June is Lake Tahoe’s Wildfire Awareness Month. How Prepared Are You?

June is Lake Tahoe’s Wildfire Awareness Month.  How Prepared Are You?

With the summer upon us, it’s the right time to plan and prepare your home and property with defensive space.   To help you get to it now, and not later, our team at Borelli Architecture in Incline Village, NV has done some research and is now providing you with some helpful contacts, websites, and events that are part of our annual Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Preparedness Month.

Why Prepare Now?

What began as a very dry winter in the Lake Tahoe Basin ended with Sierra snowpack approximately 85% of normal, thanks to heavy precipitation received during the month of March. However, both the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and the Reno National Weather Service (NWS) expect a warming trend to develop that will lead to drier than normal conditions by late spring.

As a result, the below average snow pack is expected to melt faster, grasses and other vegetation are expected to dry out earlier and wildland fire activity is likely to increase to above average by mid-summer.

Wildfire Preparedness Tips

Springtime in the Sierra is the perfect time to complete defensible space clean up around homes, review evacuation plans, sign-up for reverse 911 your county, contact local fire districts to schedule free defensible space evaluations, learn about free chipping services, and talk to neighbors about the importance of wildfire preparedness.

Permanent residents, second-home owners and vacation home owners/renters should familiarize themselves with and follow advice found at this link from Living With Fire.  It offers an extensive list of things you and your family can do to be as prepared as possible.

Free Seminars and Events About Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Month

If you want to get a jump-start to prepare you home and property, take time to attend one of the many events our local authorities have planned on your behalf.

Date/Time	Event
06/01/2018 All Day	Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Month Begins! ,
06/09/2018 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Wildfire Safety Expo TJ Maxx Parking Lot, South Lake Tahoe CA
06/15/2018 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm	Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Zephyr Cove Post Office, Zephyr Cove NV
06/16/2018 9:00 am – 3:00 pm	Whispering Pines Shrub Crawl & Block Party Whipering Pines, Incline Village NV
06/27/2018 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm	Learn S’More About Fire Safety and Fire Safe Zephyr Cove Beach, Zephyr Cove NV
06/30/2018 8:00 am – 10:00 am	Community Pancake Breakfast – North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District North Lake Tahoe Fire Station, Incline Village NV

Remember it’s not a matter of “if” the next wildfire will occur, it’s a matter of “when”.

If you have any specific questions about preparing your home for wildfire, please feel free to directly contact our local North Lake Tahoe Protection District at 775 831 0351 or stop in their main headquarters at 866 Oriole Way, Incline Village, NV  89451.

Finally, as your neighbor who has lived on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore for over 30 years, I have learned quite a bit about defensible space.  Feel free to contact me at any time for tips that I have learned over the years...

Jim

 

 

 

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Truckee / Lake Tahoe
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060