 What's a Chipper Day?
An opportunity to have your fire-prone shrubs, small trees, low hanging branches, and yard cleanup materials shredded and removed for FREE. The Town of Corte Madera will supply the chipper and personnel to operate it. The chipper will come to each of our major streets to shred collected piles of debris at designated locations. Why are Chipper Days being offered? The Town of Corte Madera knows that Hidden Valley is rated a “high hazard” area for wildfires. We are very much at risk. Chipper days are one of the most cost-effective ways to dispose of flammable plant materials. One of the best ways to reduce the chance of losing our homes is to create a minimum of 10 to 100 feet of defensible space around the home. What Can You Chip? There is no limit to the amount you can prepare for chipping. Place small limbs, branches, and brush in a pile for chipping (no logs). Highly flammable species (Bamboo, French and Scotch broom, Acadia, Eucalyptus, Juniper, and Thujia Cypress) must be segregated into a separate pile to be chipped for landfill. Instructions on length and diameter of materials accepted will be posted on the HVNRG website in April. What Do You Need to Do? Cut and gather fire-prone plant materials yourself, or hire someone. Click here for a list of gardeners previously used by Hidden Valley residents. The town will designate locations on each street where debris should be deposited before the scheduled Chipper Day. When will Chipper Day Be? The week of April 29 to May 3rd. Depending on demand, there will be one or two days, to be determined in April, with time and place emailed and posted on our website How Can You Sign Up for FREE Chipping? You must sign up with your Block Captain by April 15th, 2019. More Questions? See FireSafeMarin website for lists of fire-prone and fire-resistant trees, plants, and shrubs. Fire professionals recommend that flammable trees and shrubs overhanging or extending into our evacuation routes be cut back or removed. Every street in Hidden Valley is an evacuation route! Help us protect our Hidden Valley neighborhood from a destructive wildfire! The Hidden Valley NRG Firewise Team, and HVNRG Steering Committee  The Hidden Valley NRG is excited to announce that our neighborhood is now a Firewise site!
Firewise USA is a national organization dedicated to educating, encouraging and assisting residents in communities to reduce their wildfire risks. What are the benefits of Firewise status? Being an approved Firewise site may help homeowners who have had home insurance denied or threatened. Firewise status indicates that Hidden Valley takes very seriously our wildfire threats and is actively working to diminish them. We can write grants for funds to help with significant wildfire problem areas, such as huge eucalyptus trees. We will encourage Marin Open Space to clear more flammable materials on the Hidden Valley southern border, and continue collaborating with the Central Marin Fire Department to conduct home assessments. To achieve Firewise status, the Firewise team obtained input from neighbors and the Central Marin Fire Department to describe Hidden Valley’s terrain, wildfire-related characteristics affecting Hidden Valley, and our primary evacuation route. Using the Firewise Wildfire Assessment template, we confirmed other formal assessments indicating Hidden Valley neighborhoods have a high risk of wildfires. The application described five common issues in Hidden Valley that negatively affect our community’s resilience to wildfire. (See sections 4 – 7 in the Wildfire Risk Assessment application.) As a program participant, we have committed to developing action plans for wildfire risk reduction for each of the next three years. This will include presenting updated wildfire education programs, working together with Hidden Valley residents to reduce flammable vegetation, and focusing on clearing our primary evacuation route. Action plans are evaluated for progress on a yearly basis. The Hidden Valley Firewise team encourages all our residents to evaluate their own wildfire risk, and participate in mutually defending against a disastrous wildfire. We applaud and thank those residents who have taken major steps to protect their homes and their neighborhoods and encourage others to join us. As our first activity of 2019, we are helping facilitate a FREE CHIPPER DAY in Hidden Valley during the week of April 29 – May 3. More information will be provided to you by Block Captains this week. This is a great opportunity to reduce wildfire risk.  The HVNRG will conduct an EARTHQUAKE DRILL this Saturday from 10-11 AMTwice a year the HVNRG conducts an earthquake drill to simulate a large-scale emergency and response. This is an opportunity for our teams to practice surveying the neighborhood, communicating on 2-way radios, and responding to test scenarios.
We ask that ALL HVNRG neighbors post their OK signs in a visible window. Block Captains will be walking the neighborhood looking for your signs as well as practice scenarios that will be communicated back to IC. The full drill includes:
Incident command will be located at 2 Madrono Ave. Come by and say hello while we're practicing! |
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May 2020
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