Hidden Valley is Firewise

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.
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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.