Thursday, May 21, 2009
Cody Park Yard Sale June 13th
The Cody Park Yard Sale has been postponed until later in the year, date and location TBD. Contact Barb Malone, 303-741-0276 or barbara.weis@uchsc.edu, to reserve your vendor table or for more information.
Slash Collection Schedule Summer 2009
Jeffco residents can bring their slash to one of 14 remote slash collection days hosted by their local fire departments, Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management and the Rooney Road Recycling Authority:
• June 9-10 at Coal Creek Fire Station #2, 32895 Highway 72, hosted by Coal Creek Fire Department.
• June 16-17 at Conifer High School, 10441 Highway 73, hosted by Elk Creek Fire-Rescue.
• June 23-24 at Evergreen High School, 29300 Buffalo Park Road, hosted by Evergreen Fire/Rescue.
• June 30-July 1 at Inter-Canyon Fire Station #3, 8445 Highway 285, hosted by Inter-Canyon Fire Rescue.
• July 21-22 at North Fork Fire Station #1, 19384 County Road 126, hosted by North Fork Fire Department.
• July 28-29 at Conifer High School, 10441 Highway 73, hosted by Elk Creek Fire-Rescue.
--->>>August 15-15 at the corner of US 40 and Lookout Mt. Road hosted by Foothills Fire & Rescue
Each collection site is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Acceptable materials are limited to slash, tree debris, limbs up to 8 feet long and 6 inches in diameter, grass, leaves and chipped wood. A small pickup truck loaded to bed level with this material will cost $5 to recycle; loaded cab high the cost increases to $10. Full size pickups loaded to bed level cost $10 and those loaded cab high are $15. Other materials will cost $2 per cubic yard.
If you cannot wait until the summer, as a Jefferson County resident you have another option -- bring slash to the Rooney Road Slash Collection Site at 151 South Rooney Road in Golden. That facility is open between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Fees are $4/cu.yd. For additional information call the facility at 303-710-9120.
• June 9-10 at Coal Creek Fire Station #2, 32895 Highway 72, hosted by Coal Creek Fire Department.
• June 16-17 at Conifer High School, 10441 Highway 73, hosted by Elk Creek Fire-Rescue.
• June 23-24 at Evergreen High School, 29300 Buffalo Park Road, hosted by Evergreen Fire/Rescue.
• June 30-July 1 at Inter-Canyon Fire Station #3, 8445 Highway 285, hosted by Inter-Canyon Fire Rescue.
• July 21-22 at North Fork Fire Station #1, 19384 County Road 126, hosted by North Fork Fire Department.
• July 28-29 at Conifer High School, 10441 Highway 73, hosted by Elk Creek Fire-Rescue.
--->>>August 15-15 at the corner of US 40 and Lookout Mt. Road hosted by Foothills Fire & Rescue
Each collection site is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Acceptable materials are limited to slash, tree debris, limbs up to 8 feet long and 6 inches in diameter, grass, leaves and chipped wood. A small pickup truck loaded to bed level with this material will cost $5 to recycle; loaded cab high the cost increases to $10. Full size pickups loaded to bed level cost $10 and those loaded cab high are $15. Other materials will cost $2 per cubic yard.
If you cannot wait until the summer, as a Jefferson County resident you have another option -- bring slash to the Rooney Road Slash Collection Site at 151 South Rooney Road in Golden. That facility is open between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Fees are $4/cu.yd. For additional information call the facility at 303-710-9120.
FFPD Wildfire Meeting Notes, April 22nd, 2009
Report on the Foothills Fire Protection District Training Presentation for the Cody Park community, held on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009.
Summary: Jacob Stiemers and Dave Geralds gave a good presentation, focusing on our situation in Cody Park, highlighting actions homeowners can take to mitigate damage should a fire occur. They talked about fuel reduction and defensible space, and told those present how to go about getting on-site inspections and individual recommendations for protection against wildfire.
Foothills Fire Protection District web site: www.foothillsfire.org
Foothills Fire Protection District Community Wildfire Protection Plan:
http://foothillsfire.org/Community%20Plans/ffpd_cwpp_rprt%5B1%5D.pdf
Importance of a secondary emergency egress route out of Cody/Rilliet Parks: three optional routes, spotted on a map that Jacob and Dave circulated to the audience:
o Option #1, Access from a private drive off of Spruce Rd. west to a private drive off of Mistletoe Rd. (logistical challenges).
o Option #2, Access from the terminus of Silver Willow Road to an unnamed drive. This is very steep and the turn is a problem to get to the upper road.
o Option #3, Access from the eastern-most bend of Black Birch Rd. east to an unnamed drive. This could be the most promising but needs to be evaluated thoroughly.
Question about traffic congestion in and out of the Park: the Sheriff would control evacuation traffic, which generally starts after fire-fighting equipment is down in the Park.
John Blood (JB) has two possible project managers, and will be working with those offering their assistance in:
o Investigating & evaluating routes;
o Interviewing landowners;
o Looking into obtaining grant monies to help with the project.
