Plan ahead now to prevent frozen pipes in winter. (Dreamstime)

By Paul F. P. Pogue, Angie’s List

In mid-October, you may still enjoy warm weather and light-jacket days. But colder temperatures will arrive faster than you expect. Take precautions now to ensure your pipes and water supply remain in good order throughout the winter.

Plan ahead

If you have leaking pipes or faucets, hire a plumber now to fix the problem. Leaks in moderate weather become much bigger problems once temperatures drop below freezing.

Prepare your pipes with insulation, which provides the first line of defense against freezing. Insulation tubes from a hardware store should provide effective protection. Pay particular attention to pipes in unheated areas, those that have frozen in previous winters and pipes that have been repaired in the past year.

If your outdoor water faucets have a separate shut-off valve, close the valve, open the spigots to drain the lines and leave them open until spring. If your faucets have a back-flow prevention device, be sure to disconnect it so that the water drains from the line.

Fill any exterior cracks or holes with spray foam insulation and caulking. Do the same with openings around outdoor faucets or hose bibs. This blocks cold air from coming in along the pipes, and it saves energy at the same time.

Prepare your vacation home

If you spend your winters in a different home, make sure you prepare the home you leave behind for bad weather. Vacation homes can suffer major damage if a frozen pipe springs a leak; you might not notice the water damage for months.

A burst main water line can wreak havoc when left unattended for months at a time. To prevent this from happening, turn off the water meter yourself using the meter key, or hire a plumber to do so properly. Open all of your faucets and valves to drain the pipes. Then, turn off the water using the shut-off valve inside your house and leave the faucets open.

Water can hide out in plumbing fixtures, so be sure to address those. Disconnect and drain your washing machine hoses and dishwasher drain lines. Drain all spray attachments and shower heads. Turn off the water heater and drain the tank entirely. Finally, flush your toilets and remove excess water from tanks and bowls.

What to do when pipes freeze

Despite your best efforts, you may end up with frozen pipes anyway, so have a plan in mind for that event. First, close the main shutoff valve to prevent any leaks. Then find the source of the freeze. If one or two faucets don’t work, the freeze is between the split from the main line. If none work, it’s near the main water line. To thaw a pipe, Wrap the pipe in a towel doused with hot water, or warm it with a hair dryer on the lowest setting. Never use a flame.

Keep your plumber’s emergency contact info handy in case you run into a problem you can’t handle alone.

Winter is also a good time to review your emergency kit, which should contain (among other things) one gallon of water per person per day in the event of emergency or loss of water supply.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich (WOOD) – As the temperatures cool down outside, you may want to start a fire in the fireplace or turn on the furnace to stay warm, but is your chimney ready to handle the heat Where You Live?

National Chimney Safety Week 2020 (September 27 – October 3) is designed to educate homeowners on the inherent dangers of fireplaces and provide them with tips to reduce their risk of suffering a chimney fire or carbon monoxide-related health emergency.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC), an average of 17,600 chimney fires occurred annually in the United States between 2015 and 2017, and although this represents a significant drop from previous years, the Chimney Safety Institute of America believes there’s still much room for improvement. CSIA’s vision is that every family enjoys a safe, warm home.

The Facts About Chimney Fires:

Your chimney–and the flue that lines it–adds architectural interest to your home, but its’ real function is to carry dangerous flue gases from your fireplace, wood stove or furnace safely out of your home.  As you relax in front of your fireplace or bask in the warmth of your wood stove, the last thing you are likely to be thinking about is the condition of your chimney.  However, if you don’t give some thought to it before you light those winter fires, your enjoyment may be very short-lived.

Why?

Dirty chimneys can cause chimney fires, which damage structures, destroy homes and injure or kill people. ​

Indications of a chimney fire have been described as creating:

• Loud cracking and popping noise
• A lot of dense smoke
• An intense, hot smell

Chimney fires can burn explosively – noisy and dramatic enough to be detected by neighbors or people passing by.  Flames or dense smoke may shoot from the top of the chimney.  Homeowners report being startled by a low rumbling sound that reminds them of a freight train or a low flying airplane.  However, those are only the chimney fires you know about.

