Status: Our Firewise signs are up! (Spring 2023)
This one is on Primrose, where it meets Boones Ferry Road, a fairly high traffic location for residents.
The other sign is on a pole next to the roundabout at Terwilliger & Palater Road.
This one is on Primrose, where it meets Boones Ferry Road, a fairly high traffic location for residents.
The other sign is on a pole next to the roundabout at Terwilliger & Palater Road.
A Zoom Meeting with Kim Kosmas and residents was held Friday, June 23. Kim, our Public Education Officer, reported that Collins View has had 35 Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) home assessments! Marshall Park is coming along nicely too.
Portland Fire & Rescue has funds that were provided by the State Fire Marshal’s Office for vegetation debris pickup services. These funds need to be used by the end of 2023. A Home needs to have had an assessment to be eligible for the free pickup.
Here's the general idea — Homeowners will be removing dead limbs, downed limbs, and other vegetation for the debris pickup day. They could stage into islands of fuel away from any structures. At some point, home owners will move these materials to the side of the road for pickup. Volunteers may be involved.
Details about the pickup service are to be communicated over the summer. (Boards with nails and chemically treated wood products will very likely be excluded! Not sure about old 2x4's.) For now, assume "Clean Green", or rather "Clean Brown" only.
Our next meeting may focus on planning for another fuel mitigation event for the Collins View Firewise community.
Kim reported on a growing network of 'Fire Cameras' located on towers (other high places) that can triangulate location of a fire -- FireWatch 24x7. Stations can get the info and be on their way before calls even come in.
We received notice that Collins View is now officially Portland’s sixth Firewise Community. We are Good to Go throughout 2023!
The proposed boundary for the CV FW community has shrunk to just Collins View. Other folks (Marshal Park, Riverdale, et al) will be in their own communities.
PP&R conducted a walk-though of nine(ish) CV properties on 8/25 for the purpose of gathering data for an application. The report is being drafted for the National Firewise folks.. We will review / share / summarize that report when the draft is complete.
REMEMBER - you can do a SELF ASSESSMENT, and/or have a duo of bonafide experts visit. See the Sign Up section below.
Over 40 properties in our area have had a "Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Home Assessment" done by Portland Fire and Rescue (PF&R) education officers who have visited properties and given a standard report with written suggestions. Folks have been pleased with their reports. Ideally, many more will have such assessments (or do serious self-assessments). See below for sign up instructions.
While these assessments have been going on, several educational meetings have been attended by self-selected interested property owners. (Most have had or scheduled a WUI Assessment.)
On August 25th, 2022, PF&R is doing a "Community Assessment" — profiling eight selected properties to illustrate various situations that exist in our community. They will use that survey, including representative photos, to draft a report to be reviewed by our ad hoc advisory committee (attendees of the educational meetings). Once reviewed and revised by the committee, PP&R will submit to the national Firewise HQ.
Once the proposal for a FW community is accepted, a community board will be chartered and comprised that can oversee the community efforts:
Note: The actual properties in the Community Assessment Report will not be identified, and photos won't have any recognizable property features.
This is a long term project! We are just starting a marathon. In the meantime, let's all focus on cleaning up our properties, and work toward having our individual Firewise assessments this summer. This page will be kept current and be supplemented with more details as time goes on. Many details to be added. The Plan will be reviewed annually.