Close to 2,000 readers responded to our survey with their ideas and concerns about fire season. The majority cited the state of evacuation routes as a major concern, followed by a lack of maintenance on neighboring parcels and the difficulties and cost associated with insurance coverage. Here are some of the responses.
How to get out?
“Getting neighbors to do their part, and getting the city and county to clean up the roadsides! The mess of vegetation at Idaho Maryland and Centennial is a disaster.”
“It doesn’t really matter how prepared I am if my neighbors do nothing. Cruzon Grade Road will be a fire tunnel (as per the experts), so I will not be evacuating.”
“In Alta Sierra, our evacuation routes are essentially non-existent.”
“One way in and out of the subdivision.”
“Brush and weeds along roads in Nevada County need to be maintained yearly. An example is Rough and Ready Hwy… everything has grown back even worse since they cleaned up both sides. Everywhere it looks like a fire hazard waiting to happen, making trying to evac another ‘camp fire’ disaster.”
“In addition we see increased traffic flow on our road due to the new RV park. Drivers can be observed pulling their rigs down the center of the road, struggling to keep their rigs on the crowned road and blocking flow when approaching blind corners. When a fire forces our road to evacuate will my exit plan will be blocked with unsafe RV drivers who lack a plan.” [Grass Valley]
“Evacuation routes from Lodestar are limited.”
“Vegetation along escape routes. New neighbors cleared their property on Douglas and North Bloomfield (yay!) but the people across from them on Douglas don’t want to. Alternate escape route would be Moonlight Trail through BLM property but BLM has done nothing to maintain it since we (BLM and I) did a shaded fuel break in the 1990s and it is now impassable due to downed trees. YWI is planning with BLM to restore the fuel break but it won’t happen until after the 2025 fire season. Also would like to make sure the escape to the east via Cooper and Conservation Roads is kept in good repair.”
“What are evacuation plans? Where are evacuation routes?”
“Evacuation routes out of several large communities to Combie is the only exit out of here to Hwy 49.”
Readers worry about neighbors’ inaction
“I am very concerned about neighbors who do not maintain their property in a fire-safe way.”
“Neighbors’ property is overgrown with ladder fuels.”
“Elderly neighbors’ home is overgrown, deep pine needles to structure and pine needles piled on roof. I’m older and can barely maintain my acre. There are more than just one older person in the neighborhood with property that needs work. Hired help is not an option since on their fixed income.”
“My neighbors are oblivious to fire danger. We live within city limits. I asked them about their city inspection and they said ‘we don’t do that, oh, that thing that was left on the door – we threw that away.'”
“Neighbors have no intention of readying their properties. That makes our preparations moot.” [Alta Sierra]
“We live in a subdivision and we have an abandoned house next door. Downed Trees and high weeds are a problem in that backyard.”
“A neighboring 320-acre property that is thick wildland with no accessibility.”
“Properties adjacent to us; particularly neighbors and the City that have not cleared the property.” [Grass Valley]
Biggest challenges in neighborhoods
“Fire exits are not maintained or marked in my neighborhood.”
“Exits out for the number of people in the area. (5 mobile parks plus 3 residential properties)”
“The lack of established secondary egresses in our neighborhood; compounded with the number of elderly individuals living on their own who are unable to get out quickly/efficiently. Individuals cleaning up their properties and BLM not managing their properties.”
“Lack of work by the city/county to remove undergrowth and trees in the downtown NC area and Deer Creek valleys. Piles of debris left by PGE after cutting down trees.”
“One road poorly maintained because it’s designated as a private road. Some of it is only wide enough to accommodate a single lane and therefore one vehicle at a time. Many “neighbors” who don’t seem to be concerned about keeping the brush cleared — especially the brush along the side of the private road.”
“Narrow dirt road, neighbors not adhering to the “legal road agreement” to assure ingress and egress. No effort whatsoever to keep adjoining land to the road clear of fuel. In fact during the River Fire, a majority of the equipment that was staged to defend the line of travel in Chicago Park, was done so on my land because of the immediate safe access.”
