Washington Hill Fire Coalition

Evacuation Alerts

• Sign up for CodeRed, the county's emergency alert system. They will call, text and/or email alerts & evacuation orders. Ways to sign up:

  • Use the online signup

  • Text READYNEVADACOUNTY to 99411

  • Call 211 or 1-833-DIAL211 from a local number (503 area code)

• Get an emergency weather radio with battery backup

  • • Nice features: built-in emergency alerts (automatically sounds an alarm when an emergency alert is broadcast), flashlight, solar+crank+usb charger, phone charger

    • Recommendations from WireCutter review:

      • Top pick: Midland ER210 (~$50)

      • Runner up: RunningSnail Solar Crank NOAA Weather Radio (~$30)

      • Budget pick: Epica Emergency Ratio (~$20)

• In the event of an actual evacuation alert, please blow a boat horn, bang on neighbor's doors, or honk your horn as you drive out.

• More details are in our Neighborhood Evacuation Fact Sheet

Fire defense Information

• Wildfire Home Assessment Checklist: 11 page guide of best-available science from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

• Fire Defense in Grass Valley, CA: Our summary of city requirements, best-practices & resources

  • Grass Valley Code 8.16: Fire Defense regulations: Official city regulations, hard to understand)

  • Grass Valley Investigation Request form: To send in to city hall

• Neighborhood Evacuation for Washington Hill: Information specific to our neighborhood & links to official evacuation guides

• Nevada County Fire Season Guide 2019-2020

• How to prepare your home for wildfires: 1 page fact sheet

• Protecting from Ember Ignition in attics & crawl spaces: 1 page fact sheet

• Fire resistant landscaping & improvements: Firewise Poster

• CalFire Ready, Set, Go brochures www.readyforwildfire.org

Resources

• Nevada County Fire Safe Council; low cost & free services, advice & info. areyoufiresafe.com

  • Low-cost on-site chipping program

  • They used to offer free help with vegetation management for low-income elders and handicapped folks, but have run out of funds for now.

• USDA Rural Development Loans & Grants

  • "...to repair, improve or modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards." Can be used for things like fire-resistant roofs, windows, siding, and work in the 5' no-fuel zone around your house.

  • Up to $40,000 loan at 1% interest for low-income homeowners who can't get affordable loans elsewhere

  • Up to $10,000 in grants for folks 62 years and older who can't repay a repair loan

  • Available for both Grass Valley & county residents

  • For more info, go online or call (530) 885-6505

• Natural Resources Conservation Services's Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) can cost-share on vegetation management for fire safety on larger parcels (in town or the county). For more information or to apply, visit their website, or call the local NRCS office at (530) 798-5533

• Insurance questions? Get advice from United Policyholders, a nonprofit that has helped many California residents who lost insurance or whose homes burned in recent wildfires. https://www.uphelp.org/resources/state-by-state/California

  • Dropped by your Insurer? Where to go for help in California

• Homeless concerns? Call Hospitality House Outreach Case Manager Joe Naake at 530 798-9817

• Want to know who owns a property? Use Nevada County's online property maps.

• Want easier gutter cleaning? Consider a metal micromesh gutter guard that will block pine needles. We used LeafsOut which cost about $430 in materials. A bunch of companies sell similar products.

Tips

• Green waste bins are a cheap and convenient way to keep up with yard waste. Make a habit of filling it up every 2 weeks to maximize savings. Don't have one? Call Waste Management at (530) 274-3090. Their largest size (96 gallons) costs $10.62 per month, and smaller sizes are even cheaper.