HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017.12.20 Wildfire Safey Commission Minutes MINUTES FOR A MEETING OF THE
WILDFIRE MITIGATION COMMISSION
Wednesday,December 20, 2017
11:00AM to 1:00PM
Training Room, Ashland Fire Station#1
455 Siskiyou Blvd
I. CALL TO ORDER: 11:06am
In Attendance: Tim Bewley, Stephen Gagne, Tonya Graham, Tracy Peddicord, 011ie Bucolo, Chris
Chambers, Alison Lerch, Julie Smitherman(Water Conservation),Jason Minica(Parks)
II. INTRODUCTIONS
Jason Minica, Ashland Parks&Recreation
III.APPROVAL OF MINUTES: October 18, 2017 (No minutes for November 2017)
Tracy motion, Tonya second, all in favor. With the addition of the members in attendance.
Stephen Gagne, Tim Bewley, 011i,Julie Smitherman, Chris Chambers,Alison Lerch
IV. PUBLIC FORUM
Pricilla Franco, Guestt
V.ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA
Firewise Class February 12, 2018 g Ashland Hills Hotel
Add Notifications in Parking Lot
General discussion about fires in California
VI.BUSINESS
A. New Business
a. Parks &Recreation partnership/Demonstration Sites
i. Tim and Jason met and discussed how Parks and the Wildfire Mitigation
Commission(Commission)could work together on more demonstration sites.
Parks made a Firewise garden around their Lithia Park Office, and discussed how
to enhance these gardens around other City facilities through town. New
locations include North Mountain Park and the Dog Park. There is a spot ready
at the barn at North Mountain Park. There is a possibility to make these public
gardens an area for information sharing and learning using interpretive signs in
some of these areas. Tonya would be interested in reviewing interpretive sign
materials for future gardens. Parks currently contracts out all Landscape Architect
work.
ii. There is a critical mass that is created when there are numerous Firewise gardens
and interpretive signs all around town. There is a tipping point where people get
on board with. What are other small additions that could be made in town?
Businesses?
iii. Alison and Chris will come up with a scope of work and deliverables for the
areas around Station 1 these pieces. Julie willBa send Alison the water usage and
a contract.
• Design
• Installation
• Plant purchase
• Sign design
• Print material
iv. Can we target landscapers, SOLA and other.
v. Can we create a certification for Firewise Certification for contractors and
landscapers?Master Gardeners Winter Dreams Symposium? All day on a
Saturday in the winter/fall. Alison will reach out through SOLA. How do you
begin with a certification? Make a 1 hour class that includes a City Certification.
Alison and Chris will talk with the City Administrator about this. Alison will also
ask the FACLN about if there is a Firewise Class created already?
ACTION ITEMS for January:
• Chris&Tim: Talk to John Karns about an official certification
through the City
• Alison will ask FACLN about already created Firewise presentations
and certification
• Chris/Alison: Design/Installation
• Alison: Work with Julie about CEU's through the state. (Ask Julie if
she can attend the SOLA February annual dinner)
• Alison and Tracy will work on a presentation at the Annual Dinner
b. Strawberry-Hald Park Scot's Broom
i. If people want to volunteer then they need to connect with Laurie Haynesworth to
sign a volunteer waiver. They can always accept money but it may not go to the
project. They can use the money hire the Jackson County Crew in that area.
Jason will look into how to pass through the funding. 011ie will also contact a
couple students at the University to help assist with a project.
c. Firewise Demonstration Trailer
i. Doug,Alison and Tim have been meeting to create a small trailer as an
informational demonstration trailer for creating defensible space. Stay tuned for
January.
d. Ashland Firewise Event Report
i. 34 people in attendance with 13 Firewise Communities represented. Gary
Marshall from the National Fire Protection Association and Kara Baylog from
OSU Extension did presentations. It was very well received.
e. Era of Megafires Presentation Report
i. 175 people attended the presentation at SOU Science Hall. Paul Hessburg spent
some time with partners and the Chamber of Commerce Board. The video
presentation will coming back on February 13'at the Oregon Fire Prevention
Workshop and the Rotary Conference in Ashland in May.
f. 30 Second Flammable Veg Video
i. Alison will bring a 30 second flammable video from Paradux to the January
meeting. What about an ember storm video?Be Ember Aware?There is a video
that goes along with the Be Ember Aware Nevada. Alison and Chris will find it
for January. Can we grab some footage from the California fires to help tell our
story better?These videos can be shown in the trailer.
• Is there anyone tracking and cataloging this media information from
the 2017 fires. We needs footage of fires that there is a way to stop
them. Alison will ask FACLN about if there is existing video
footage? Alison will talk to Cathy Prudhome about if there is a log of
wildfire video footage. 011ie will call the NIFC and NICC to ask
about this topic.
g. Discussion on meeting time
i. This is round 1 of a discussion and will remain on the agenda.
h. FEMA grant
i. What can the Commission do to help with this? Can the city hire someone to
work on this grant in 2018?
• Alison will have a presentation at the February 2018 Commission
meeting about the timeline and roadmap of the PDM grant.
B. Old Business
a. Committee Updates: (4 minutes each)
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i. Plant List Subcommittee
• Alison, Julie and Tracy will meet in January.
ii. Wildfire Mitigation Ordinance
• The Planning Team has been waiting for updated language from the
Planning Department for the Wildfire Mitigation Ordinance.
• Alison and Chris will talk with the Mayor about the connection with
the FEMA grant and the Ordinance approval.
iii. Smoke Marketing
• A 30 second prescribed burn promotion video is streaming in the
Ashland theaters. A Firewise video will be showcased from
February-June in Ashland. A smoke and health trifold was created
with partnership with Asante. A prescribed burn campaign pamphlet
is going to all postal patrons.
iv. Wildfire Task Force (Smoke, Evac/Com, Business Resilience)
• Smoke Preparedness for businesses workshop and workbook on
February 21 Sr
v. Community Wildfire Protection Plan Subcommittee
• Risk Assessment is moving forward with Rickey. The two Wildfire
Assessors have almost completed Intterra Assessments for the entire
city. February is our target date for the risk assessment. The
document is moving forward and a draft document is anticipated to be
available in February as well.
vi. Farmer's Market
• On hold until spring 2018. Doug and Alison plan on starting in April
to prepare citizens for Firewise Week,the first week of May.
vii.Firewise Update
• Sheridan Street assessment completed 12/19/2017 with 9 residents
who are all on board. OLLI Fire Adapted Communities Course in
April 2018. Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire Workshop
in Boulder. Smoke Preparedness Workshop in February.
viii. AFR Update
• Holiday break, burning is on hold since there was no precipitation for
a couple weeks. The rains and snow will be helpful but will
commence after the New Year.
C. Parking Lot Issues
a. Emergency Notification System(County level)
b. Branding the WMC
c. Wildfire Commission Collateral
d. Commission Communication
VII. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
VIII.REVIEW AND SET COMMISSION CALENDAR/NEXT MEETING
A. Mayors Brown Bag Lunch: January 26,2018, 12:00pm(CommDev)
B. WMO Meeting: TBD (Station 1)
C. Wildfire Task Force: January 16,2018, 10:00am(Station 1)
D. Next WMC Meeting: January 17,2018, 11:00am(Station 1)
IX. AGENDA ITEMS FOR January 17,2018
A. Emergency Notifications
B. Introduction of the new Fire Chief
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X. ADJOURN:
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this
meeting,please contact the Public Works Office at 488-5587(TTYphone number 1 800 735 2900).
Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure
accessibility to the meeting(28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title I).
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