Three-year Firewise Community Action Plan 2021

The Greater Cement Hill Neighborhood Association will maintain a Firewise Committee of at least three members to coordinate fire prevention activities and communicate current information on local fire risks, best practices for fire prevention and emergency evacuation procedures.

Fire Risk Reduction Actions

• Conduct one community fuel reduction workday to improve fire-safe road clearance. A workday organized at the Old Airport property in April fulfills this requirement.
• Work with representatives from Nevada County, Nevada City, including the Nevada City Fire Safety Advisory Committee, the Bear Yuba Land Trust, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reduce fuels and fire risk in Open Space areas and along exit roads.
• Encourage neighbors to utilize Defensible Space Advisory Visits to assess their properties, learn methods to mitigate fuel risks and increase defensible space compliance.
• Investigate the process with the County and property owners to install emergency evacuation signage at the northwest end of Cement Hill Road to clarify the exit to Cedarsong Road.

Communication and Education

• Conduct an annual meeting to educate homeowners on fire risk reduction efforts, evacuation options and to gain support for achieving shared goals. Schedule in September and invite a guest speaker from Cal Fire, the Coalition of Firewise Communities, or the FireSafe Council.
• Publish fire safety articles in our periodic neighborhood newsletter. Educational materials include defensible space information, “First Five Feet Matter”, home hardening options, meeting schedules, participation opportunities, and our Household Fire Risk Mitigation form to track work.
• Provide links on our website and in the newsletters to critical fire information websites.
• Encourage members to sign up for CodeRED. Inform members about the Ready Nevada County Dashboard, the Hi-Low siren system, and the Zone Haven Tool.
• Maintain a current roster of neighborhood association members and non-member residents in the Greater Cement Hill area. Use the website, emails, and newsletters to communicate neighborhood fire safety activities, emergency alerts and other fire safety reminders.
• Enhance our method for community members to report mitigation efforts with an online option or through road reps.
• Create a plan to reach out to new homeowners and to increase association membership.
• Solicit ideas from road representatives on ways to mitigate fire risk particular to their roads and enhance communication among close neighbors in the event of a local fire.