Fuel load mitigation is a multi-year project…external preparation:
o Year 1, clear out 3 feet from the house boundary
o Year 2, add 15 feet to the “defensible space zone
o Year 3, add another 10-15 feet: aim for at least 30 feet of defensible space
Internal mitigation, if you know a fire is on its way:
o Open the curtains heat of a fire outside the home can cause curtains to combust without compromising the windows.
o Open the fireplace damper, especially if there is no chimney cap.
Home readiness assessments: Jacob will do individual walkabouts for wildfire protection assessment, 526-9838. Dave will also do a walkabout, contact him through the fire house; he is available M-F, 9 AM to 5 PM, as long as he is not out on a call. They both agreed, there are three factors to consider when determining readiness: available water, clear access, and lack of fuel load.
o Beaverbrook Trail, our last wildfire exposure, in 1998, and it remains a source of risk of fire.
o Schoonover fire, which happened a few weeks before the Hayman fire, Jacob was in charge of 24 homes, 12 of which were fire-mitigated, 12 were not. The 12 homes that were mitigated all survived the fire; the 12 which were not were all lost to flames.
FFPD evaluation will happen over time. FFPD will evaluate each house and assign it a triage color: black (already lost, don't bother fighting the fire), red, yellow, and green (house well-mitigated, high probability we can save, fight the fire.). The Genesee FD did receive funding to do a house-by-house mitigation study; they will notify each homeowner of the results.
Small tree species such as the Mountain Maple and the Mountain Mahogany are ladder fuels. They have a symbiotic relationship with pine trees; they tend to grow at the base of the pine, which can facilitate fire moving off the ground, where it’s relatively easy to control, up into the crown of the tree, where it’s nearly impossible to control. For defensible space in and around your home, remove these ladder fuels.
Other things to do to mitigate wildfire around your home:
o Gutters and roof valleys, keep swept of pine needles and flammable debris.
o Wood piles underneath a deck: treat this as part of your house and measure defensible space from the edge of the wood pile. Stand-alone wood piles should be at least 30 feet from any building you want to protect (house, garage, barn, etc).
o Decks & fencing, if you need to replace them any time soon, consider Trex (www.trex.com) or some comparable material instead of wood.
o Siding, when it’s time to have it replaced, consider concrete stucco or James Hardie concrete siding, both of which are non-flammable.
o Self-defense by using a fire retardant, such as Barricade” (www.firegel.com), which you spray on with a hose, then wash off with the same hose after the threat of fire has passed. Upside: will prevent your home from burning down. Downside: has a short effective time and costs $75/gal, will need several gallons for the average home. Contact FFPD is you are interested in more information. Dave later mentioned the site (www.pacificfirewall.com), as a good source for more information and a demonstration regarding this resource (Barricade Foam).
FFPD approaches to fighting fire:
o Will use any water source available: a pond, a creek, a private or community cistern whether above or below ground.
o Any building or major remodel permit will trigger the Jefferson County cistern requirement for an individual home
o 10,000 gallon household cistern
o 2.5’ opening, 2.5’ vent
o buried
Each truck carries 800 feet of large diameter hose (LDH) to connect to fire hydrants.
o Cody Park Road & Pine Road, Beaverbrook water district
o Mistletoe near west end of Cody Park Road, MVCC water district
o FFPD has keys to the emergency egress gate at west end of Cody Park Road; neighbors who live next to the gate have bolt cutters.
In case of evacuation orders:
o Neither the FFPD nor the Sheriff can force someone to evacuate;
o But you’re on your own: the FFPD cannot respond to you.
If you have to evacuate, grab
o People
o Pets & critters
o Pictures and important papers
Everything else is replaceable
Volunteer your home for a firefighting scenario: check with JB first and the FFPD will evaluate the volunteer's address and advise if it is viable. If so it will provide:
o Training for FFPD volunteers which is invaluable;
o Evaluation of firefighting techniques;
o Very realistic;
o With lights & siren we will need to warn your neighbors ahead of time!
Summary: Jacob Stiemers and Dave Geralds gave a good presentation, focusing on our situation in Cody Park, highlighting actions homeowners can take to mitigate damage should a fire occur. They talked about fuel reduction and defensible space, and told those present how to go about getting on-site inspections and individual recommendations for protection against wildfire.
Foothills Fire Protection District web site: www.foothillsfire.org
Foothills Fire Protection District Community Wildfire Protection Plan:
http://foothillsfire.org/Community%20Plans/ffpd_cwpp_rprt%5B1%5D.pdf
Importance of a secondary emergency egress route out of Cody/Rilliet Parks: three optional routes, spotted on a map that Jacob and Dave circulated to the audience:
o Option #1, Access from a private drive off of Spruce Rd. west to a private drive off of Mistletoe Rd. (logistical challenges).
o Option #2, Access from the terminus of Silver Willow Road to an unnamed drive. This is very steep and the turn is a problem to get to the upper road.
o Option #3, Access from the eastern-most bend of Black Birch Rd. east to an unnamed drive. This could be the most promising but needs to be evaluated thoroughly.