Chimney fires are preventable.  When burning wood, only use dry, seasoned wood.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends chimneys be inspected annually and cleaned as-needed.  Having your chimney inspected by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep before lighting your first fire of the season, is the number one way to prevent potential damage to your home or even the loss of life that may result from a damaged or blocked chimney.

E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you with more than 1,800 CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps located across the United States, it has never been easier to find one near you.  To locate your nearest CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, visit www.csia.org/search and enter your zip code into the locator search tool.

Article by Firefighter Michael McLeieer, President – E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc.

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BURGESS Owens made the extraordinary journey from winning the Super Bowl to working as a chimney sweep before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

During a 10-year NFL career, Owens starred as a safety for the New York Jets before being part of the 1980 Oakland Raiders’ Super Bowl-winning team.

Burgess Owens (left) won a Super Bowl with the Oakland RaidersCredit: Getty
Owens has since been elected to the House of RepresentativesCredit: Getty
Owens says life in the NFL prepared him for politicsCredit: Getty

But Owens and his family lost everything in the decade after his NFL glory when his electronic business failed, and he was forced to declare bankruptcy.

The University of Miami graduate moved his family of six into a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and took a job as a chimney sweep during the day and a security guard at night.

“That was a very humbling moment,” Owens told the Salt Lake Tribune. 

“It was also a very key moment in my life that at the end of the long day, standing in the basement apartment, looking outside and just thinking that I knew this was not the way it was going to end because I believe in the American promise of second chances.”

Owens got back on his feet after taking a sales job with the Utah-based computer software company WordPerfect in Philadelphia.

Having converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints towards the end of his NFL career, Owens soon moved his family to Utah.

In 2020, the 68-year-old Owens became the Republican nominee in the 4th Congressional District of Utah and defeated Democratic incumbent Ben McAdams in November.

“As someone who came out of the NFL and lost everything and was a chimney sweep for a few months, a security guard at night…if I can do it, you can do it,” Owens said after his win.

Most read in American Football

A staunch defender of Donald Trump, Owens campaigned on upholding conservative values, opposing abortion, protecting Second Amendment rights, and securing the borders.

A Fox News contributor, Owens has also opposed NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality.

In November 2022, Owens won re-election to a second term.

Owens says his time in the NFL prepared him for a career in politics.

“All of the time I played in the NFL, we didn’t make a lot of money then but boy did we understand teamwork and culture,” he told Sports Illustrated. 

“After seven years in the league, I got to the Raiders. It was a locker room similar to our country. A lot of people getting second chances.

“It was a motley crew. It taught me a lot about America, about people.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Thomas Edison’s pioneering incandescent light bulb, which cast illumination by heating a filament until it glowed, is fading into history. New federal rules governing the energy efficiency of lighting systems went into full effect Tuesday, effectively ending the sale and manufacture of bulbs that trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent. The big winners are likely to be more efficient and longer-lasting LED bulbs. The rules have been whipsawed by politics for years, and as a result may not result in sweeping change simply because businesses and consumers have already begun to embrace more efficient lighting on their own.

FILE – Manager Nick Reynoza holds a 100-watt incandescent light bulb at Royal Lighting in Los Angeles, Jan. 21, 2011. New federal rules governing the energy efficiency of lighting systems went into full effect Tuesday, effectively ending the sale and manufacture of bulbs that trace their origin to an 1880 Thomas Edison patent. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FULL STORY

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect Tuesday. Quite possibly without you even noticing.

The Energy Department rules, which date back to the Obama administration, have been whipsawed in the political process for years. Some conservatives and Republican lawmakers long denounced them for interfering with consumer choice and placing undue burdens on business. Under former President Donald Trump, the Energy Department scrapped them in 2019; the Biden administration subsequently revived them.

