Aloha DHCA members.
This has been a very dry “wet” season. The lack of water and high trade winds have dried out the vegetation in Ka’u and Discovery Harbour.
During the past month there were three short callouts, including a small grass fire in Discovery Harbour, caused by a downed power line. The connection to the house had corroded, causing the power line to break loose and start the fire. The fire was extinguished by the resident, a former DH volunteer firefighter.
I urge all in Discovery Harbour to check the power line to their house, and if it looks corroded, call HELCO.
Remember:
No outside fire of any kind. Keep combustibles 30’ from structures. Water vegetation close to structure to keep it green.
What To Do if a Wildfire Approaches
By Denise Laitinen
West Hawaii has experienced numerous wildfires in recent years, some of which have caused the evacuation of area residents. It can be scary to discover that a wildfire is approaching your community. However, there are several steps you can take in the event a wildfire approaches.
- Call 911 if you see a wildfire.
- Close all entrances, windows, and other openings. Close shutters, heavy drapes, Venetian blinds or other window coverings. This action is recommended to prevent sparks from blowing inside your house and igniting there.
- Turn off residential fuel. If you use gas or butane, turn it off at the tank or meter.
- Dress to protect yourself. Wear cotton clothing including long pants, long sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.
- Have tools and water accessible. Have a ladder, shovel, rake, and long water hose available. Fill buckets and other containers with water.
- Wet down your roof if it’s made of combustible material. If your roof can burn wet it down with a hose.
- Prepare your vehicles. Back as many vehicles as possible into the garage, then close the door. In the event you evacuate, close the garage door behind you as you leave. If you do not have a garage or it is full, park vehicles so they are heading in the direction of the evacuation route.
Because of on-going drought conditions the brushfire risk remains high for most of the Big Island. Therefore it’s really important for residents to create and maintain defensible space around their homes to reduce their risk to wildfire. Prune trees and shrubs, remove dead vegetation from around the yard, and cut the lawn regularly. The time to make your house Firewise is before a wildfire strikes.
For more information on Firewise, please call the Firewise Communities Hawaii Coordinator, Denise Laitinen, at (808) 281-3497 or email Firewisehawaii@yahoo.com
Think Twice Before Dumping that Green Waste
By Denise Laitinen
A key part of Firewise landscaping is to create defensible space by pruning tree branches 6-10 feet off the ground and raking up dead leaves and plant material from around your yard. But what do you do with all the green waste generated from making your yard lean, clean, and green?
How you dispose of the green waste is just as important as the need to create defensible space. Illegal dumping of green waste is an issue in many Hawaii Island communities, including Discovery Harbour. Green waste dumping poses a tremendous fire hazard to both residents and responding firefighters.
Dumping of green waste is essentially creating great big piles of fuel that have the potential to catch fire should an ember land in them. In recent years Discovery Harbour has been threatened by wildfires, and given that history, high wildfire hazard risk, and windy environment, the dumping of green waste is just asking for trouble.
Remember that firebrands - whether from wildfires or a neighbor’s cooking fire - can travel up to a mile in windy conditions. If those embers were to land in a pile of dried green waste clippings it wouldn’t take much to start a fire. The situation would be even worse if the green waste pile contained clippings of high-intensity flammable plants that contain oily resins, such as eucalyptus or silver oak. Kiawe trees, known as mesquite on the mainland, can also burn intensely for long periods of time and are known carriers of firebrands. Invasive grasses, such as fountain grass and bunch grass, which are prevalent in Waikoloa, are high-intensity fuels that can help spread fire quickly.
Dumping green waste in hidden areas can also pose a threat to firefighters responding to a wildfire. I have personally conducted several community assessments with fire department personnel during which we stumbled upon piles of green waste hidden behind hedges and walls. At first glance the property in question looked Firewise and appeared to have defensible space. However, a mass of hidden green waste can compromise both the home and the community with its potential fire risk.
It’s like having a hidden bomb that no one pays attention to until it catches fire.
There are much safer alternatives. Dozens of Firewise communities around the country have neighborhood chipping programs that are supported by grants. For the past several years, the folks in Perry Park Colorado have held green waste days 4 times a year. Residents are notified ahead of time when the green waste day will be held and they bring their green waste to the end of their driveway. A chipper travels around the neighborhood chipping all the green waste and providing the homeowners with mulch they can then use for landscaping. Other communities have residents drop off the green waste at designated sites where it is mulched on the spot. It’s a win-win for all involved. The homeowners create defensible space around their property, the homeowners volunteer time during the green waste days counts as matching funding toward the grant, the chipper and supplies are paid for by the grant funding, the threat of green waste is diminished, and free mulch is provided for folks that need it.
Firewise Communities Hawaii offers a variety of free materials on landscaping, including checklists and videos, as well as info on grant resources.
For more information on Firewise and creating defensible space, contact Denise Laitinen, Firewise Communities Hawaii Coordinator at (808) 281-3497 or email firewisehawaii@yahoo.com.
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