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Agendas and Minutes

Wildfire Safety Management Advisory Committee (View All)

Regular Meeting Minutes

Agenda
Wednesday, October 18, 2017

MINUTES FOR A MEETING OF THE
WILDFIRE MITIGATION COMMISSION
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
11:00AM to 1:00PM
Training Room, Ashland Fire Station #1
455 Siskiyou Blvd

CALL TO ORDER: 11:05am
INTRODUCTIONS
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: August 16, 2017 (No minutes from September)

Doug made a motion to approve the August 16, 2017 minutes. Tracy seconded. All in favor.

PUBLIC FORUM
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA
BUSINESS
1. New Business
  1. Ashland Firewise Event
    1. Ashland’s second Firewise Event is on Monday, October 23^rd from 5:30-7:00pm at the Bellview Grange. Alison and Doug will get there by 5pm on Monday, October 23^rd.
  2. Trailer input for demonstrations
    1. There is discussion about creating a mobile trailer for events that includes examples of Firewise landscaping. Alison has some Firewise grant funding for this project. Alison, Doug and Tim will have a rough overview of the trailer specs for the November meeting.
  3. CEAP Plan Review
    1. The Mayor is appointing an Ad-hoc Committee for the CEAP, and will present it at a November City Council meeting. The CEAP Coordinator position has been hired. Stef may be the liaison for the committee and will look at the 64 actions on the CEAP plan.
  4. Era of Megafires Presentation: November 9^th
    1. Alison and Chris are looking for a venue for the presentation. They are working with SOU to have it at the Science Auditorium.
2. Old Business
  1. Committee Updates: (4 minutes each)
    1. Plant List Subcommittee
      1. Alison sent 30 copies of the Firewise Plants for the Rogue Valley brochure to Shooting Star Nursery. The Subcommittee will meet in the winter with OSU Extension, Shooting Star, Master Gardners and SOLA to get some final comments and incorporate it with the graphics of the Firewise Landscaping Brochure. The committee plans on sending it out on the Ashland Food Project email site as well. For next fire season: Hand out Firewise Landscaping Brochure to the Firewise Event. What about Facebook? We can post on Ashland Seniors United, Ashland Peeps, Triangle Neighborhood & Next Door.
      2. Can we do something visual for the community? Alison has a short video from the Firewise Expo. Can she use this to share? Burn to learn? Alison will talk to Paradux Video about making a short 30 second video about flammable plants
    2. Wildfire Mitigation Ordinance
      1. Work is ongoing. A second Intterra/Risk Assessment tour was attended by the Mayor, Planning Commission and Wildfire Commission. The Ordinance language is almost in place. The timeline for the Ordinance is being updated.
      2. Question: Do we feel comfortable with the prohibited plant list? The Plant List Subcommittee will meet to review this list before the next meeting?
    3. Smoke Marketing
      1. An advertorial highlighting prescribed fire smoke vs. wildfire smoke is being finalized for the November Oregon Healthy Living publication. Half page ads are going to run in the Tidings that will include health messages. Can we have a presence on the Social Media groups mentioned above? Videos will be placed at the movie theaters.
    4. Wildfire Task Force (Smoke, Evac/Com, Business Resilience)
      1. Emergency. Chris and Alison can mention Citizen Alert in the next Alarm Box column in the Daily Tidings. How can we get the emergency messages to people staying in AirBnb?
        
        Identify what the role of public health in Jackson County?
        
        Identify what the role of business recovery during a smoke event?
        
        How can we define the responsibility of government during a disaster?
    5. Community Wildfire Protection Plan
      1. The Risk Assessment is being worked on by the City GIS Specialist. A wildfire assessment that sections the city off in 13 areas of degree of risk will be used to communicate the wildfire risk.
    6. Farmer's Market
      1. Great year for the table. Doug will meet with Mary Ellen about having a trailer at next year’s Farmers Market.
    7. Firewise, USA
      1. Lower Park is interested in becoming Firewise. Alison brought 30 packets to a landowner on Glendale Street to hand out.
    8. AFR Update
      1. There are 3,700 acres of burn piles on Forest Service and private land. Crews will be burning piles as soon as we get adequate rainfall.
3. Parking Lot Issues
  1. Branding the WMC
  2. Wildfire Commission Collateral
  3. Commission Communication
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
REVIEW AND SET COMMISSION CALENDAR / NEXT MEETING
1. Mayors Brown Bag Lunch: October 27, 2017, 12:00pm (ComDev)
2. WMO Meeting: TBD (Station 1)
3. Wildfire Task Force: November 1, 10:30am (Station 1)
4. Next WMC Meeting: November 15, 2017, 11:00am (Station 1)
AGENDA ITEMS FOR November 15, 2017

1. 30 Second Video of flammable plants burning
2. Update from Plant Subcommittee

ADJOURN: 12:35pm

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Public Works Office at 488-5587 (TTY phone number 1 800 735 2900). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title I).