Yet by the time Aug. 1 rolled around, the critics had gone quiet, possibly because companies and consumers have already started voting for better lighting efficiency with their wallets.

Here’s what you need to know.

WHAT CHANGES UNDER THE NEW RULES?

The rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don’t meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent, can’t meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.

But those requirements carry a bit less heft than they would have several years back, largely because advances in LED technology and manufacturing have dramatically lowered prices and improved quality. LED stands for “light emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that converts electricity directly into light.

Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting jumped more than tenfold — from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.

SO DO I HAVE TO THROW AWAY MY OLD INCANDESCENTS?

Fortunately not. The rules don’t affect bulbs that you already own; they also exempt special purpose incandescents such as those used inside ovens.

But suppose you discard — or give away — your halogen and incandescent bulbs. Odds are good that replacing them with LED bulbs could save you a fair amount of money.

As the rules reinforce existing market changes, the Energy Department believes that U.S. consumers can save almost $3 billion annually on their utility bills. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

WHY DO LED BULBS SAVE ENERGY AND MONEY?

Incandescent bulbs create illumination by running an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison’s first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.

But incandescents are not very efficient. Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat. This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.

They also burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.

The light-emitting components in LED bulbs, by contrast, are manufactured via the same process used to make computer chips, which makes them extremely efficient. They generate almost no heat and use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs while lasting up to 25 times longer, according to the Energy Department.

For more news across the U.S., click here.

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The scenario couldn’t have been better, the stage set for the 76ers with a game six at home to end the series against heavy-betting favorites Boston Celtics. The Sixers had gained home field advantage by defeating the Celtics in games one and five in Boston. On the same Thursday evening that tThe Eagles’ 2023 schedule has been released, Taylor Swift is in town too and it was a beautiful day in South Jersey! As the Sixers fans thronged the Wells Fargo Center along with current athletes and Philly celebrities, they were in attendance. What could go wrong? I’ll tell you what went wrong: The Sixers came out flat, shooting an unacceptable 36 percent and making just eight three-pointers in a 95-86 loss. Now the Sixers must return to Boston for Game 7 on Sunday and try to reach their first Eastern Conference Finals in over 20 years on Mother’s Day! Sixers head coach Doc Rivers will make his 16th head coaching appearance in a seventh game of the NBA playoffs; Rivers has a 6-9 record in game seven in his coaching career.

The Phillies have won three straight games, thanks in part to their win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Philadelphia, and are starting a three-game streak against the Rockies in Colorado tonight before traveling to San Francisco to take on the Giants play. The Phillies are currently third in the National League East with a record of 18-19. This is also the SAME record that the Phillies had in their first 37 games at the start of last season!

The Eagles’ 2023 NFL season schedule was released Thursday, and we’ll be taking a closer look at the Birds’ opponents for the upcoming season!

On Saturday’s show: Mike Carlin join me in the studio as we analyze the Sixers’ loss in Game 6 and prepare you for Game 7 against the Celtics on Sunday. Sports book consultant Dave Sharapan calls from Las Vegas. The Book delves into who is the favorite to win the NBA and NHL championships midway through the playoffs. In the second hour we talk Phillies’ Baseball and Eagles’ Football and take your texts on all things Philly Sports at 609-403. 0973.

Josh Hennig will host plus with me on Sunday’s show “The intern” Andrew leads will accompany me in the studio as we prepare for the Sixers’ seventh game on Sunday against rival Celtics in Boston. We go every Sunday “On the hill” with former Phillies pitcher Tommy Greene presented by the John R. Elliott Hero campaign for designated drivers. Tommy discusses the latest developments at the Phillies this season. In the second hour, we’ll continue to prepare you for the afternoon action of the Sixers and Phillies, as well as talk about the Eagles and a couple of Flyers.

All that and more this weekend The Locker Room with Billy Schweim – Tune in every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 12pm on 973 ESPN South Jersey!

