Be aware of potential winter fire hazards in your home!
Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths.
Top safety tips:
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away.
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
The Crabfeed features all you can eat fresh, hot Dungeness Crab, live music, a silent auction, and a no host bar. Tickets are $100 per person, or $1000 for a 10-person table.
Buy your tickets today! Learn more at http://srfirefoundation.org/crabfeed-202...
Residents of San Rafael can anticipate prolonged periods of moderate to heavy rain and gusty winds between Tuesday, November 14, and Friday, November 17, with the brunt of the storm forecast to occur on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Heavy rains may cause flooding, slides, and washouts on steep hillsides. High winds could cause trees and power lines to fall, resulting in power outages and road closures.
To prepare for the storm, residents can:
1. Sign up for emergency alerts through Alert Marin by visiting alertmarin.org, and Nixle by texting your zip code to 888-777.
2. Ensure your home is prepared for heavy rain by clearing gutters and securing outdoor objects that can be blown over by the wind. Free sandbags are available from the City of San Rafael at Fire Station #55 (955 Point San Pedro Road), the Terra Linda Community Center, and the Upper City Hall Parking Lot at 1400 Fifth Ave.
3. Take precautions while driving by always using headlights, obeying speed limits, and following other traffic at a safe distance. Stay home if it feels unsafe to drive.
4. Prepare for potential power outages by checking to make sure you have flashlights with extra batteries, a battery-powered radio, and non-perishable food. Keep laptops, cell phones, and other mobile devices fully charged. Make sure you can open the garage door if the power goes out, in case you need to leave in an emergency.
To learn more about how to prepare for a winter storm, visit http://bit.ly/san-rafael-storm-warning.
SRFD and @marinwildfire partner to offer grant funding to help residents with the costs of reducing wildfire risk on their properties. There are multiple types of grants available, and residents may qualify for more than one.
The SRFD grant application remains open, and residents are eligible for a 50% reimbursement of up to $1000 each for defensible space projects and for home hardening work. For example, if you spend $1000 on removing Juniper, you can receive a $500 rebate. If you spend $2000, you would get $1000 back.
Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority has exhausted all funds for this fiscal year. MWPA has opened a waitlist for residents who want to apply for funding through their program. It is important to note that new funding likely will not be available until summer of 2024, and the eligibility guidelines for the next funding cycle may change. However, MWPA reimburses 100% of the costs of defensible space work on your properties, up to $1000, and can provide 50% reimbursement for home hardening up to $5000.
Residents currently have two options:
1. Apply for a SRFD grant to receive a 50% reimbursement up to $1000 each for eligible defensible space and/or home hardening projects
2. Join the MWPA waitlist for the potential to receive grant funding to cover the costs of your first $1000 of eligible defensible space expenses, and/or up to $5000 for home hardening projects. This funding is not guaranteed, not available until summer 2024, and will be distributed based on the new 2024-2025 grant guidelines.
Our team is here to help. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have additional questions.
A battalion chief, five engines and a paramedic ambulance responded. The fire was contained within 20 minutes.
Crews remained on scene for several hours ensuring the fire was completely extinguished and that no flare ups occurred. Ultimately, the fire burned a quarter acre of land and no structures were threatened. There were no injuries.
The San Rafael Fire Department’s efforts to mitigate wildfire risk in this area positively impacted our ability to stop this fire. Our work included creating defensible space around nearby structures, removing invasive broom plants, and goat grazing. These efforts removed substantial amounts of combustible vegetation from the hillside which would have provided addition fuels for the fire to spread.
This is a reminder of the importance of reducing wildfire risk in San Rafael. Proactively reducing the amount of combustible plant life can slow the spread of wildfire and keep our community safe.
Neighborhoods surrounding China Camp State Park may see and smell smoke. Marin County Fire is working in cooperation with California State Parks and @San Rafael Fire Department. Visitors should use extreme caution while recreating near-prescribed fire operations due to fire personnel and equipment in the area. The community is asked to refrain from calling 911 to report smoke from the burn area. Only call 911 if there is an emergency.
The planned burns are part of the park’s prescribed fire program for vegetation management, hazardous fuel reduction, wildlife habitat improvement and other ecological benefits. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If the conditions, such as weather or staffing are not conducive for burning, the burns will be rescheduled.
Help us spread the word to reduce panic. Share with your friends who live in the area that may see or smell smoke.
More info: https://www.marincounty.org/main/county-...
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Los bomberos continuarán el trabajo de prevención de incendios forestales en el Parque Estatal China Camp con un segundo incendio controlado el jueves 2 de noviembre entre las 9 a. m. y las 4 p. m.
Es posible que los vecindarios que rodean el Parque Estatal China Camp vean y huelan humo debido a un incendio controlado.
