Community members make our area more fire safe

"It takes a village" to make us more fire safe. 40 Greater Auburn citizens and their teams have gotten Firewise Communities started and provide ongoing education, fire safety programs and community involvement. All are volunteers making our communities safer. HOA's also have volunteer leaders initiating fire safety practices. When you see a need, address it. That's what a number of community members have done. Here are two examples: For the past several years, a neighbor near Brewery Lane in Old Town Auburn has taken it upon himself to clear the city-owned property containing a historical marker and some of the brickwork from the Gold Rush-era brewery. He has removed sucker trees and branches, and he weeds the entire area each spring. The area looks like a park with the ground nicely groomed and free of debris. The city picks up or chips the debris. He also keeps his yard nicely landscaped and immaculate. Kudos for seeing a need and generously taking action! In Aeolia Heights near Lincoln Way, the Foresthill/Huntley Loop Firewise Community partnered with the Auburn Fire Department and Auburn Union School District to reduce hazardous fuel in the open-space area at the Alta Vista School campus. We are grateful to the school district for their collaboration and efforts to reduce fire risk on their property and the surrounding community. Great job! Many other concerned citizens have acted in similar ways. Have you seen a property owned by an older or less-capable neighbor who has trouble maintaining their property? How about asking them if you can help trim shrubs, remove debris, etc? How about planning a neighborhood work day to encourage neighbors to clean gutters, trim trees and shrubs, remove dead wood and take on other fire-safe projects? For a small fee, the Placer County Resource Conservation District provides a chipper program for chipping debris, see www.placerrcd.org/programs/chipperprogram. All debris must be on one property. If you see an overgrown property, please first approach the property owner to see if you can work a resolution. If that has failed and the property is in unincorporated Placer County, you can contact Placer County Fire Hazardous Vegetation Abatement, www.placer.ca.gov/3743/Report-a-Concern, to enter a Code Enforcement Complaint. The county will investigate and approach the property owner if appropriate. In the City of Auburn, check www.auburn.ca.gov/159/Fire at the bottom of the page to Report A Concern. Every effort we make to make our properties and those around us more fire safe will benefit our whole community. How can you help make your area more fire safe? Jan Foster serves on the Greater Auburn Fire Safe Council and is a leader in her Firewise Community.