Learn about Cape May County’s breweries (in alphabetical order)

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Public Works says it distributed over 15,000 sandbags to residents during the recent storms. Photo: Tayfun CoÅkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

With rain and stormy weather forecast for the foreseeable future, city officials, including the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, want you to know the following to stay safe:

Avoid driving in heavy rain and wind.

• If you must be on the road, do not drive through flooded areas and do not drive over broken power lines.

Sweep up the trash and leaves outside your houses when it’s not raining so they don’t clog the storm drains.

• Better yet, sign up for the city’s Adopt-a-Drain program and make sure drains in your neighborhood are cleared year-round.

sandbags are available to San Francisco residents and business owners.

Use 911 only for life-threatening emergencies so operators are not overwhelmed.

• Call 311 (or use the 311 app) to report the impact of the storms, such as flooding or downed trees.

have flashlights or headlamps handy in case your power goes out. It’s also good to have water and non-perishable food on hand for about three days.

• If you lose power, PG&E recommends unplugging or turning off your equipment to avoid overloading circuits when power returns.
• You can also use this card to check the status of your power supply and sign up for notifications about outages in your area.

At high tide becomes a threat in your area, the NWS suggests carrying an emergency evacuation kit with insurance information and necessary medication for quick evacuation.

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From Paul FP Pogue, Angie’s List

In mid-October you can still enjoy warm weather and light jacket days. But colder temperatures will come faster than you expect. Take precautions now to make sure your pipes and water supply stay fine all winter.

Plan ahead

If pipes or taps are leaking, get a plumber now to fix the problem. Temperate weather leaks become much bigger problems once temperatures drop below freezing.

Prep your pipes with insulation that will be the first line of defense against freezing. Insulating hoses from the hardware store should offer effective protection. Pay particular attention to pipes in unheated areas, pipes that have frozen over in previous winters, and pipes that have been repaired in the past year.

If your outside faucets have a separate shut-off valve, close the valve, open the plugs to drain the plumbing, and leave them open until spring. If your faucets have backflow preventer, be sure to disconnect them so that the water can drain out of the tap.

Fill any external cracks or holes with spray foam insulation and sealant. Do the same with openings around taps or hose bibs. This prevents cold air from penetrating through the pipes and saves energy at the same time.

Prepare your holiday home

If you are going to spend the winter in a different house, it is a good idea to prepare the house you are leaving for bad weather. Vacation homes can take great damage if a frozen pipe leaks; You may not notice the water damage for months.

A burst main water main can be devastating if left unattended for months. To prevent this, switch off the water meter yourself with the meter key or have a plumber do it. Open all of your faucets and valves to drain the pipes. Then turn off the water through the shut-off valve in your house and leave the taps open.

Water can hide in plumbing fixtures, so be sure to address these. Disconnect and drain your washing machine hoses and dishwasher drain lines. Empty all shower attachments and shower heads. Turn off the water heater and completely empty the tank. Finally, flush your toilets and remove excess water from tanks and bowls.

What to do when pipes freeze

Despite your best efforts, you can end up with frozen pipes anyway, so have a plan for this event. First close the main shut-off valve to avoid leakage. Then find the source of the freezing. If one or two faucets are not working, then the freezing is between the disconnection from the main line. If none works, it’s near the main water main. To thaw a pipe, wrap the pipe in a towel doused with hot water or warm it up with a hair dryer on the lowest setting. Never use a flame.

Have your plumber’s emergency contact information handy in case you encounter a problem that you cannot resolve on your own.

Winter is also a good time to check your emergency kit, which should contain (among other things) one gallon of water per person per day in the event of an emergency or a water failure.

The post put together your plumbing for winter appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) begins the new school year on Wednesday, allowing all students to return to campus for the first time since the pandemic began.

“Aside from a small group of elementary school students who were able to return to a hybrid model, this is the first time all of our students are returning to campus from pre-K through 12,” said Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore. “We’re going to be very careful, making sure we’re communicating health and safety expectations and holding ourselves and each other accountable, but we’re happy to have children back.”