El Departamento de Bomberos del Condado de Marin está trabajando en cooperación con el Parque Estatal de California y el Departamento de Bomberos de San Rafael. Los visitantes deben tener mucho cuidado mientras participan en actividades recreativas cerca de la zona de operaciones debido al personal de bomberos y equipos en la zona. Le pedimos a la comunidad evitar llamar al 911 para reportar humo del área de fuego. Llame al 911 sólo en caso de emergencia.
Los incendios programados forman parte de las medidas preventivas contra los incendios como, gestión de la vegetación, la reducción de combustibles peligrosos, la protección del ecosistema y la conservación de la naturaleza. Todas las quemas dependen de que el clima y la calidad del aire sean favorables para la dispersión del humo. Si las condiciones, como el clima, no son adecuadas para realizar el incendio, será necesario cambiar la fecha.
Ayúdenos a correr la voz para reducir la preocupación. Compártelo con sus amigos que viven en la zona.
The San Rafael Fire Department wishes everyone a safe and happy Halloween! Take a minute to read these tips to make sure you and your family stay safe while trick-or-treating.
- Turn on headlights early to spot kids from further away.
- Dress to impress…..safely. Make sure costumes and candy bags or pails are reflective. Costumes shouldn’t drag too far on the ground to avoid tripping, and masks, hats, and shoes should be well-fitting.
- Watch for kids. If you plan to be driving during trick-or-treat hours, watch for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs. Be sure to enter and exit driveways carefully.
- Stay on the path. Don’t stray from the well-marked routes to get to the candy. Always use the sidewalk, and do not cut across yards or use alleys. Wherever possible, cross the road at a crosswalk.
- When in doubt, throw the candy out. Avoid candy that has loose wrappings, is completely unwrapped, has puncture holes, or is homemade and not factory-wrapped.
If you have any additional trick-or-treating tips you'd like to share with your neighbors, please reply in the comments below. Boo safe out there!
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are expected due to low humidity and strong winds. The concern with this weather system is that wildfires that develop have the potential to spread rapidly. A simple spark could cause a major wildfire. If you see smoke, call 9-1-1 to report it. The community is advised to exercise extreme caution.
Safety Tips:
· Avoid using barbecues or fire pits outdoors.
· Avoid using any source of heat or open flame outdoors.
· Avoid using power tools (gas or electric), or mowers.
· Properly discard cigarettes.
· Keep vehicles off dry grass or vegetation.
· Avoid closed areas and be alert while visiting (open) public lands where wildfires might occur.
· Sign up for your local emergency alerts at AlertMarin.org.
Keeping our community safe is everyone’s job, please help us spread the word by sharing this post!
Our team is hard at work, along with community partners, to help better prepare for wildfire season. With grasses already drying out and other vegetation experiencing drought related stress, it’s imperative that every resident take steps to better prepare themselves, their home, and their neighborhood for wildfire. We have some resources to help you in this process and are also actively working on a variety of projects on public land to reduce hazardous fuel loading and wildfire risk.
What we are doing…
- Strategically reducing hazardous vegetation on public lands, particularly near homes and along fire roads. We are conducting environmental reviews and using goats and manual methods.
- Expanding our defensible space evaluation program- with a larger team on board there are more opportunities for 1-on-1 education and action planning. We have already completed over 1,500 individual evaluations!
i. We are currently completing evaluations in the Marinwood and Gerstle Park neighborhoods.
ii. Next up are the Picnic Valley, Glenwood, and Loch Lomond areas.
iii. We are attempting to conduct evaluations in neighborhoods 1-3 weeks prior to scheduled chipper weeks. But you don’t need to wait for our evaluation to sign up!
- Providing support direct to individuals through the expanded chipper program- firesafemarin.org/chipper and our partnership with AmeriCorps- cityofsanrafael.org/wildfire-prevention-assistance/
- Improving public access to long standing evacuation plans and supporting evacuation drills
- Improving evacuation routes and emergency access by clearing hazardous vegetation along roadways and installing parking boxes.
- Support community lead events
- Implementing the Wildfire Prevention and Protection Action Plan
What you can do…
- Adapt your landscape to wildfire (and drought):
i. Maintain and space your plants. Healthy, green plants are generally more resistant to wildfire. Spacing plants prevents fire from using them as a ladder to reach your home or escape route.
ii. Follow City Vegetation Management Standards- these apply citywide and were recently mailed to every San Rafael resident. A copy of that mailer and those standards is available at https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/vegetati...
iii. FIRESafe MARIN and Marin Master Gardeners have excellent resources for replacement plant ideas. Visit FireSafeMarin.org or marinmg.ucanr.edu for more information.
- Sign up for emergency alerts at AlertMarin.org
- Organize a community event- make your neighborhood Firewise, remove invasive broom, help neighbors in need, establish a neighborhood response group (NRG)
- Take advantage of the various support resources available- including individual property evaluations, chipper days, and AmeriCorps direct assistance. View the chipper schedule, sign up, and plan your work around the free chipper service!
