Knowledge Action protection

 by Mark Shumway, GDFSC Education Coordinator

The Wildfire Expo is coming to your town, with free lunch provided, soon. This community meeting will be happening over two days in two different towns. Day one kicks off the Wildfire Expo in Georgetown on Saturday April 5 at the Oddfellows Hall from 10am-3pm. This first day will feature speakers from many agencies and organizations focused on preparations you can do right now to survive a wildfire. Day two of the Wildfire Expo happens in Garden Valley on Saturday May 3 at the Grange Hall from 10am-3pm. This day brings it all home in the eventuality of an actual wildfire striking your neighborhood. During the morning speakers will share what conditions and events happen during a wildfire. After lunch, participants will work in small groups to play and work out evacuation conditions with an evaluation board game. The game and boards are based on maps of real neighborhoods of Garden Valley and Georgetown. Each game is especially prepared for participants to master aspects of an actual evacuation under wildfire conditions. 

In Georgetown on day one exploring wildfire preparation with begin with a presentation by a representative of the Garden Valley Fire Department (GVFD). He will cover fire history and fire behavior expected during a wildfire. The presenter will than explain and discuss the latest hot spot fire maps created for the county’s Community Wildfire Preparation Plan (CWPP). Throughout the rest of the morning five speakers will describe and explain what programs and services which are offered to help homeowners prepare for wildfires. After lunch, five speakers from several agencies will continue with explanations of their services. These brief presentations will be followed by more in depth presentations about achieving defensible space, how to harden your home, why and when evacuation orders are issued, how to form Firewise Communities the easy way and how it will reduce your insurance at the same time, and closing with explanations about your true insurance needs especially under the FAIR plan.

Day two of the Wildfire Expo takes place in Garden Valley. The GVFD will describe how El Dorado County is currently set up to respond to actual wildfires, describe the response matrix, explain how a call to 911 sets specific actions in motion, and present CalFire Wildlands scenarios. Presenters from county Office of Emergency Services (OES), Sherriff’s Office (EDCSO) and county Animal Control (EDCAS) will describe what each agency does during evacuations in depth. A presenter from the Georgetown Divide Fire Safe Council (GDFSC) will describe services and procedures which help during an evacuation. A Q&A period follows. After lunch participants will be divided into smaller groups by neighborhood and town to participate in the evacuation board games. Community leaders are especially urged to attend and observe these evacuation simulations and participate in the ongoing discussions during the evacuation games. 

The Wildfire Expo is a collaborative event created by leadership in our local fire departments and the Georgetown Divide Fire Safe Council. If homeowners are interested in becoming volunteer defensible space evaluators there are still openings in the county’s free two day class offered May 19-20.