Fire Safety
FIRE SAFETY COMMITTEE
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Meetings held on 2nd Thursday of each month at 9:30
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October 2021
Stand-alone Common Area
Fire Safety Committee
Ladder Fuel Trimming Project
E Pitcairn Place Roundabout
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Pitcairn Place has one hilltop roundabout at the end of its cul-de-sac.
- Pitcairn Pl has one hilltop roundabout at the end of its cul-de-sac.
- At about 20 ft in diameter, there are 3 shared driveways that touch E Pitcairn Pl at the roundabout.
- There is one home whose driveway does not intersect the roundabout however the home’s location places it within the area considered indirect neighbors of the E Pitcairn Pl roundabout.
- There is only one roundabout on the cul-de-sac road.
- 1 property owner has a direct view of the roundabout.
- 1 property owner has a home that faces its shared driveway but a windowless side of the home faces the roundabout. Understory is trimmed on the owned property.
- No property owner has a direct view across the roundabout to any other property with a home on it.
- There is robust common area with under and overstory fronting a final shared driveway with the roundabout on E Pitcairn Pl.
Site Attributes and Physical Condition
- Trees are mostly cedar and fir with an alder or two mixed in. A small number of trees are completely dead.
- There are a number of small diameter trees that are prescriptively non-viable and may be considered for removal under the NRFS budget.
- Heavy understory prevails with many to most huckleberries reaching upward to intermingle with overstory tree branches both dead and living.
- Many dead tree branches exist as well as some low to ground sweeping cedar bows.
Neighbors
- There are 3 immediate properties with homes on them.
- Shared driveways and home setbacks ensure that no house is directly across from another home around the circumference of the roundabout on
- Pitcairn Place.
- At least one immediate neighbor has received a ladder fuel trimming permit.
- Intervening understory vegetation block all but one immediate neighbor from view of the roundabout at all and that property owner has trimmed most of the understory on the roadside of the property.
Project details
- The E Pitcairn Pl Ladder Fuel Trimming project will be completed mid to late October so as to allow pickup to occur along with the scheduled community-wide fall pickup time frame of Nov 1.
- Understory will be cleared of dead and broken branches. Roundabout ground surface will be cleared of downed dead debris with the exception of downed habitat limbs and trunks greater than 4 inches. Mineral soil covering duff will remain intact.
- Where needed understory will be trimmed back so as not to intersect overstory (thereby creating a continuous ladder of potential fuel). Understory heights will be maintained in a natural non-hedge like manner not lower than 5ft (as per Article IV, Land Use Restrictions, Section 19.B.1) with the following exceptions.
- Diseased (ex. Witch’s broom) branches or sections of understory will be trimmed below the affected area.
- Overstory, to include dead tree branches and low and ground sweeping live tree branches, will be trimmed back to the tree bowl to create an 8ft to 12ft separation from understory (as per Article IV, Land Use Restrictions, Section 19.B.1).
- Neighboring property owners (though no property owner is immediately adjacent) will be notified by email and/or post of the impending project. The October 16, 2021 Board meeting will be the goal for finalizing any remaining details to allow adequate time for FSC volunteers to complete this project.
Documentation
- Complete annotated pre-project image documentation is offered to assist with project decision making.
- Complete annotated post-project image documentation will be offered at the November Board meeting for review.
- At the November Board meeting the next stand-alone common area Ladder Fuel
- Trimming project will be presented.
Respectfully submitted,
Hartstene Pointe Fire Safety Committee
Harstene Pointe Fire Safety Committee Update April 2021
Following two small wildland fires on Harstine Island and a dozen more in Mason County in 2018-2019 the HP Fire Safety Committee applied for and secured a Mason County Title III Firewise grant of $10000 allowing Pointe property owners to begin pro-active work towards a more firewise community.
Our tangled, crowded, overgrown forest and understory contain extensive ladder-fuels and dead/downed debris leading to an overall increased wildland/urban interface fire hazard. The Pointe’s first effort at ladder-fuel trimming and dead/downed debris removal in 2019 was a resounding success with an input of over 600 community volunteer hours.
