Tag Archives: Firewise

Sudden Valley Firewise Program – 2022

Community Announcements

Sudden Valley Community Association will be hosting a Firewise program starting on July 11th, 2022.

The purpose of a Firewise program is to promote awareness to the dangers of fires from vegetation surrounding community homes and other properties. One hazard that is prevalent within Sudden Valley are the tree limbs that have fallen naturally or during windstorms. These limbs are referred to in a Firewise program as “ground fuels”. Because large limbs are difficult to remove, Sudden Valley Community Association assists homeowners by providing a free service whereby residents of the Association can dispose of the tree limbs that have broken from trees on or surrounding their property. This Firewise service is provided by SVCA’s Maintenance Department during a published scheduled time frame.

Residents can take advantage of this program by having their tree branches placed in an
accessible pile next to the roadway prior to the scheduled pickup time for their area. Piles of
branches placed by the roadside after the scheduled pickup time will not be picked up and
will be the property owners’ responsibility.

Scope of Service:

  • Service is limited to residents; no commercial support is available.
  • Branches must be piled next to the road and easily accessible to the Firewise crew. Do not block ditches with branches.
  • Pickup is limited to tree branches that have naturally broken from a tree. Services do not include limbs that are “cut” from an established tree.
  • The maximum diameter of the limb is six (6) inches.
  • There is no limit to the length of the limb.
  • The height of a pile of limbs should be no more than five (5) feet tall.
  • Vegetation such as brush, lawn waste, tree roots, bagged leafs, etc. will not be picked up as these items will jam/plug equipment. If these items are left alongside the roadway, they will be the property owners’ responsibility to dispose of.
  • Questions pertaining to the Sudden Valley Community Association’s Firewise program can be directed to the Maintenance Superintendent by calling (360) 778-2223.

Recycle Disposal: Limbs are fed into a large wood chipping machine and the chips transported to
a Sudden Valley Association wood chip composting site. The chips will be made available free to
residents to self-load on a first come basis.

Firewise 2022 Schedule:

DateLocation
July 11thGate 5: Maintenance Zones 51, 52, and 53.
July 18thGate 3: Maintenance Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6.
July 25thGates 3, 9, and 13: Maintenance Zones 1 and 2.
August 1stGate 1: Maintenance Zones 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15.
August 8thGate 2: Maintenance Zones 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26.

Click image for larger version

FREE Wildfire Workshops

Activities & Events, , ,

The Whatcom Conservation District is offering 2 Wildfire Workshops this summer in partnership with the City of Bellingham. Choose from a Virtual Workshop on Tuesday July 27th or an In-person Workshop on Tuesday August 31st at the Geneva Fire Station.

These Workshops are FREE and are from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Learn from local experts about wildfire risk, preparedness, response, tree & forest health, FREE wildfire evaluations for your property, and more!
The registration deadline is Sunday July 25th. Questions? Contact Jenny Coe at jcoe@whatcomcd.org

Click Here to Register & Learn More

2021 Firewise

Community Announcements, Maintenance

The SVCA Maintenance Department will be conducting 2021 Firewise from April 19th to May 10th. This is a 4-week program dedicated to cleaning up from winter storms and reducing the fuel for wildfires near structures.

Instructions:

  • Stack piles of trimmed or fallen branches perpendicular to the street, in a neat pile, acceptable pile sizes are between 5′ – 10′.
  • Please try to stack them so they all point the same direction with thick end facing the street.
  • We can accept branches from 1” to 7” in diameter. Branches need to be at least 2’ in length so they can be chipped.
  • We cannot accept garbage, dimension lumber, cones, small debris (leaves), ferns, twigs, and blackberry vines as they will clog chipper.

If you have items that are too small for chipping, they can be dropped off at the Clean Green location on the scheduled disposal days from May-September. Clean Green information will be sent out & posted as we get closer to May.

PLEASE refrain from completing this form UNTIL your branches are out and ready for pickup:

2020 Firewise Request Sign-ups

Community Announcements, Maintenance, Special Announcement,

The SVCA Maintenance department is ramping up for the 2020 Sudden Valley Community Fire Wise program! The Fire Wise program has served residents in the past to help clean up winter storm debris, so we are again offering this annual free service to our community in all gates. Residents are encouraged to participate, to work together with your neighbors and to offer help to other in need. 

