A 501C3 NONPROFIT CORPORATION OF CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF  

Deerhorn Valley, Honey Springs Ranch, Bratton Valley, Lyon’s Valley, Skyline Ridge, Lee Valley, Lawson Valley

NEXT MEETING

TUESDAY, MARCH 2ND

Deerhorn Fire Station ~ 7:00 PM

All community residents are encouraged to attend as the Board welcomes suggestions and participation in important matters including planning for 2010 events, motorized tool safety classes, street signs, and planning for purchase of equipment and services for three grants the OJFSC has obtained for the fiscal year 2010.

ALERT!    The OJFSC Board is starting a list of local residents who could benefit from FREE trimming of excess vegetation within 100 feet of homes to make them safer from wild fire.  The work will be done this spring using volunteers and equipment acquired through the USFS grant, including a chipper.  Priority will go to seniors, those who lost a home in the '07 fires, and the physically challenged.  In all we have funds and volunteer pledges to treat about 15 to 20 properties this year.  Reply to this email or call 463-8408 to get on the list or suggest someone who might benefit. 

USFS GRANT NEWS:    The Outer Jamul Fire Safe Council has recently received its first installment of $5000 from our federal grant.  It is designated to obtain insurance for the Council and to begin purchasing saws, cutters, and safety equipment for the volunteer defensible-space work.   Be on the lookout in March for information on safety classes etc.

 GET INVOLVED WITH OUR FIRE-SAFE COUNCIL: Let’s continue in 2010 to help make our communities safer from wildfire by volunteering some time to your Fire Safe Council.   Let’s also  help our Emergency Responders by making their jobs a little easier in their mission to protect property and save lives.

SEE YOU TUESDAY EVENING!
 If you wish additional information, or if you prefer to not receive OJFSC notices by email, please reply to this email, or contact Board President Tom Lamb at 619 463-8408.

“You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others”  -- Henry Drummond

 OJFSC PROJECTS FOR THIS YEAR

Community Input & Participation is a MUST

The following is a review of the grant projects that the OJFSC will be able to implement this year with help from community members.  Please find some time to assist in these efforts, even if it is just a little.  Also, the funding of course can only be used for the respective  grants and not for monthly expenses of the Fire Safe Council.  The OJFSC is in need of tax deductable  donations in order to operate in 2010.  Thanks to all. - TOM

U.S. FOREST SERVICE GRANT # 10USFS-ES676 

$165,000

Deerhorn Valley & Lyon’s Valley

FUEL REDUCTION~DEFENSIBLE SPACE PROJECT

This grant runs from the January 2010 through September 2011.  It comprises approximately $165,000.00 in direct Federal funding and approximately 2000 [volunteer] hours of pledged volunteer administrative and field work time by community members and two outside volunteer organizations.  Two main areas of focus are (1) contracted forestry work by licensed contractor(s) for thinning of vegetation along selected easement roads to make ingress and egress safer for residents and firefighters, (2) community and outside volunteers using OJFSC chipper and tools to create defensible space around private residences, priority going to senior citizens, 07 fire survivors who lost their home, or others who might otherwise face some challenges in thinning vegetation around their residence.  

The work will be done in winter and spring months of 2010 and 2011 in two communities, one hit by the 07 fires (Deerhorn Valley) and one area as yet spared, but vulnerable (Lyon’s Valley).  Fuel reduction in both areas will amount to hand tool thinning (not clearing) with minimal ground disturbance and awareness of sensitive habitat and endangered plants. 

Approximate distribution of funds will be $87,000 for contracted work along easements over two winter seasons, $24,000 for a contracted grant manager over 8 total months, $15,000 for environmental and mapping studies,  $6,000 for FSC insurance over two years.  In addition the OJFSC is funded to purchase a $20,000 chipper and will be allocated $7,000 for motor-driven tools, hand tools, safety gear, and tool safety classes.  The tools and chipper are to be used for this grant and future OJFSC projects.

Areas of input & Participation needed

• Volunteers for attendance at safety classes and occasional Saturday workdays using OJFSC tools to help develop defensible space around designated residences.

• Input as to who in your area could use help in creating defensible space around house and structures.  Senior citizens and others who genuinely could use assistance in fire-safe trimming around their homes are a priority.

• A lockable garage or storage building to safely store OJFSC chipper and other equipment

• Volunteers to assist in contacting property owners, phone calls, compiling time sheets, and helping with quarterly reports to the federal government.

• Recruitment of community members for a Saturday or two of volunteer field work.

• Publicity of FSC meetings, safety meetings, work events, media coverage, mailings, news releases, etc.

• Logging of work completed for periodic “success story” reporting to State and Federal grant managers , including before-and-after photography, human interest stories, and recording work progress.

SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC GRANT 

The OJFSC has obtained $2500.00 from SDG&E that is designated to help pay for publicity for OJFSC projects and events and other fire-related community projects such as promoting the sale of reflective house number signs by the Deerhorn Valley Fire Auxiliary. 

Areas of input & Participation needed

• Help in obtaining permits and sending out bulk mailing notices for events and promotions of OJFSC and  DV Fire Auxiliary.

• Creation of flyers, notices, posters, and signs to advertise events.

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Red Cross/FSC of San Diego County

COMMUNITY STREET SIGN GRANT 

The Fire Safe Council of San Diego County through a grant from the Red Cross, will provide 10 street signs to our community if we submit a list of intersections approved by the OJFSC Board by Febrary 15, 2010.  This grant will provide several thousand dollars worth of regulation green and silver metal street signs with metal poles for either county maintained roads, county/private road intersections, or private/private intersections.  

Areas of input & Participation needed

• Identify ntersections in need of street signs in your community.  All communities listed in the OJFSC introduction above are eligible for consideration.

• Volunteer time to install signs in your community following county specifications.  Although not certain, the County may be able to install the signs also.

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"In an medical or fire emergency, the single-most important

thing you can do is to make sure we can find you."

Make sure you have a non-combustible reflective metal sign at your drive entrance.

Order information on the DV Fire Auxiliary page

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DEBRIS PILES STILL THERE?

Two agencies provide FREE chipping service. But you must submit a request for service:

RFPD Chipping Program

Information/Requirements: www.sdrfire.org/chip.html

Email request to: chipping@sdrfire.org

FireSafe Council Chipping Service

Information/Requirements/ Request Form:

http://www.firesafesdcounty.org/programs/chipping.html

Rural 94 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)

Residents from the valleys of Deerhorn, Lyons, Lawson gathered on May 7, 2009, at Jamul Primary School to create a "wish list" of fire-wise projects to help protect lives and property during the next wildfire. As backcountry residents in a high fire-risk areas, it is so important that planning be done before the next fires. The OJFSC is leading this effort.

The 2-hour work session was led by Chris Blaylock (SD FireSafe Council) and Deerhorn residents Phyllis Dozier and Ruth Brewer. The ideas generated will be formalized as part of our Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The CWPP will be a document that will guide our requests for federal funds for fuel reduction (clearing, trimming, thinning) and structure protection. CWPP is designed to be a general guide for projects to make the our families and homes safer.

Full details can be found on the CWPP webpage.

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