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CAL FIRE Crab Feed Fundraiser
place to store storm supplies. Since electric power may be affected, store up plenty of flashlight batteries and if you are on a well or booster pump, store several gallons of bottled water.
• Store “long life” non-refrigerated provisions. This includes emergency cooking equipment, food, water, and fresh batteries. Localized flooding, mud slides and downed trees may prevent you from moving about the community by automobile until public works and emergency services can mobilize clear roadways.
• If your property is low lying or is impacted by high runoff volumes, know where to find sandbags and other emergency provisions. Check with local emergency service agencies before you have an emergency and know where to tune in for emergency broadcasts and official information.
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your smoke detector(s) on November 1.
Chimney Safety
The fall/winter season is fast approaching and we will soon see smoke plumes rising from chimneys. Each year your local fire department responds to several chimney fires that could have been prevented. Do you know the last time your chimney was cleaned? How much wood has been burned since then? What is the general condition of the chimney? Looking up the flue isn’t enough; have a trained professional take care of it. The cost to have your chimney cleaned and inspected is minimal compared to the damage done by a chimney fire and efforts by your local fire department to control it. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heating-related fires are the second leading cause of fires in residential dwellings, with chimney and flue fires accounting for 86 percent of heating fires. Couple this with the fact that ever-increasing fuel costs are driving homeowners to use more economical means to heat their homes and it is safe to assume that there will be an increase in the number of chimney fires this winter.
Got 9 Volts?
Forestville and Russian River Fire Departments have applied for and been granted banners and several cases of 9 volt batteries to promote the “change your smoke detector batteries for daylight savings time.” The 9 volt batteries are free of “charge”....pun intended. Please stop by either fire station, preferably during daylight hours, we will gladly hand out up to 4 batteries per household (more batteries may be obtained through a series of questions). Both departments are putting together a plan to deliver free smoke detectors.
GRATON FIRE
Graton Fire Christmas Tree Farm – Opens11/27
We are celebrating our 10th year of serving the community in a different way... selling Christmas trees. As many of you know, we purchased the Del Davis Tree Farm on Highway 116, just below Green Valley Road, to be the location of our new fire station. For the third year, we will feature pre- cut Noble and Nordmann trees from a certified, sustainably-grown tree farm. They are kept in water so they will last significantly longer and be safer in your homes. We will be open Thursday-Sunday from 9am to 5pm after Thanksgiving Day. We invite you to come and enjoy homemade apple cider as you wander through our natural tree farm. Did you sponsor a tree seedling in the past? Come find your tag in the nursery or out in the plantation. Did you know that each acre of Christmas trees generates enough oxygen for 18 people?
We realize several long-standing tree farms have retired and with them the traditions of family togetherness, holiday smells, and all the “little” things that make a fresh tree and Christmas so special. We look forward to continuing to give our community these special times and our volunteer firefighters enjoy the opportunity of seeing each of you, year after year. Please come and say hello to Heather O’Dell, our tree farm manager, who continues to nurture and maintain the trees on our behalf. With her efforts, our firefighters, and the support of our community, we anticipate another great season! Always remember to breathedeeply...
The Sonoma Lake Napa Unit of CAL FIRE will hold its 55th Annual Forestry Crab Feed on February 6, 2016 to raise funds for local charities. This popular all-you-can eat event is hosted by Cal Fire employees and includes dinner, dancing, a raffle and a silent auction. Among the many charities which benefit from the Forestry Crab Feed are the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, Home Hospice, the YMCA Battered Women’s Shelter, Hanna Boys Center and many, many more.
This year, in the aftermath of the devastating Valley Fire, the Forestry Crab Feed has established a special fund to help four CAL FIRE Helitack firefighters burned while suppressing the fire and ten CAL FIRE employees who lost their homes in the Valley Fire. Tax deductible donations can be sent to the “Forestry Crab Feed Firefighter Relief Fund”, PO Box 265, Fulton, CA 95439.
Consider flood insurance.
CAL FIRE firefighters are looking forward to seeing everyone at this year’s Forestry Crab Feed, where it’s “A Time to Share Crabs with a Friend”!
Homeowner’s policies typically do not cover flood damage. Most flood policies require a 30-day waiting period. Make an itemized list of personal property, which includes clothing, furnishings, and valuables. Take photographs of your home, both inside and out, and store in a safe place.
SEBASTOPOL FIRE
What is an El Nino and What You Can Do About It
El Nino is the warming of ocean currents in the tropical Pacific Ocean. This warmer water increases air moisture and affects weather. When El Nino is active, there is a greater than normal probability of monsoon like rains along the Pacific Coast of California. These rains, if they develop, can result in small urban streams and washes overrunning their banks as well as regional and large scale flooding.
What you can do
• Prepare your home and contents. Open drains and keep ditches and other water collection ways clear of leaves and debris. Clean your rain gutters of all leaves, debris, and dirt. Have any trees that appear weakened by drought inspected by an arborist. Have roof repairs made and other leaks fixed before it starts to rain.
• Prepare emergency provisions and have an emergency evacuation plan in place for your family. Have a dry
This will help an insurance adjuster to settle any claims and to help you prove uninsured losses.
• Know the non-emergency number to use to reach your local public safety communications center. If you have a storm related problem and it is not a life threatening emergency or fire, you should use the dispatch center’s non-emergency line.
• If you suspect a serious property threat or life safety problem, please dial 9-1-1 or your local emergency number if 9- 1-1 is not active in your area.
Common sense can prevent a heater fiThe Forestville Firefighters Association will be hosting the Annual Halloween Haunted House at the Forestville Fire Station from 5pm to 8pm on Halloween night. Children and adults of all ages are welcome. The Association will also be handing out glow stick necklaces to make your Halloween night a safe one. Just a reminder to change the batteries in
FORESTVILLE FIRE
Come get your Christmas Tree and Support the Graton Fire Department! Visit www.gratonfire.com for your picture from past years.
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