NORTH FORK – Residents living in high-risk wildfire areas who want to take action to increase their safety, but are unsure about how to start, can now find the information and the inspiration they need to organize and accomplish wildfire risk reduction projects in their community.
North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm® for the fifth annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day event on Saturday, May 5. This event will help communities prepare for and work together to reduce their risk of wildfire damage.
Preparedness Day is a call to action that gives people of all ages a chance to plan and participate in a risk reduction or wildfire preparedness activity that makes their community a safer place to live.
“Continued drought, hotter temperatures and tree mortality are major contributors to the increased wildfire activity we are experiencing in California,” says Gary Walker, Chairperson of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California.
“That’s why North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California has organized our Wildfire Community Preparedness Day and are committed to working together with NFPA and State Farm to make our community safer from the threat of wildfire. We believe Preparedness Day is a great way to raise awareness of this important issue.”
North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California will be hosting a number of activities during Preparedness Day to promote wildfire awareness and safety. The activities include:
- Assisting ten elders with wildfire preparedness
- Promoting the event with signage
- Providing a table with information at the Tribal Government Office at 33143 Road 222, on May 5th.
Through these educational, individual and group activities, residents North Fork can learn more about the importance of wildfire preparedness and planning, and the power of prevention.
Projects undertaken on Preparedness Day can range from a short time commitment up to an entire day and can be undertaken by individuals or groups. Below are actions residents can take to reduce the risk of home and property becoming fuel for a wildfire:
- Rake and remove pine needles and dry leaves within a minimum of 3 to 5 feet of a home’s foundation. As time permits – continue up to a 30-foot distance around the home. Dispose of collected debris in appropriate trash receptacles.
- Collect downed tree limbs and broken branches and take them to a disposal site.
- Distribute wildfire safety information, like the free Firewise Toolkit, to neighbors or staff a table at a grocery or hardware store (other high-traffic locations work, too) and distribute free Firewise and emergency preparedness materials that can be ordered from the Firewise catalog or from READY.gov.
- Join forces with neighbors and pool your resources to pay for a chipper service to remove slash.
- Help an elderly relative or neighbor enter emergency numbers and the names of close relatives into their cell phones; and in large font post their phone number and street address above their landline so it can easily be seen when providing information to an emergency dispatcher.
Find additional project ideas and learn more about the national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day event on May 6 by visiting www.wildfireprepday.org.
About the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
The tribe is located in North Fork, Calif., and has over 2,000 Tribal Citizens. The North Fork area has been impacted by several wildfires throughout the past several years and the tribe has emergency management systems in place to assist during incidents. The tribe continues to build its capacity and has partnered with the Red Cross for sheltering operations and continues to build its partnerships with local, state and federal agencies. The tribe is thankful for this opportunity from State Farm that encourages a prepared community, and encourages other organizations and tribes to participate. For further information about the tribe and its programs please visit the tribal website http://northforkrancheria-nsn.gov or facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/North-Fork-Rancheria-186331204742021.
About State Farm
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 83 million policies and accounts – nearly 81 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 35 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