Question about traffic congestion in and out of the Park: the Sheriff would control evacuation traffic, which generally starts after fire-fighting equipment is down in the Park.
John Blood (JB) has two possible project managers, and will be working with those offering their assistance in:
o Investigating & evaluating routes;
o Interviewing landowners;
o Looking into obtaining grant monies to help with the project.
Fuel load mitigation is a multi-year project…external preparation:
o Year 1, clear out 3 feet from the house boundary
o Year 2, add 15 feet to the “defensible space zone
o Year 3, add another 10-15 feet: aim for at least 30 feet of defensible space
Internal mitigation, if you know a fire is on its way:
o Open the curtains heat of a fire outside the home can cause curtains to combust without compromising the windows.
o Open the fireplace damper, especially if there is no chimney cap.
Home readiness assessments: Jacob will do individual walkabouts for wildfire protection assessment, 526-9838. Dave will also do a walkabout, contact him through the fire house; he is available M-F, 9 AM to 5 PM, as long as he is not out on a call. They both agreed, there are three factors to consider when determining readiness: available water, clear access, and lack of fuel load.
o Beaverbrook Trail, our last wildfire exposure, in 1998, and it remains a source of risk of fire.
o Schoonover fire, which happened a few weeks before the Hayman fire, Jacob was in charge of 24 homes, 12 of which were fire-mitigated, 12 were not. The 12 homes that were mitigated all survived the fire; the 12 which were not were all lost to flames.
FFPD evaluation will happen over time. FFPD will evaluate each house and assign it a triage color: black (already lost, don't bother fighting the fire), red, yellow, and green (house well-mitigated, high probability we can save, fight the fire.). The Genesee FD did receive funding to do a house-by-house mitigation study; they will notify each homeowner of the results.
Small tree species such as the Mountain Maple and the Mountain Mahogany are ladder fuels. They have a symbiotic relationship with pine trees; they tend to grow at the base of the pine, which can facilitate fire moving off the ground, where it’s relatively easy to control, up into the crown of the tree, where it’s nearly impossible to control. For defensible space in and around your home, remove these ladder fuels.
Other things to do to mitigate wildfire around your home:
o Gutters and roof valleys, keep swept of pine needles and flammable debris.
o Wood piles underneath a deck: treat this as part of your house and measure defensible space from the edge of the wood pile. Stand-alone wood piles should be at least 30 feet from any building you want to protect (house, garage, barn, etc).
o Decks & fencing, if you need to replace them any time soon, consider Trex (www.trex.com) or some comparable material instead of wood.
o Siding, when it’s time to have it replaced, consider concrete stucco or James Hardie concrete siding, both of which are non-flammable.
o Self-defense by using a fire retardant, such as Barricade” (www.firegel.com), which you spray on with a hose, then wash off with the same hose after the threat of fire has passed. Upside: will prevent your home from burning down. Downside: has a short effective time and costs $75/gal, will need several gallons for the average home. Contact FFPD is you are interested in more information. Dave later mentioned the site (www.pacificfirewall.com), as a good source for more information and a demonstration regarding this resource (Barricade Foam).
FFPD approaches to fighting fire:
o Will use any water source available: a pond, a creek, a private or community cistern whether above or below ground.
o Any building or major remodel permit will trigger the Jefferson County cistern requirement for an individual home
o 10,000 gallon household cistern
o 2.5’ opening, 2.5’ vent
o buried
Each truck carries 800 feet of large diameter hose (LDH) to connect to fire hydrants.
o Cody Park Road & Pine Road, Beaverbrook water district
o Mistletoe near west end of Cody Park Road, MVCC water district
o FFPD has keys to the emergency egress gate at west end of Cody Park Road; neighbors who live next to the gate have bolt cutters.
In case of evacuation orders:
o Neither the FFPD nor the Sheriff can force someone to evacuate;
o But you’re on your own: the FFPD cannot respond to you.
If you have to evacuate, grab
o People
o Pets & critters
o Pictures and important papers
Everything else is replaceable
Volunteer your home for a firefighting scenario: check with JB first and the FFPD will evaluate the volunteer's address and advise if it is viable. If so it will provide:
o Training for FFPD volunteers which is invaluable;
o Evaluation of firefighting techniques;
o Very realistic;
o With lights & siren we will need to warn your neighbors ahead of time!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Blue Ridge Lodge request for rezoning...
The folks who own the property at 403 Blueridge Drive, down by the highway maintenance shed, on the south side of Hwy-40 just west of the intersection with Lookout Mountain Road, are requesting a rezoning...sounds like they want to open a bed and breakfast, or something similar. These pages are the rezoning request; click on each image to enlarge it. When you're done examining a page, use your browser's back-arrow to return to this posting.
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