After CZU Fire, What You Should Do?, By Derek Timm, Mayor, Scotts

FEATURED COLUMNIST After CZU Fire, What You Should Do

By Derek Timm, Mayor, Scotts Valley

There are some days that are seared into your memory. One of those days was last August when our City was awakened in the wee hours of the night to witness a roll-cloud packing hurricane force winds and lightning shooting in every direction. The tiny pinecones from nearby redwoods popped like bullets against our house, and branches flew off trees.

The destruction left in its wake will be forever remembered in our collective consciousness. The storm left a multitude of fires, that converged into one massive inferno covering a mind-boggling 81 square miles, now known as the CZU complex fire. Well-coordinated evacuations led by Cal Fire and our local first responders saved countless lives, but the victims who lost their homes and businesses are still rebuilding and will be for some time to come.

As we head into a dry summer, we should remember lessons learned last year and prepare diligently for the fire season ahead.

Harden Your Home

Home hardening is a term you will be hearing more about soon, and something we are discussing with our community. It consists of steps you can take to make your home wildfire-resistant and better prepared to protect your family.

We invited our Fire Chief, Ron Whittle, to our last City Council meeting, and he explained that eliminating areas of combustion around your home is one of the best defenses against a fire, including cleaning out gutters and removing debris from your roof. Additionally, creating at least a 6-foot perimeter around your home and removing vegetation near your structure will further protect your home.

Chief Whittle also suggested replacing wood chips with hardscape or rock, as fire fighters witnessed landscaping bark serve as a fuel source in the CZU fire. He noted that during a wildfire, the home that is hardened will be the one that firefighters focus on saving first because the chances of saving it are so much greater. Homes that had set up defensible space survived, while immediate neighbors which did not set up defensible space were not so lucky.

Sign up for Nixle and CodeRED

Community members are encouraged to sign up for Nixle alerts at Nixle. com or download the CodeRED app for your phone. These systems will keep you informed in the event of an emergency.

Chief Whittle recommends getting to know your home’s zone on Zonehaven. com, which will help you with alerts in the event of an evacuation. Zonehaven features an interactive map, where you can locate your home and identify its zone.

Fire Insurance

Reviewing your fire insurance is also important. Homeowners are advised to check their policy limits, and make sure there is sufficient coverage to cover replacement in the event of a loss. Especially given the dramatic rise in materials and labor, this should be on your must-do list.

Photograph your personal belongings so you have a record in case of a catastrophe. If you are one of the many homeowners that have had your policy cancelled, make sure you get new insurance into place. The California Fair Plan is available in the event you are not covered under a traditional policy.

Community Support

As a City, Scotts Valley is taking the coming fire season very seriously because of the drought and recent fires. The City is actively working on its open space areas and making sure dry vegetation is being removed.

For example, active vegetation removal projects are taking place around Skypark and Granite Creek open spaces. City leaders are actively engaging the public, and the Fire Department is speaking to community groups and homeowner associatioss about how to prepare.

It was heartwarming to see the number of community members, churches and groups that stepped up and volunteered during the fires last year. However, we must not forget that nearly 1,000 homes were lost in our County, and we still have so many friends and neighbors in need of help.

Those residents are still reconstructing homes and their lives. There is an ongoing long-term recovery group that is helping, but those families still need our love and support. If you are interested in providing assistance you can email: rpc@santacruzcounty.us and let them know you want to help.

As a community we are better prepared to confront disaster should it strike again. However, it does not replace the steps you can take to prepare yourself and your family now. For more detailed information on steps you can take to prepare, visit: readyforwildfire.org. n •••

Derek Timm is mayor of Scotts Valley. Contact him at dtimm@scotts valley.org or call 831-239-9203.