CONTINUE READING: UPDATE: Crews included bushfires in Santa Rosa burning on 50 acres

Some of the changes include updated HVAC systems, a new focus on healthy hand hygiene, mask requirements for students, staff and visitors, and the addition of 30 mobile disinfection units.

“It’s an ultraviolet, antimicrobial machine,” said interim director of the facilities, John Daley. “Everything that the light hits – it kills the bacteria in the room.”

Daley explained that the units can sanitize a classroom in around 3-4 minutes and an auditorium in around 30 minutes. This cleaning process is done every day after school.

“We call it zapping – we zap every room in the school,” he continued. He says the district will keep these long after the pandemic.

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“The amount of germs that is going to be eradicated to keep our children in the classrooms and at school will increase sharply,” he said.

The Hong family attended Buri Buri Elementary School on Tuesday to help their daughter Isabella orientate herself before her first day of school in more than a year.

“We’re nervous, but I think it’s best for Isabella right now to go back to school, be with her friends and socialize – but obviously with a mask and all,” said Christian Hong. “We would not allow her to go back to school – we would teach her at home – if she did not take these measures.”

Superintendent Moore said some families choose to keep their children out of the classrooms by completing an independent study program, but the vast majority of the over 8,000 students in the district will be back in the classrooms.

“Right now I’d say about 80 are interested,” she said.

MORE NEWS: COVID: Over 20,000 East Side Union High School District students return to face-to-face learning

“There may be students who do not want to wear masks – and such individual situations are handled on a case-by-case basis,” she continued. “Wearing masks has really proven to be a containment strategy that can really minimize the transmission of the virus.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) – As the fire season begins, animal rescue groups recommend that Bay Area residents involve their furry friends in emergency drills and household evacuation plans.

A good first step is to prepare a stretcher with supplies like linen, medicine, plenty of food, and portable bowls. Without proper transportation equipment, nervous pets can easily get loose when an owner stops to refuel or settles in an unfamiliar area.

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Michelle Hurst, host of community-run California Wildfire Pets rescue site on Facebook, is working to reconnect pets with their owners during the forest fire season, the most common cases she encounters being cats.

To prevent animals from taking off in stressful situations, she recommends that owners put their dogs on a harness or two leashes and put their cats in a stretcher or pillowcase if there is no other option during the evacuation.

“Often times people don’t have their stretcher, so they grab the cat in their arms and try to get from the house to the car,” said Hurst. “The cat freaked out because she can feel that you are upset, your adrenaline levels are going to zero … any sound can freak them out and they’ll scratch you and run away.”

The more practice an animal has in loading it into a truck – or livestock trailer – the less stressful it will be to move it quickly and the less likely it is to run free. Saanen Kerson, vice president of the Napa Community Animal Response Team, recommends practicing the process of moving animals in vehicles to prevent this from happening.

“If you have cats and dogs at home, we recommend just putting them in a box, putting them in the car once a month, just driving them around town, and then taking them home,” said Kerson . “That way, it normalizes the situation for them. They are used to walking in their pet carriers and they just know that dogs and cats do that sometimes. “

For a dog who loves driving, preparing for evacuation can be a breeze, but pets that are older, have an illness, or are more nervous may need some practice.

Training can also increase the chances of success in those worst-case scenarios when people evacuating their homes have to leave animals behind. This is especially true of farm animals, Kerson said. One of the most difficult situations evacuation workers get into is locking up groups of cattle that are not trained to load into trailers.

“When we are called to a site and have to run around a field to catch a horse, we are pressed for time to keep moving and being in the middle of an evacuation is not training time,” said Kerson. “It’s not really the time to teach an animal everything it needs to know about loading trailers.”

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Sometimes, like chickens or feral cats, animals have to stay behind. But they can be safe at home while their owners are evacuated, as long as the room is clear of flammable vegetation and open food and water are available.

During the two evacuations in Napa County last year, Kerson said her team was responsible for screening these animals while the owners continued to stay away.

