Advance fire prevention What to do if a fire is approaching your home Other fire safety tips for you and your family What homeowners can do Private hydrant systems in Woodside Fire District Perimeter Clearance Fire Code Denise Enea, Fire Marshal 4091 Jefferson Ave, Redwood City Phone: (650) 851-6206 Fax: (650) 366-1973 Email: denea@woodsidefire.org   Advance fire prevention We should all remember in July of 1985 when a major grass and brush fire occurred in neighboring communities and nine homes were completely destroyed. A fire of that magnitude or greater could happen in your neighborhood. That is why the Woodside Fire Protection District has developed these guidelines to help you increase your chances of saving your home during a major brush fire. These guidelines are divided into three sections; Advanced Preparation, If a Fire is Approaching your Home, and Other Fire Safety Tips. In most cases, these guidelines are part of the Uniform Fire Code, which is law. These codes are intended to help prevent wildland fires from starting and to protect your home in the event of a fire. By following these codes you give the firefighters a better chance of saving your home. Advanced Preparation Cut plywood covers for glass doors, windows and vents provide roof ladders and garden hoses Plan escape routes to places of safety for family and pets List all items you wish to take with you for safe-keeping Maintain a defensible space between your home and any combustible, wild vegetation Install a spark arrester in your chimney Store all combustible materials such as wood, away from your home Clean your roof and rain gutters of all material that might catch fire Make sure that your address is clearly visible from the street and the fire department has safe access to your home What to do if a fire is approaching your home Place ladders against the front of the house Connect garden hoses with shutoff nozzles and turn on water. Make sure that the nozzle on the hose is shut Park cars headed out Remove lightweight curtains from inside windows. Close heavy drapes and blinds Nail plywood covers over windows and vents Move lawn furniture indoors. In the house, pull combustible furniture away from windows Turn on lights in the house, porch, garage and yard Evacuate family and pets to a safe location Other fire safety tips for you and your family Keep driveway to house clear of obstructions that could limit fire engine access Practice a home fire escape plan Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children Change the batteries in your smoke detector semi-annually Private systems in Woodside Fire District A dependable water supply for firefighting is a critical component in our community and individual homes infrastructure. Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD) serves many rural areas and the wildfire threat is prominent. Without readily available underground piped water, a fire in a non-urban area can grow to a dangerous level. Homeowners living in rural parts of the Fire District may not be familiar with the fire hydrant capabilities provided by their water purveyor. Many properties have no municipal fire hydrants and homeowners have been required to install private water tanks with a fire department connection (FDC). WFPD is concerned about the condition of some older private fire protection systems. Because of this, WFPD has made it their goal to test every private system to determine which are in working condition and which are not. Although this service is free of charge, it is the homeowner's responsibility to have the system repaired if it is not in working condition and fails the test. A property is at great risk while a private fire protection system is not working. It is not a matter of if but when a fire will occur; without a dependable water source, firefighters will not be able to fight a fire. If you would like more information, please contact us at 650-851-1594. www.suddenoakdeath.org Perimeter Clearance Fire Code Building in fire prone areas: 10 safety tips Solar system requirements Wunderlich Park Fuel Management Fire District Building/Sprinkler/Roadway requirements The brushy hillsides and grassy fields of our community present the potential for a major wildfire. The mix of wildland fuels and homes create a tremendous fire problem. Fires do not only happen in Southern California and the Oakland Hills, they can and will happen here. Three major factors affect the fire danger level. These factors are the fuels, the topography and the weather. Fuels include grasses, heavy brush and trees. The danger that these fuels present is directly proportionate to the moisture level in the fuels. Even with the recent rainfall, the moisture content in fuels is extremely low. The topography factor is the steeper the grade, the greater the danger. Fire will move quickly uphill and may ignite houses on ridges and hills. The weather factor is the only factor in which we have no control. Long, dry heat waves will dry out and preheat fuel. High winds will increase the speed at which fire moves and the intensity with which it burns. Aside from the above-mentioned factors, the human environment becomes important in predicting loss of life and property. Untreated wood shake and shingle roofs, narrow roads, limited access, lack of firewise landscaping, inadequate water supplies and poorly planned subdivisions are all examples of increased risk to people living with the threat of wildfire. Under these conditions, a small fire can become a catastrophic event in a matter of minutes, but there are precautions that can be taken to minimize the effects of a wildland fire. Homeowners can:  Eliminate danger spots around your home Landscape using fire resistive plants Rate your homes fire hazard level "Defensible Space Saved This Place" Stop by Station 19 (4091 Jefferson Ave, Redwood City) and pick up a copy of Living With Fire in San Mateo County and learn more about ways to reduce the fire hazard around your home. More on Fire Safety and Prevention Where to obtain documents lost in a fire   You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view many articles on this site.   Woodside Fire Protection District Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. 3111 Woodside Rd., Woodside, CA 94062 Tel 650-851-1594Fax 650-851-3960