Your neighbors in Sun Valley have formed a neighborhood Firewise community. Our all-volunteer group works to minimize the danger of wildfires.
We have created a network to educate ourselves on how to prevent and prepare for fires and leave safely, if necessary.
Sun Valley Flats
Our neighborhood has a confluence of natural dimensions: a creek with thick understory and overstory and combustible vegetation, narrow roads, few exit routes, and hills to the north and west / south. We will need to help each other in order to evacuate safely.
A Sun Valley community risk-assessment site walk is tentatively scheduled for January 2021. The walk is intended to document the overall global/neighborhood conditions visible from common areas so that we can develop an action plan and strategies to reduce our neighborhood’s risk. See our Area Map to review the boundaries of Sun Valley Flats and how we co-join three other critical coverage areas of Sun Valley in San Rafael.
Protect it
It all begins with preparation and communication. We will survey the neighborhood and help you take action to create defensible space around your property, inform you about safety protocol, and communicate before wildfire season.
As neighbors work together, often meeting one another for the first time, they build stronger bonds. This strengthening of community will benefit us in many ways and be especially helpful during an emergency.
Learn, volunteer, contribute.
Join our newsletter and receive updates to our site’s recognition efforts, meet your neighbors, and help us develop a “site plan”. Find out who may need help on your block and how to help them. Know how to act/ evacuate (with pets, children, and the elderly). Follow our local coordination of educational meeting to learn what your neighbors are doing to “harden their home” or create defensible space.
The San Rafael Fire Department and FIRESafe MARIN can support us best if we unify our communication as residents. Each participating site is required to have at least one wildfire risk-reduction educational outreach event or related activity annually and by signing up, you will stay informed!
Resources, links, and alerts
Ongoing education pertinent to the Sun Valley Flats area will be available here and online through FIRESafe MARIN, which provides resources, tips, and tools to prepare your family and home for wildfire.
Educating ourselves and knowing where to find information is the purpose of our group.
Further links:
Educational videos
Residents need to prepare today for wildfire season. FIRESafe MARIN provides a video library and information that is continually being updated. We encourage you to start with these:
The benefits of Firewise recognition
Site recognition could result in lower homeowner insurance, site-specific support from SRFD and clear guidelines for an action plan/ evacuation. Submit your email and join the mailing list so we can share quarterly updates. Keep an eye out for upcoming educational webinars, Sun Valley-specific site walks and wood-chipper days, evacuation planning, and more.
Get involved: your volunteer time, and the time spent by homeowners clearing their properties, counts toward the 1-hour investment required by each resident/ homeowner toward reducing wildfire risk. The more homeowners communicate together, the more help we can offer each other! Find out more about the recognition process.