The full month of March is dedicated to accepting requests so that community groups can pitch in together to continue to mitigate wildfire risks. Starting the first week of April, the Maintenance Department will begin picking up the pre-scheduled roadside branch piles. See the schedule at the end of this article. 

Gather up all the woody fuels from around your neighborhoods and set them curbside for free chipping by Association staff. This simple act will reduce fuels in your neighborhood and mitigate wildfire risk to our entire community. We encourage neighborhood participation! 

Instructions: Stack piles of trimmed branches and woody fuels perpendicular to the street, in a neat pile, no more than 5 feet high by 10 feet wide, with largest diameter ends toward the road. Do not randomly toss branches or make tangled stacks; it creates more work for the chipping crew and slows down the process. Larger piles may not be picked up. 

Once your materials are set in place, chipping service requests can be submitted using one of three methods: 

1. Preferred method – send an e-mail to “branches@suddenvalley.com” requesting branch pickup / chipping / chip delivery. The e-mail must include the property owner’s name, email address, property address, and a contact phone number.

2. In person at the Administration Office – fill out a written request form which includes the property owner’s name, email address, property address and a contact phone number. A form is at the end of this article or you can Download Form (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PtA1yHbobTir48sB_iGr20ejjm9RlHZ1) from Sudden Valley Website, call the Administration Office at (360) 734-6430. Your request will be placed on a list. Please do not call the Maintenance shop. 

Please note that we will only be able to provide this service to those who have submitted requests prior to March 27th. The requests will be used to plan and schedule the SVCA Maintenance staff’s curbside chipping starting April 1st so that we can be completed by Friday, April 24th. Maintenance will start work at Gate 13 and finish in Gate 5 over these four weeks. A map is available at https://suddenvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/Fire-Wise-Map.pdf showing the approximate pick up schedule. 

Service Criteria: 

• Branch pile must be stacked next to the firm surface of the road with the branches 

• Perpendicular to the street 

• The crew cannot work across ditches or access private property 

• Branch diameter: Tree limbs from 1⁄2 inch up to seven (7) inches in diameter 

• Branch length: Minimum of 2-foot long. Maximum: Unlimited 

• Maximum branch pile size/lot: 10-foot-long by 10-foot-wide by 5 feet high 

• WOOD CHIPS: Please mark the location where wood chips are to be left. 

• Requests must be submitted no later than March 27, 2020 

What we cannot chip: 

• Yard waste, twigs, ferns leaves, brush, bramble berry vines, etc. These items will clog the chipper. 

• Manufactured lumber (2 x 4s, plywood, etc.) 

Free Wood Chip Delivery: 

By popular request, SVCA staff will deliver the chipped wood to a resident’s home as it becomes available during the month of April. We will deliver one (1) 5-yard truck load on a first-requested basis, while supplies last. This delivery service is included on the Fire Wise service request form. 

We will keep information flowing using email blasts (if you haven’t signed up yet, please do so at suddenvalley.com), social media announcements, and the Sudden Valley Community Association website. We need word-of-mouth, grassroots discussions to spread across our beautiful valley to make it healthier, more beautiful and safer for each resident! 

Sudden Valley Community Association and Fire Wise are committed to partnering in safety. This is evident in the SVCA responses to Fire Wise requests for help in the past. Spring is coming, so roll up your sleeves and let’s work together! 

SCHEDULE 

2020 Firewise Pickup Schedule 

Firewise Request Form: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PtA1yHbobTir48sB_iGr20ejjm9RlHZ1

Firewise Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I0IX2J6USNKdKn2xvSZwBA5P1Kvz4lW6

Burn Ban restrictions Effective 12:01 a.m. July 13, 2018:

Community Announcements, Security, , , ,
  • Rule burning (small debris disposal fires normally allowed when following specific rules) are not allowed in Snohomish, Island, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan counties.
  • Written burn permit burning also will no longer be allowed in Snohomish, Island, Skagit, Whatcom, and San Juan counties.
  • Campfires may be allowed in approved designated campgrounds. Always check with local campground hosts before lighting a campfire.
  • DNR is also increasing restrictions on outdoor burning on public lands. Campfires are still allowed in approve fire pits and to please be extra cautious during these very dry conditions.

