD) received a grant from the
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in February for wildland fire preparation
work in Government Camp. The Small Forestland Firewise® USA grant awarded
$75,000 to the district for work to improve the defensibility and survivability
of structures in the community during the occurrence of a wildland fire.
“With this kind of preparation, the chances of the wildfire
taking out a house are very minimal,” HFD Division Chief/Fire Marshal Scott
Kline said.
The grant money will be utilized to create 30-foot defensive
parameters around structures in Government Camp to increase the likelihood of
the buildings withstanding a wildland fire.
The grant application states the work will include “the
removal of brush, small diameter coniferous and alder regeneration in the
understory, and pruning within approximately 30 feet of the primary structure
on each property as well as along the driveway.”
Trees that are dead or dying and are considered hazardous
near houses will also be removed by certified arborists as part of the project.
The work will be performed by ODF crews, HFD personnel and
private contractors. Community members can contact the Government Camp Community
Planning Organization to get added to a list of properties that HFD will assess
for the project.
After being approved by HFD for the funding, property owners
can submit receipts for work performed by contractors. HFD will provide before
and after photos of qualifying sites to the grant program.
The grant is funded by Firewise® USA, a national program
that assists communities to prepare for wildfires. The grant money will be
utilized in Government Camp because it is the only Firewise® community
currently active in the district.
Kline stated the clean-up project will begin later this
spring and continue through the fall.
The district will also engage in educational outreach in
Government Camp as part of the grant. Outreach activities will include creating
incentives for fuel reduction on properties as well as the development and
distribution of a brochure detailing open burn regulations within the fire
district and Clackamas County.
In addition, the grant money will be used to increase the
number of address markers throughout the village to assist emergency responders
in locating properties in the event of an emergency.
The grant application states that HFD will “work to develop
an action plan that guides Government Camp’s residential risk reduction activities,
while engaging and encouraging community members to become active participants
in building a safer place to live in an area prone to wildfires.”
HFD will be discussing Firewise® membership with other
communities in the Mount Hood area this spring and arranging meetings for
community groups with the ODF, the agency that manages Firewise® in the state.
The Rhododendron Community Planning Organization, Timberline Rim, and Zig Zag
Village have all previously participated in the wildland fire preparation program.
More information is available online at
https://www.hoodlandfire.us/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-wildfires.
By Ben Simpson/MT
| 
