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Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire
Company
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13502 Roland Dr.
Montague, CA 96064
Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire
Company |
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Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire Company Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire Company chief Mary Cameron spearheaded a grant proposal that, if funded, will assist fifty-three local residents in purchasing a fire resistant gel kit to protect their homes from wildfire. FEMA will pay 95 percent of the cost, while participants will each provide their own five percent matching funds. In addition, the fire company will receive kits to carry on the two fire trucks. The fire truck kits will be sufficient to protect several homes each. If funded, the program will include at least two public education events that will cover fire prevention and preparedness topics including evacuation. Mt. Shasta Vista Volunteer Fire Company will host the educational events with assistance from local CalFire officials. The fire gel is a relatively new product but one which is sparking interest in the fire protection community. The gel is combined with water as it is applied, is formulated to stick to all kinds of surfaces including wood, glass, metal, even vegetation. It forms a temporary thermal barrier that, depending on conditions, can last up to two days and withstand temperatures of 3500 degrees F. It can be refreshed to protect longer by misting it with water. It is non-toxic, biodegradable and environmentally safe. Fire gel can be removed by high pressure water. It is very slippery when applied, so caution is advised. The product is credited with saving homes and lives in recent wildfires, including those in San Diego last year, where more than 90 percent all of treated homes reportedly survived the wildfires. Although the product is highly effective, it is still important for homeowners to maintain a defensible space around their homes, to adhere to other fire safety measures and to be prepared to evacuate. If funded, the project will improve firefighter safety as it will encourage homeowners to apply the gel and then evacuate, which in turn increases firefighter safety. Residents who do not evacuate present a hazard to firefighters for several reasons: the residents may change their minds and evacuate at the last minute when firefighters are trying to get into the fire zone, creating a traffic hazard on roads where smoke is creating poor visibility, the residents may get in the way of firefighters as they work to protect the home, and their presence may influence firefighters to compromise their own safety in an effort to protect the residents. Most firefighter deaths during wildfires occur when the firefighters are attempting to protect a home. The gel will increase firefighter safety by allowing firefighters to protect several homes before the flames are in the immediate area and then leave before the fire reaches those homes, which will increase the number of homes that our firefighters can protect. This is especially important in our area because we are at a high risk of a large fire which would threaten many homes - more than our limited number of firefighters can protect. The proposal was submitted in early April to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The program is described on the FEMA web site: "The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical services organizations. Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards. The Grant Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency administers the grants in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. For fiscal year 2005, Congress reauthorized the Assistance to Firefighters Grants for an additional 5 years through 2010." Competition is stiff for the funds. There were 20,731 proposals submitted in the 2007 grant cycle, of these 5009 were chosen for funding. The 2008 grantees will be notified throughout the year beginning in late spring or early summer. In preparation for submitting the grant proposal, Chief Cameron publicized the opportunity through letters sent to all homeowners in the district and via the fire company's newsletter, published and distributed at no charge to the fire company by Mt. Shasta Vista Property Owners Association (MSVPOA) in their own thrice-annual newsletter. Please click here to see that newsletter. MSVPOA is a subdivision within the fire company's protection area which accounts for about one sixth of the fire company's area and nearly half of its residents. The opportunity was also publicized at Juniper Flat Fire Safe Council (JFFSC) meetings and via emails to people on the JFFSC contact list. If you would like to be added to this email list, please contact Marjorie King. More than 40 local residents attended a fire gel demonstration at the Juniper Flats fire house on March 1, hosted by the fire company. Please click here to see photos from the demonstration.
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Mt. Shasta Vista
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