From the June 2011 Battle Mountain News

Post date: Jul 3, 2014 8:12:27 PM

Signs of Safety

It's simple and obvious, but easy to overlook. In an emergency situation, when seconds matter and the emergency personnel may be from off the mountain, or even out of the county and state, proper signage is critical. You don't want a fire truck from Ventura looking for the road to take them to the smoke in the sky, or a midwife searching the dark for landmarks to find a mother in labor.

Common sense and County Code require every home to have a street number, 4” high on a contrasting background, visible from the street, unobstructed by trees or shrubs. With our wet, cool spring, it's time to check on that last bit, and while you're clearing, make sure that any water tanks or hydrants you have are clearly visible as well. The standard marking is a blue reflector, available at most hardware stores, placed on the street adjacent to the water source.

Most of us live on private roads, so the County doesn't provide street signs. It's up to us to get together with our neighbors and be sure that our neighborhoods are well marked. Remember that wooden signs are going to be among the first things to burn in a wildland fire, so metal is much better.

June Barbecue

To celebrate the height of summer, the Fire Safe Council will be hosting a barbecue Saturday, June 25 at 4pm in the Vineyard neighborhood (i.e. the bird streets). Beyond having fun and hanging out, we'll be highlighting a few simple steps to make you backyard cook-outs more fire safe, and we're exploring several other educational activities for the afternoon.

Look for our flyer later in the month, or contact us directly for more information.

Get on Board

We're interested in expanding our Fire Safe Council Executive Board. The board is a small group of volunteers who meet monthly, but the Fire Safe Council, being a community organization, depends on the ideas and input from the entire community. If you are interested in “educating and mobilizing the people of the Ben Lomond Mountain to protect their community, homes and environment” from wildfire, and have a few hours a month, please contact us.