August 2023, V2

FIREWISE® RISK ASSESSMENT COMPLETED
The LRAA neighborhood National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Residential  Wildfire Hazard Assessment was completed by Eli Loftis, Okanogan County Conservation District and Will Knowlton, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on May 30th, 2023.

LRAA Firewise Risk Assessment Results:
LRAA is in the High Risk Category but there are things we can do to help!

• LRAA is a unique community and united on fire! Residents were very engaged during the assessment and open to discussing improvements. Radiant heat is a PROBLEM and a fire in close proximity to your house increases the risks of fire and smoke inhalation. This is why creating defensive space is important.

• Removing the wood piles from your porch and under the porch will help protect your entire home from burning down. Remember ALL buildings need to be protected, not just houses.

• Pick up/rake all flammable vegetation (dead branches, brush, stumps, logs) on your property.

• Use the LRAA community chipper to remove dead brush piles

• Trim your trees lower limbs 15’ up off the ground

• Trim tree branches within 15’ within a chimney or stovepipe

• Trees close to your home are a risk, consider creating a 30’ defensible space around your home without trees.

• Order blue reflective address signs so emergency vehicles can locate you quickly.

LRAA MEMBER NPFA RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTS ZOOM MEETING • September 13, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Will and Eli to go over the fire risk assessment results. You can also use this opportunity to ask Will and Eli questions about how to protect your property from fire. Spoiler alert…our neighborhood is in the high risk category for fire. The meeting will cover  why the risk here is so high and what we can do to reduce fire fuel so we have a home to come back to if a fire does rip through. 

Important! Please email Bahia Rowan [LRAA.business@gmail.com] LRAA business manager by September 5th if you have any questions you would like answered by the experts during the meeting. Will and Eli have asked for questions in advance to best prepare.

Join Zoom Meeting
Time: Sep 13, 2023 04:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83562309582?pwd=ZnpTYnAzTXNUVmNaRW85cU5MQkZqZz09

Meeting ID: 835 6230 9582
Passcode: 542005
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 835 6230 9582
Passcode: 542005
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kedC1zwHr

FREE MONEY FOR DOING FIRE MITIGATION WORK ON YOUR PROPERTY
We are working to become an official Firewise neighborhood. The benefit to becoming a Firewise neighborhood is we have an opportunity to receive funding to help make our neighborhood safe from fire from your individual contributions. And you as property owners can earn money doing the mitigation work. See the program details:https://www.dnr.wa.gov/cost-share

Please note that nothing will ever be done to private property without the consent from the owner. It is your personal choice to participate.

FREE HOME FIREWISE ASSESSMENT WALK THROUGH
Will and Eli will do free home assessment walkthroughs with any homeowner that would like one done. You can do it yourself using the Firewise assessment online, but it’s a lot more informative to have Eli and Will come out. They request doing at least 4 houses at a time as they live in the town of Okanogan. So gather up your neighbors and schedule a time with them directly if you’d like! Contact eli@okanogancd.org.

EVACUATION MESSAGE TO ALL RESIDENTS
When the neighborhood is at a Level 1 & 2 evacuation, leave via Lost River Airport Association via Lost River Road. No other road option is safe or feasible in most vehicles. Do not rely on the airstrip or additional resources to help, FS or Fire Dept are not guaranteed to come get you.

HOW STAY INFORMED ON FIRES & SMOKE IN THE AREA
If you’d like to stay informed on when fires are near us and evacuation levels you can sign up for Okanogan County alerts. It’s great to know whether you’re a part-time or full-time resident. Links can also be found on the LRAA website Home page.

Okanogan County Emergency Management
WA Smoke - Smoke tracking
AirNow - Air Quality Monitor App
Purple Air - Air Quality Monitor App (There’s a Purple Air monitor at LRAA.)
Inciweb - Up to date fire reports
National Interagency Fire Center - Fire tracking map
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Facebook

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Fire Adapted Methow Valley - We invite you to explore the resources shared on the Fire Adapted Methow Valley website that are relevant to our Methow Valley including some highlights listed below.

• Adapting western North American forests to climate change and wildfires: 10 common questions - This is a fantastic article – well worth reading.

• Fighting Fire with Fire - Includes a video about home loss in Rising Eagle fire and rebuilding using Firewise principles. Definitely watch the video!

The Firewise USA website and its information on the FirewiseUSA program provides you with a structure for actually preparing for wildfire and how to engage folks in your neighborhood. This site will help with:

• the reasons WHY this work is so important,

• HOW the dry east of the mountains, fire-prone and fire-shaped ecosystemsfunction and remain healthy,

• WHAT do people mean when they say restoration work is needed in our forests,

• WHAT is wildfire risk mitigation and why is it important.

Thank you from your Firewise Committee…
Nick Glatt, Pam Saxton, Maria Hines, CB Thomas, Malcom Griffes, Caryn Darmer