Week of wildfire awareness in Lake Tahoe Basin

The third annual Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week is May 26-June 3. The theme is Wildfire Survival: Your Home, Your Responsibility.

The focus of the week will be to promote homeowner and resident actions that reduce the risk from wildfire to homes and communities.

Fire agencies, fire safe chapters and local organizations are collaborating to provide coordinated outreach to Tahoe basin homeowners and residents on how to reduce wildfire risk to their homes by upgrading vulnerable home components, conducting defensible space activities, and having a plan in place for evacuation.

Fire resistant homes have fire-rated roofs, covered vents to reduce the risk of ember intrusion, fire resistant construction materials and are in good repair. Creating defensible space involves selecting and maintaining vegetation near the home, thereby reducing the risk homes will be ignited and destroyed during a wildfire. Successful evacuations during wildfires require having a plan in place and an evacuation kit assembled.

Local organizations will be hosting neighborhood meetings, community clean up days with free chipping and pine needle pick-ups, evacuation drills, and educational activities including a webinar series on reducing wildfire risk so those living remotely can participate in the week’s events.

For information on activities, how to upgrade homes or create defensible space in basin, go online or contact Susie Kocher at (530) 542.2571 or sdkocher@ucdavis.edu.