Wildfire Awareness Week
The purpose of the Living With Fire in the Tahoe Basin program is to provide homeowners with wildfire threat reduction recommendations developed by Nevada and Lake Tahoe's firefighting experts. This program also provides suggestions about what to do during and after a fire. The Tahoe Basin Living with Fire program is a collaboration of the University of Nevada and University of California Cooperative Extensions.
The goal of the Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week was to encourage individual action to reduce the threat of wildfire to homes and communities. Activities provided information and resources to upgrade homes and create defensible space around them. Fire resistant homes have fire-rated roofs, covered vents to reduce the risk of ember intrusion, fire resistant construction materials and are in good repair. Creating defensible space involves selecting and maintaining vegetation near the home, thereby reducing the risk homes will be ignited and destroyed during a wildfire.
Go to the Tahoe Living with Fire website for more information on preparing your home for wildfire.
Past Events:
- May 25th to June 2nd, 2013, See the 2013 Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week Flyer. This year's theme was “Get Defensive: Reduce the Fuels - Reduce the Risk.” For more details, please see the Wildfire Awareness Week 2013 Summary Report.
- May 26th to June 3rd, 2012, Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week. This year's theme was “Wildfire Survival: Your Home, Your Responsibility.” The focus of the week was to promote homeowner and resident actions that reduce the risk from wildfire to homes and communities. These include upgrading vulnerable home components and conducting defensible space activities. For more details, please see the Wildfire Awareness Week 2012 Summary Report.
- May 28th - June 5th, 2011. Please see the Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week 2011 Summary Report for more information.
- July 3rd to 11th, 2010. Please see the Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week 2010 Summary Report for more information.
2012 Wildfire Awareness Week Media
Jack Durst featured Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week during his Fabulous Lake Tahoe video blog for June 2012 concert. As Jack says "only you can prevent a forest fire from taking your house!"
Lisa Herron from the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and Eric Guevin from Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District talk about wildfire prevention and all the things to do to plan ahead for wildfire season now during Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week on Tahoe TV June 1st, 2012.
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit's Lisa Herron appeared on Tahoe TV talking about wildfire evacuation during Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week on Thursday May 31st, 2012.
The North Lake Tahoe Bonanza ran an article on TRPA honoring the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Chiefs during Wildfire Awareness Week on May 30th, 2012.
Tia Rancourt from North Tahoe FPD and Martin Goldberg from Lake Valley FPD on Tahoe TV talking about the importance of doing your defensible space for Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week on May 30th, 2012.
Eric Guevin from Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and Lisa Herron from the US Forest Service talking about Wildfire Awareness Week on Tahoe TV May 25th, 2012.
The Tahoe Bonanza ran the article Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week begins this weekend about the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency encouraging local residents and homeowners to participate in Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week on May 21st, 2012.
Resources
For specifics on creating defensible space in Tahoe, download the free publication: Living with Fire a Guide for the Homeowner - Lake Tahoe 2nd edition.
Links:
- Tahoe Living with Fire, find out more about how to create defensible space, participate in defensible rebate program and what’s going on with reducing fire risk at Lake Tahoe.
- Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team, site gives information on the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. The team includes local fire agencies and state and federal land managers working together to reduce forest fuels in the Lake Tahoe basin.
For more information about the Lake Tahoe Living with Fire program, contact Susie Kocher, sdkocher@ucanr.edu, 530-542-2571.