Firewise
Chamberlands is a Firewise Community
 
Wildfire is the greatest risk to our peace and happiness in Chamberlands and the magic of the Tahoe Basin. All of us have a part to play in reducing wildfire risk; protecting our own homes also protects our neighborhood.
 
Thanks to neighbors' efforts, Chamberlands has earned the Firewise designation. The Firewise USA® recognition program provides a collaborative framework to help neighbors in a geographic area take action to reduce wildfire risks at the local level. Several insurance companies offer discounts for properties in Firewise communities. Learn more about Firewise here.
 
What Can I Do?
 
  • No fire outside! That means no charcoal BBQs, open fire in fire pits, fireworks, or dropping cigarette butts in duff. Eliminate these from your cabin, and educate renters and guests on the danger they pose.
 
  • Continue clearing brush as it grows. You can pile up your brush and request that North Tahoe Fire come and chip it back onto your property for free. (You do have to ask them to come out - they don’t just roam Tahoe looking for piles.)  
 
  • Schedule a defensible space inspection with North Tahoe Fire. Their wildfire prevention officer will look around the outside of your property and recommend wildfire mitigations. Their recommendations are non-binding, and they do not issue citations or fines. This is purely a homeowner education effort. Learn more here.
 
  • Or DIY: create your own home hardening to-do list. Start with this helpful resource from the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. While the entire list can look overwhelming, remember that every action you take, even the easy/cheap projects, reduces risk. The only wrong thing to do is nothing.
 
  • Log your activities to reduce fire hazard at Chamberlands Firewise. This includes both time and money you and your helpers spend clearing vegetation, tree trimming, raking duff away from the foundation and off the roof, replacing vent grates with fire-safe mesh, enclosing the undersides of decks, replacing wood decks with more fire-safe materials, adding fire-safe siding, or replacing a shake roof. All the time and money we spend not only qualifies us for Firewise, but also for potential future grants.
 
  • Help us update our 3-year action plan, which identifies the highest-priority items we need to work on as a neighborhood. If you have strong opinions about what we should do about wildfire, this is your chance to shape our plan.
 
  • Get in touch! Email us at chamberlands-firewise-committee (at) googlegroups (dot) com.