Bringing National Wildfire Preparedness Day into your own backyard

By Logan Bagett on Thursday, April 29th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

JOHN DAY – This Saturday is National Wildfire Preparedness Day. Irene Jerome with Grant County Firewise recently gave our listeners some things to think about when preparing your home for fire season:

“One of the big risks of fire to your home, if we have a huge wildfire event like Canyon Creek Complex, is embers. You need to clean pine needles off your roof if you have them; clean your gutters. Anything that will allow fire to touch the surface of your home.”

Jerome said a Firewise meeting for the Valley View/Charolais Heights/North John Day area was planned for this Saturday at the Grant County Regional Airport but has been postponed, due to the county moving into Extreme Risk. Also, folks can view our local Community Wildfire Protection Plan—which was officially approved by the Grant County Court on Wednesday— here: Grant County CWPP (gcwpp-firewise.com).

Officials suggest removing dry leaves, dead brush, debris, and pine needles from the yard and gutters. Next, trim trees away from homes, barns, and sheds, and place screens over open vents on homes. These tasks reduce the fuels that enable wildfires to spread and give firefighters time to slow the blaze.

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Service suggest joining Oregon Insurance Commissioner Andrew Stolfi and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum for a virtual wildfire town hall on Thursday, April 29, at noon.

Watch the live video: http://dcbspage.org/APRIL.DFR.TOWNHALL

Visit the National Fire Protection Association’s free toolkit and resources page for more information on creating defensible space around your home.