Summary of Safety Activities
The fire detection camera on top of Soda Springs Ski Resort is well on its way to being installed in the summer of 2024. Both “sides” - University of Nevada Reno and POWDR CORP - have agreed to language and now the signatures are in progress. As soon as the snow melts, installation will begin. Thank you to Mike Spain at Soda Springs Ski Resort for working through. the contractual details with his legal team at their parent company, POWDR CORP, in Utah. And thank you to the University of. Nevada Team for addressing the questions and responding.
The FireWise Certification application has been submitted for 2023 and the community results are most impressive. Last year 2022, we reported 1,723 hours worked creating defensible space and $494,671 spent for contracted tree services which equates to a total of $569,388 (per the FireWise calculations). For 2023, we reported 3,133 hours worked and $518,678 spent for contracted tree services which equates to a new all-time total high of $633,565 - a 12% increase. Thank you to our incredible community for all the home hardening efforts and for creating/sustaining defensible space on each of your properties. We are a model community for embracing fire prevention. Keep it up, and we have more to do - read on.
The Safety Zoom call on October 25 had over 50 participants as many requests for the recording. The recording has been posted on the SLPOA website on the main page (everyone can access it). Thank you to Truckee Fire for sharing the results of their recent Serene Lakes Risk Assessment. Highlights of the risk assessment reveal that only 10% of homes meet defensible and home hardening requirements. The best opportunity remains to limb up trees (6 feet clearance from the ground up to the lowest branch), home hardening within 5 feet of homes/structures, removing dead trees (did you know we have over 115 dead trees on private properties?), and removing branches over homes. More details are presented in the recording or posted slides (see the SLPOA website). Finally, we were pleased to have Truckee Fire Marshall who presented on structures covering propane tanks and the efforts underway to educate homeowners on compliance with the requirements. If you are considering covering your propane tank, listening to the recording is well worth your time.
The Serene Lakes Risk Assessment (by Truckee Fire) has been shared with CalFire per the requirements of being a FireWise Community. We are awaiting approval of the Risk Assessment, including the Action Plan. The Risk Assessment brought to light the lack of a complete 100-foot defensible space surrounding the Serene Lake Community. Therefore, one key goal in the next three years is to partner with other key stakeholders to create a “clean”/defensible space margin bordering Serene Lakes, including our single egress from railroad tracks to Cascade Rd. In October, the Safety Committee met with key stakeholders to begin this project. Key stakeholders included PGE, Soda Springs Ski Resort, Truckee Donner Land Trust, Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Fire, Nevada and Placer County Roads Department, Sierra Lakes County Water District, and Sugar Bowl. The 100-foot margin is not a clear-cut of the forest but rather the creation of a healthy forest with spacing between trees, no dead trees, and no low/ground brush. The Safety Committee is pleased to support Truckee Fire as they agreed to take the lead on this project. Remember to read the Serene Lakes Risk Assessment on the SLPOA main website under Safety (available for allto read).
Mark your calendars for Summer 2024 for Truckee Fire Inspections. The Truckee Fire Inspectors have previously
completed 200 property inspections in Serene Lakes. Next summer, they will complete the remaining lots. They are supporting our efforts to create defensible space and home hardening for fire prevention. As much work as we have done, sadly, we have far more to do as of now only 1 out of 10 lots meet requirements. In Spring 2024, Truckee Fire will open up its website for property owners to schedule their inspections with an inspector and walk through their property. This is highly recommended. If a property owner doesn’t schedule, the inspectors will evaluate their properties from the street. The requirement from Measure T is that every home will be evaluated at least once every three years.