Welcome to the Upper Larch Firewise Community In Moraga!
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Studies have repeatedly shown that if a house on either side of you is burning, it is almost certain that your home will burn as well. Protecting our homes from the extreme wildfires that are now occurring takes a whole neighborhood. We all need to create defensible space around our home, and “harden our home” from risk of burning embers that can come from miles away.
Firewise© certified groups like ours exist to help us protect our home and property and to be safe in the event of a major fire or earthquake.
Our Upper Larch Firewise totals around 41 homes. Being a Firewise© group gives us access to information and resources that strengthen our ability to prepare for fires or earthquakes and to take action to prevent spreading of fires in our neighborhood, should a major wildfire occur in our region. We are part of a larger Orinda Moraga Firewise Network.
By staying better connected and sharing information and resources, we increase our safety and the well being of our families in the event of a disaster like a runaway wildfire.
If you are not yet plugged in to our communications, please sign up here and join us.
Please explore the Moraga Orinda Firewise Network website for additional information on this work. https://moragaorindafirewisenetwork.org
What is our wildfire risk?
Our neighborhood is in a very high risk area according to the Local Area Fire Responsibility maps created by the state.https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6a9cb66bb1824cd98756812af41292a0#data_s=id%3AdataSource_2-1952abff28e-layer-60-19538d1e994-layer-11%3A1305
What are we required to do?
Our local Moraga Orinda Fire District (MOFD) has established requirements for homes regarding defensible space. If your home does not meet these standards, you can be fined. The fire district has started routine monitoring of neighborhoods for compliance. Here are the MOFD hazard abatement guidelines. https://www.mofd.org/our-district/fuels-mitigation-fire-prevention/abatement-requirements-english
What does the Firewise Steering Committee do?
Each Firewise neighborhood must create and implement a community action plan to educate and encourage action to reduce fire risk and increase ability for residents to respond to emergencies. Our Firewise committee implements our plan by:
Þ Sending out a monthly newsletter to all our homes on news and actions we can take
Þ Hosting two events a year
Þ Maintaining and circulating a contact list of our neighbors to help us connect in an emergency and hosting an online group (upper-larch-firewise@googlegroups.com) so we can communicate with each other
Þ Organizing a chipper day where wood and overgrowth from our yards can be taken away, keeping down the fuel that increases fire risk
Þ Ensuring everyone knows about free resources to help protect our homes
How you can help our Firewise Committee
We are a Steering Committee of 5 and are looking for other neighbors who want to help us with outreach. Contact _____ if you would like to learn more about this opportunity or be on our core team.
What are the top priorities right now for our Upper Larch Firewise Neighborhood
1. Supporting all of us to work toward 5 feet of defensible space between our home and burnable plants and foliage
2. Having all our homes equipped with gutter guards and 1/8” mesh over all vents.
3. Developing a neighbor liaison system to foster stronger community support for fire prevention and disaster preparedness.
What other things can be important to do?
1. If you are replacing your fencing, insurance companies and the fire district strongly recommend having metal gates and metal attachments from fences to your home to break fire pathway.
2. There is a volunteer ambassador program of trained community members who will visit your property and give advice on how to strengthen your protective space and home hardening. Contact this program here. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oR4EPV3OOUmb_mT1R0MpNnRPi5TSLBFKjExHA77fyBxUMTNROTlWTElJSTk0V0o4S0RZWlk3MFJLTy4u
3. The Fire department has this list of weed abatement companies if you need help clearing your property. https://www.mofd.org/our-district/fuels-mitigation-fire-prevention/weed-abatement-contractor-list. You can also contact your firewise steering committee, _______, as we can help you find volunteers locally to help you.
