Hello folk. Wow Olga, take care! That must be really stressful having to deal with animals.
I've organised a village meeting. The subjects were , brief history of fires here and in general. A story of how it goes if a fire is happening for real. What we can do ourselves now and what we can do as a community in future.
People were pretty eager to speak and listen and meet. Everybody takes it serious now, and the neighbor who's house is touching mine has changed her tone a lot. She had mentioned i was approaching it 'angry' and that the fire brigade and community will handle it. She is now pro-active, so that is a big stressrelief.
We are not used to wildfire risk, that is the biggest problem. There is a lot to burn that would not even be around in places that live for years with wildfires. If i were prepared like most people replying here, i would install an American sprinkler system on the roof, block the gutters and be done with it. But i'm not there at all, i even deem it not realistic to strife for at this moment.
I've been getting up an hourbefore sunlight to avoid most of the heat and get rid of mulch, wood debris, wood stored close to the house, plastic planting containers moved into the garden away from the house. I've since found that removing the climbing plants was a good move, because if it sits there for years it collects so much dead wood. I tested an electrical well pump to see if it would still work and spray the roof construction, bought garden hoses and mouth pieces, ordered IBC's and an e friend borrowed a gas powered generator in case the electric drops. So a lot of stuff while trying to stay calm, pray, do breathing exercises and keep healthy, gather seeds for next season, juggle work outdoors and rest as well. And still so much to do... Easy does it. I sit in my hallway were temperatures are not too bad and the swallows have young and fly in and out over my head to feed them. I hope i can laugh about it all in a year's time. But now the risk albeit small remains serious.
The following text are tips i gathered from you guys and gals, thanks immensely for showing what a great global community we are. I've somewhat adapted it to our local situation and send it out in 3 languages to who ever wanted to hear in my small network. I'm sure it helps, awareness is a great start to get things moving reducing risks.
Things we can do ourselves and recommend.
Scrape moss off the roof and clear leaves from the gutters all around. Remove plastic gutters. This is because a wildfire causes a shower of burning debris that lands on the roof, collects in the gutter, and penetrates the roof structure.
Make sure you have enough garden hose to reach the entire front of the house and garden, and that it has a nozzle attached so the underside of the roof structure near the gutter can be sprayed regularly. It’s most practical to have a separate garden hose system set up at the back. Getting tangled up while running the hose in a stressful situation is not recommended.
Have enough water on hand to be able to spray the area yourself using an electric pump in case of a loss of water pressure. In the event that the above-ground power line burns out, it is advisable to power this electric pump with a gasoline or diesel generator. - Prune back or remove highly flammable or dried-out trees, shrubs, and vines that are touching the house.
Keep firewood and plastic furniture away from the house.
For larger trees, remove side branches up to a height of 2 meters so that burning grass cannot ignite the tree.
There is some controversy surrounding these recommendations because creating a dry grassy yard where the wind and sun have free rein actually results in a parched savanna every year, which in turn poses a fire hazard.
Meanwhile, a balanced garden with trees and shrubs nourishes the soil, which helps retain moisture in biomass and prevents ground fires.
These recommendations are therefore based on guidelines from areas where fires are a recurring phenomenon. The intention is not to cause panic. The fire department has managed to bring all fires under control so far, but the reality remains that we live in a forested area and that the small risk of an actual fire can indeed lead to catastrophic consequences and must therefore be taken seriously. We are not accustomed to living with the threat of wildfires and are adapting as best we can. Help one another wherever possible—many hands make light work—and remain vigilant and actively engaged with the community.
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