For more information regarding restrictions, click HERE.

Firewise Update

Community Announcements, Security, ,

Many residents have been asking when their pile of branches will be picked up. Originally we had scheduled branches to be picked from Sunday, May 5th through Thursday, May 10th. Because there was a greater response than anticipated and the chipper broke down, we are way behind schedule. The chipper is now back in operation and on Monday, May 21st we will be able to start picking up and chipping branches again.

The crew has finished Gate 9, 13 and about 60% of Gate 3. The plan going forward is to complete Gate 3 and then go to Gate 1, 2 and 5 in that order, with the goal of being completed on Friday, May 25th.

Thank you for the great participation and for your patience while we finish chipping.

Sudden Valley Firewise May 2018; How You Can Help!

Community Announcements, Security, , ,

by Stan Godek, Firewise Committee and Mitch Waterman, General Manager

It’s official! “NFPA Wildfire Community Preparedness Day” is on the Sudden Valley calendar! We see value in Firewise, and are offering fuel reduction to the entire community this year, to all members in all gates. All residents are encouraged to participate, to work together with your neighbors and to offer help to our seniors.

Preparedness Day, Saturday May 5th, is the weekend many community members will pitch in together to mitigate our community’s wildfire risk. Gather up all the woody fuels from around your neighborhoods and set them curbside for free chipping by the association staff. This simple act will reduce fuels in your neighborhood and mitigate wildfire risk to our entire community. We seek and encourage your participation!

Stack piles of trimmed branches and woody fuels perpendicular to the street, in a neat stack no more than 5 feet high, with largest diameter ends toward the road. Do not randomly toss branches or make tangled stacks; it creates more work for the chipping crew and slows the process.

Once your materials are set in place, chipping service can occur using one of three methods:

1. Preferred method – send an e-mail to branches@suddenvalley.com requesting branch pickup / chipping / chip delivery. The e-mail must include the property owner’s name, email address, property address, and a contact phone number.

2. In person at the Administrative office – fill out a written request which includes the property owner’s name, email address, property address and a contact phone number. Download the form HERE.

3. Call the Administrative office at (360) 734-6430. Your request will be placed on a list. Please do not call the maintenance shop.

SVCA Maintenance staff will begin curbside chipping on Sunday, May 6th and complete on Thursday, May 10th.

Service Criteria:

• Branch diameter: Tree limbs from ½ inch up to seven (7) inches in diameter.
• Branch length: Minimum of 1 foot long
• Branch pile size/ lot: 10-foot-long by 10-foot-wide by 5 feet high
• Branch pile must be located next to the firm surface of the road, so the maintenance staff has ready access. We will not be able to work across ditches or access private property.

What we cannot chip:

• Yard waste, ferns leaves, brush, bramble berry vines, etc.
• Manufactured lumber (2x4s, etc.)

What’s next? Future community sponsored events clearing common areas, green spaces, and parks – offering an excellent opportunity to further enhance community safety. Discussions are already underway to promote a fall event.

We know all our all gates need attention. Last year’s event was tied to a limited geographic area DNR grant, but we have no such grant this year. Not only would it be awesome to have a separate grant requests for each gate, it is allowed! Why hasn’t this already been done? We simply have not enough volunteer leadership in each gate to make this happen. We need you! Last year’s two-week event was organized entirely by volunteers and the enthusiastic community support showed the need and desire for fire reduction and education in all gates, we are here… now!

How can we improve? This is where each of you can help. Come to the South Whatcom Fire Authority Pancake Feed & Firewise Event on April 28th, and/or the May 19 Sudden Valley Safety Fair to learn more.

We will keep information flowing using email blasts (if you haven’t signed up please do so on the SVCA home page), social media announcements, and Sudden Valley Community Association website. We need word-of-mouth, grassroots discussions to spread across our beautiful valley to make it healthier, more beautiful and safer for each resident!

Sudden Valley Community Association and Firewise are committed to partnering in safety. This is clearly evident in the SVCA response to Firewise request for help.

Spring is here, so roll up your sleeves and let’s work together!