The following year, 2020, owners overwhelmingly voted to support and begin a five-year assessment to expand and continue firewise efforts. A dead tree project resulted in removal of over 70 dead standing trees. A large dead/downed debris cleanup effort occurred in August, but the spread of COVID-19 prevented fall ladder-fuel trimming projects from proceeding. Meanwhile the HP Fire Safety Committee had again applied for a continuation of another $10000 Mason County Title III Firewise grant. COVID-19 and the county’s over-stretched public funds prevented awarding of any grants.
2021 has seen HP’s Fire Safety Committee work toward community firewise education (please see the February HP newsletter, February and March email blasts) and planning for a spring (May) dead/downed debris and ladder-fuel trimming pick-up. Property owners are encouraged to both work toward a very successful spring clean-up and to apply for their planned fall ladder-fuel trimming projects. Our 2020 Mason County Title III Firewise grant application has been forwarded to this year, 2021. Stretched county funds are still preventing the awarding of any grant monies so far, but we are ever hopeful.
Read more about the Harstene Pointe Fire Safety Committee's plans in the 2021 – Ladder Fuel Trimming Project Proposal.
NEED HELP WITH FIRE PROTECTION AROUND YOUR HOME?
“What can I do to protect my home and property from wildfire?’
“Where is the safest location for my woodpile?”
“What kind of vegetation trimming would improve fie safety around my property?”
“How can I improve fire safety and still meet the requirements of HPMA Rules?”
If these and other questions are on your mind, the Fire Safety Committee might be able to help. First, we need your input.
Please respond to the following questions.
Would you like to receive free consultation to improve fire safety around your home and property? (Yes or No)
What questions do you need help with?
Please send your responses to adviseyourfsc@gmail.com
If sufficient numbers of owners are interested, the Fire Safety Committee will move ahead to plan a program to help.
Thank you,
HPMA Fire Safety Committee
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SUMMER FIRE SEASON PREPARATION
(Select on this link to read the entire Fact Sheets 1-5)
PREPARE FOR FIRE SEASON
FIRE SAFETY CHECKLIST
Immediate Zone around House on Private Lot
• Roof/Gutters clear of dead leaves, debris, needles, etc.
• Chimney recently cleaned
• Spark Cap/Spark Arrestor in place
• Loose or missing shingles or roof tiles replaced
• Eave vents screened with 1/8” metal mesh screening
• Exterior attic vents clear and screened as above
• Window screens in good shape (No holes-Prevent debris accumulation)
• Clothes dryer vents clean
• Nothing stored under decks or porches
• No flammable material by wall exteriors (mulch, wood piles, leaves, etc.)
• Water hoses hooked up and ready for use
• Clear vegetation from under/around stationary propane tanks
• Firefighter access
IN COORDINATION WITH DEAD WOODY DEBRIS PROJECTS:
• Dead vegetation removed –fire fuel. On private lot no permit required. If on Common Area no permit required provided that the material is dead woody material. Leaves and small items should remain on ground. Logs greater than 4 inches in diameter should be left as nurse logs.
• Limbs trimmed 10’ from side or roof of structure-18’ from chimney. On private lot no permit required. If on Common Area, must have a Non-Permit Work Notice from office.
• Limbs trimmed 12’ above driveway or gravel paths. On private lot no permit required. If on Common Area, must have a Non-Permit Work Notice from office.
Pictures below show roadside vegetation that was a fire hazard, before and after pruning. The Fire Safety Committee would like to continue this program in the future, but will need community support and possibly changes in the HPMA policies and/or Rules & Regulations to move this program forward. Comments are welcome.
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BEFORE PRUNING
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AFTER PRUNING
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AGENDA:
2021
Reports & Information
Fire Safety Day - May 5, 2018
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Committee Structure
Chair: Greg Rosbach
Vice Chair:
BOD Liaison: Tom Thyer
Members:
Ann Dagle Steve Rockey Roberta Pickert **There are committee member positions. If interested please contact Greg.
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Contact Us
Greg Rosbach: garosbach@gmail.com
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