“We had hundreds of animals out in the field where they were safe. The fire was over and they were fine, but their owners just couldn’t get back in because they were still being evacuated. We also looked after these animals until those evacuation orders were lifted, ”said Kerson.

The final result? “Evacuate early, even if you are not sure if it is necessary at all,” said Kerson. “If you feel unsafe, go. Take your animals, go early, have plans.”

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The harsh reality of fire-prone California has caused a kind of awakening in Jackson Oaks, a wooded hillside community in Santa Clara County surrounded by dry, oak-strewn grasslands.

Warm winds blow in a steep, arid canyon almost every afternoon, a situation that has filled the residents of the 505 ranch-style homes on the east side of Morgan Hill with a premonition that was not there until the last few years California wildfires raged years.

The tales of fiery destruction and death have turned the scenic view from Jackson Oaks of Anderson Lake into an alarming panorama of fuel. Hundreds of communities across California are faced with the same situation as they seek to save their neighborhoods from the increasingly threatening forces of nature.

“We all know the danger. Every year there is a bushfire around here somewhere, ”said Jim Realini, president of the Jackson Oaks Homeowners Association. The residents “saw the news and heard the stories, and we said to everyone,” We live in one of these areas. “Everyone is much more aware this year.”

Jackson Oaks is one of 222 California churches that are doing something about it. Residents have joined Firewise, a federal program that helps neighborhoods near the wilderness – areas called the “Wildland-Urban Interface” – prepare for forest fires.

The program, which encourages residents to work together on fire safety projects, has grown steadily in California and has increased after the November campfire destroyed 14,000 homes and killed 85 people in the town of Paradise, Butte County. Over the past year, 81 California neighborhoods and parishes have joined the program, a 57% increase in one year.

“We’ve really seen tremendous growth,” said Michele Steinberg, director of the wildfire division of the Massachusetts National Fire Protection Association, which founded Firewise in 12 communities in 2002. There are now 1,500 participants across the country.

“It’s really sad that these types of disasters are required for people to take action, but I think people are finally starting to understand it and say, ‘Yeah, this is happening. I’ll do something about it, ”she said.

Firewise, managed by a consortium of forest fire organizations and federal agencies, recognizes and rewards neighborhood groups for completing a six-tier program. Members must form committees, conduct forest fire risk assessments, develop action and evacuation plans for residents, and use volunteers to clear the brush and work on other projects to thwart the fire.

The program provides annual grants to participating homeowners associations and jurisdictions that are granted by the Fire Protection Association with assistance from insurance companies. Many insurance companies give homeowners involved in Firewise a 5% discount.

Jackson Oaks joined the program four years ago, and Realini has since persuaded neighboring Holiday Lakes Estates to join, meaning residents of around 1,100 homes in the hills above Morgan Hill are now participating. He said his homeowners association, which holds two working groups a year, receives a $ 500 annual grant that he uses for fire safety work.

“Typically 20-22 people work and there are a lot of seniors,” said Marian Sacco, vice president of the homeowners association and director of the Firewise program. She said the neighborhood volunteered an average of 2,400 hours a year to weed and clean debris on empty land, including a large median along the main road.

Realini recently drove around the neighborhood to show the chopped up juniper bushes, what he called “turpentine torches,” which were piling up in the neighborhood, waiting to be dragged away. Up to 70% of homeowners have cut down the fire-prone bushes that were used as landscaping when the area was developed in the 1960s and 1970s after the firefighter declared them dangerous.

Morgan Hill is one of many places in California where fire is a constant threat. Around 5 million homes have been built nationwide along the intersection of wildlands and cities, meaning they come up against volatile open spaces and often overlook chimney-like canyons.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Safety has designated 189 communities with nearly 3 million residents as “Very High Risk Zones”. This includes large houses that cover the hills and protrude from wildland areas in the hills of the East Bay and are located in every county from Marin to Santa Clara.

Firewise is a nationwide program initiated by the National Fire Protection Association. It disseminates information on how to adapt to the threat of forest fires and encourages neighbors to work together and take action to protect homes and lives.

