2015 Fire Season
As some of you may have heard, Summit Park is now one of only two nationally recognized FIREWISE / USA communities in Summit County. With this momentum, we are soliciting 2015 project suggestions from homeowners who recognize and appreciate the potential of this coming summer’s fire season. We are looking for ideas which emphasize education, understanding and fuel mitigation. One project which is currently being discussed is identifying and mapping the concentration of beetle killed dead or dying trees, obtaining property owners permission and then removing the diseased trees. This is a labor intensive and expensive endeavor. Funding assistance options are being explored. If you or anyone you know would like to assist with this project or have trees in their yard which are in question, please give me a call. We encourage all homeowners to take into consideration efforts to becoming responsible mountain stewards and explore ways they can reduce their personal fire risk. I have also included a link which helps demonstrate the argument why we all should do are part: NFPA Journal -Wildfire Watch
Thank you,
Mike Quinones
Fire and Safety Information Coordinator
Summit Park HOA
435-962-0317
1 Comment
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Dear Mike:
I truly appreciate all the work you have put into the effort of educating Summit Park residents in re. to the fire hazard we all face, and I also applaud you for all your work on making Summit Park a Firewise community. At last year’s HOA meeting I asked what, if any, legal standing the HOA had in regard to ensuring that all lot and home owners do their part in terms of removing dead trees. I seem to recall that, legally, there was little the HOA could do, other than urging everyone to do their part. Judging by the number of dead trees I see in the neighborhood, many residents don’t seem to think about the fire hazard. I think, besides your idea of identifying and asking permission to remove dead trees, I would like to see a map being created that shows possible escape routes in case of a major wildfire, either by car or on foot. Also, is there a system in place to warn residents about an approaching wildfire? The last time there was a wildfire was in 2001, when the fire burned up from I-80 towards Crestview Drive, and we were told to leave by a sheriff driving through our neighborhood, which may not be possible depending on where the fire may start.
Thank you,
Ursula Pimentel