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CONTACT Gambrill Park Road Community Watch Send Us 
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You are here: Home > click here for more Firewise info
The Gambrill Park Road Community Neighborhood Watch
invites you to participate in
The 1st Annual Gambrill Park Road Community Firewise Day
on Saturday October 16th, 2004 (October 23/raindate)
sponsored by The Maryland State Forest Service and Firewise Communities/USA
On this day we will work together to improve the survivability of our homes and community to the threat of wildfire.
STEP 1: Look up the fire risk-rating for your home at:
http://www.gambrillparkwildfire.com/p5.html
This risk-rating was done under a Federal grant by Ranger David Robbins, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, State of Maryland Forest Service
(note: most homes in our community were risk-rated as being a moderate fire danger to being a high fire danger)
STEP 2: On Saturday October 16th (October 23/raindate) perform any/or all of these suggested tasks around your home:
• Within 30 feet of all structures: Remove all dead fuel and any vegetation directly touching the house.
• Within 100 feet of all structures: Thin live fuels and reduce/remove dead fuels. Prune branches to a height of 15 feet.
• If you have an LPG tank, remove wildland fuels within 30-foot radius.
• Clean roofs and gutters to remove any flammable debris.
• Move woodpiles 50-75 feet away from any structure, preferably upslope.
• Enclose openings under all decks and balconies with wire screen.
• Remove any tree branches extending within 10 feet of a chimney flue.
• Install a spark arrester on your chimney that meets the requirements of the National Fire Protection Association code 211. The arrester should consist of non-flammable screen with openings no greater than 1/2".
• Make your driveway accessible for fire fighting equipment by maintaining a travel lane 12’ – 16’ wide, with 15’ of overhead clearance, free of tree branches. Keep driveway easily traversable by filling ruts and potholes, and smoothing out bumps. Try to keep grades of 12% or less, and make sure any bridges or culvert pipes can support at least 40,000 pounds of weight. Create an area where trucks can turn around, and if your driveway has a turn-around loop, make sure it has a radius of 45’ – 60’.
• improve house numbering signage at road/mailbox with green reflective number signs to help emergency responders wayfinding.
STEP 3: Fill out the attached Volunteer Time Sheet with your volunteer hours AND any expenditures incurred performing these tasks, and return (by hand, or by US Mail, or email me your hours/expenditures) by October 30th to:
Steve Chambers, 11121 Gambrill Park Road, Frederick, MD 21702, or to steve@atomicweb.com
(it is important that I get your time sheets as we have to meet a $2/per capita investment goal, which is approx. $678 for our community to be offically Firewise rated)
If you have any questions, please contact a neighborhood Firewise board member:
Larry Hood
12000 Gambrill Park Road
301 293-9604
Robert McCutcheon
10420 Gambrill Park Road
301 293-3466
Johnna Wheeler
12100 Gambrill Park Road
301 293-3207
Steve Chambers
11121 Gambrill Park Road
301 293-4193
or contact: David Robbins at 301-791-4010
Check for news/updates at:
http://www.gambrillparkwildfire.com
Adopting Firewise tactics can help reduce the danger faced by our community, arising from the heavily wooded area, and its topography and use. That hazard can be strongly, if not 100 percent ... prevented by our community adopting Firewise techniques. Fire crews appreciate any efforts by residents to partner with them in fire prevention and response, especially through visible house numbering, which is a problem in our area. Anything anybody does that prepares them to protect themselves against wildfires is only going to benefit the fire department.
Maryland Open Air Burning Regulations
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/otheragencies/firenotes.html
Download Volunteer Time Sheet PDF