What is required of a Firewise community?

A Firewise location must have eight to 2,500 single-family homes. Residents must form a board or committee and work with the local fire department or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Safety to prepare a forest fire risk assessment.

Each location must document the equivalent of one volunteer hour per residential unit for measures to reduce the risk of forest fire. This means that in a community with 100 homes, residents have to volunteer 100 hours a year.

How does a neighborhood apply?

Applications can be submitted online at portal.firewise.org.

See morecollapse

At least 5,000 homes in the hills of Lafayette and Walnut Creek are in “priority areas,” the fire department said. At least 5,000 more cover fire endangered ridges and slopes in the Oakland and Berkeley hills.

In many cities and counties, strict state fire protection regulations apply in high-risk zones. These include restrictions on building materials and fire retardant landscaping requirements. Street widths of at least 22 feet, which allow fire engines to maneuver as residents flee, have become common in new hillside neighborhoods.

Cal Fire has done everything to improve the situation and requires 100 feet of “defensible space” – essentially fire protection – around homes, but the rule can be difficult to enforce.

The Firewise program, which includes state and local regulations as well as best practices from fire safety experts, is growing in popularity everywhere but has made great strides in Marin County, where thousands of homes are nestled in the hills and canyons adjacent to Mount Tamalpais.

Fire scientists have long classified Marin, with its narrow, winding roads and wooded hilly landscapes, as the next possible candidate for a catastrophic fire. These include forested land in and around Mill Valley, believed by many to be the most dangerous place in Marin, and 251 square kilometers of unregulated wooded and oak-strewn land – more than five times the size of San Francisco.

Todd Lando, executive coordinator of FireSafe Marin, a nonprofit that helps homeowners reduce the risk of fire, said Marin County has 43 approved Firewise neighborhoods, including a dozen in Mill Valley. That’s more than any other county in the state, he said.

Marin County hasn’t had a major wildfire since the fall of 1995 when a smoldering campfire, lit by some students, spiraled out of control on Mount Vision in the Point Reyes National Seashore, blackened 12,000 acres and destroyed 45 homes.

Still, Lando said, there is good reason to be concerned. A huge fire burned over Mount Tamalpais in the Mill Valley in 1929, and an even bigger fire struck in September 1923, scorching 50,000 acres from Novato to Bolinas. This fire was bigger than the Tubbs Fire that raged in Napa and Sonoma counties in 2017, killing 22 people and destroying thousands of homes in Santa Rosa.

“If that fire started today, we would be looking at 5,000 to 8,000 houses burning,” Lando said. “It’s been nearly 100 years of vegetation growth, with very few fires since then. That story of fires is a story that repeats itself. So we have every reason to believe that fire can happen today. “

Another area with intense focus is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where the number of houses built in areas with high fire risk has been growing steadily for decades.

Kristen Cook, who heads the Firewise Council at You Bet, a former gold rush town in Nevada County, said the program grew from zero to 600 participants after handing out flyers in February reading, “Are you ready for wildfire? You bet. “

The main concern in the wooded community is the narrow 9 mile long road that winds through the forest and is the only way in and out. Cook is working with residents to ensure they have “bags” of clothing, water, radios, tools, and medical kits ready, and to park their cars outside with at least half a tank of fuel.

“In the past, a red flag day meant it was hot, so let’s go to the river,” Cook said. “The campfire created awareness of what a red flag warning really means.”

Back in Jackson Oaks, Realini stopped his car on a cliff overlooking the vast gold-colored canyon and distant reservoir and pointed north, which is officially known to be the greatest risk of fire. He was on a winding mountain road, one of two roads in and out of Jackson Oaks. A recent fire safety study estimated that if everyone were to leave at the same time, it would take residents 2½ hours to get out.

“In the afternoon, from around 3pm to 6pm, we get a north wind, and that’s where most of the fires come,” Realini said, taking in the view. “We all know the danger now and we still have a lot to do.”

Peter Fimrite is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite

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