Financial constraints and lack of programs for AFN
Services that purported to help Access and Functional Needs (AFN) (i.e. people with disabilities, older adults, etc.) have languished for years. The Fire Safe Council started accepting applications in 2022: “Low-income residents who are either 65+ or disabled are eligible for free defensible space clearing services within 100′ of their homes.” The FSC website now states: “THIS PROGRAM IS TEMPORARILY UNFUNDED.”
Nevada County contracted with the FSC on the phase I implementation. The Phase II, according to the county’s OES website, consists of “Environmental and Cultural review of 775 eligible properties is taking place in Phase II. Once this review is complete, defensible space implementation will commence on these properties. Each property to receive treatment will receive a pre-inspection to verify the need for treatment as well as a post-inspection to confirm that defensible space compliance has been achieved.”
According to supporting documents, the Board of Supervisors will be hearing a presentation on Emergency Preparedness during Day 2 of their workshop. This will be on January 23, around 8:30 am at the Gold Miners Inn Ballroom,
located at 121 Bank Street, Grass Valley.
AFN is listed as a priority, however there is no timeline for implementation. FEMA, which is funding the program through their Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP,) approved the project and is in receipt of all the documentation required since March of 2023. As of now, there is no timeline when the funds for Phase II will be released, according to OES Interim Director Alex Keeble-Toll.
Town hall #1 – more to come
Yesterday’s town hall meeting included discussions about burn piles, which some consider a nuisance and others as an efficient way to reduce fuel loads.
A poll conducted during the meeting showed roadside clearing, followed by grants to Firewise groups and enforcement of the existing vegetation management ordinance as the top three priorities for respondents when it comes to county funding.
Participants expressed interest in diving more into the various aspects of readiness and preparedness. A second town hall is scheduled for January 30 at noon. We’ll talk about evacuation preparedness, including challenges on public and private roads. How to get ready for an evacuation and get out safely. Register here to attend.
Sharing ideas with the community
Many survey respondents shared their ideas to help with readiness. Here are a few examples.
“Keep your car’s fuel at least half full. Have supplies and cash in the car (hidden) to include food and water.”
“Prioritize your evacuation list so when you work through your check list you get the most important things out as time permits. Practice. Make a plan and give access to a neighbor to your home to evacuate dogs/cats if your not home when a fire breaks out and are unable to get back before the road closes. Make sure they know where leashes, crates, etc are. Reciprocate the favor for them.”
“Use your green waste bin for vegetation instead of burning it.”
“Have a go bag, start yard cleanup now, move stuff away from the house, and have an exit plan and plan b if exit plan does not work”
“Communicate with neighbors even if you disagree on some issues. Seek consensus one step at a time.”
“Don’t hesitate to start any projects/efforts now. Every little bit helps. Always be fire aware. If you see or smell something, speak up.”
“Put Go Bag together and keep it for the entire year. There is no July-October fire season any more.”
“Leave when you get an evacuation warning. Don’t wait for the order. Have your go bags packed and by the door. Take one vehicle and leave trailers behind. Your jackknifed trailer could trap others. Take a chain saw and gloves for fallen trees. Wear wool or cotton clothes. Have N95 masks. Assume smoke may make visibility very bad.”
“When a high wind event is in the forecast, think about leaving the area even before there is a fire.”
“I am making myself more aware of my neighbors’ needs, so no one gets left behind, and we all have what we need to be safe and evacuate successfully. As I see it, we’re in this together. We all need to prepare personally and also come together to plan as a neighborhood.”
“Be prepared but don’t let yourself get too stressed out. If you’re anxious, turn that energy into action – even something as simple as pulling some weeds. Make it a community effort. Check on your neighbors. Help each other out. If no one has cut the weeds next to your road, do it yourself! We’re all in this together.”