GLOUCESTER — Wildfire season has arrived in New England, and high winds, drought conditions and warmer weather have made the conditions for wildfires ripe, so the Gloucester Fire Department would like to remind the community that there is a comprehensive plan available online that can help property owners protect themselves from wildfire.
The Cape Ann Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) includes resources that can help homeowners and business owners learn more about the threats in their community and how to mitigate them using simple steps on their property.
A CWPP is a collaborative document developed for a community, or group of communities, in the wildland urban interface — areas where homes and businesses are comingled with forest and brush. It’s a comprehensive and strategic plan that aims to reduce the risk of wildfire damage to people, property, and natural and cultural resources. The CWPP was developed with the participation of local residents, community leaders, land managers, fire personnel and other stakeholders.
The Cape Ann CWPP was initiated and put into place last spring in response to several large and threatening wildfires in the area over the past couple of years. Community leaders wanted to take steps to help mitigate the potential damage from such wildfires.
The Cape Ann CWPP hubsite, which can be accessed here, provides detailed maps of Cape Ann along with numerous resources for home and business owners to protect their properties against fire. An entire section of the plan is focused on steps that home and property owners can take to help protect their properties, and the Gloucester Fire Department would like to direct residents to that portion of the plan in particular.
Among the tips for homeowners are reducing flammable brush within 5 feet of the home, keeping gutters clean and keeping trees trimmed back from homes and trimmed at least 10 feet from the ground.
“Wildfires are a constant threat, especially in these current conditions, but there are a lot of effective measures that homeowners and property owners can do to protect themselves,” said Chief Smith. “Our Cape Ann CWPP hubsite spells out numerous, simple and effective steps that can be taken to protect property. Please don’t wait until it is too late. Spring is a perfect time to clean up a property and to take measures that could save your home and property later on. I encourage all property owners in Gloucester to check it out.”
In addition to spelling out measures that property owners can take to protect their properties, the CWPP also spells out several strategies for local land managers and government officials.
Those strategies include mechanical fuel treatments, in which vegetation that can fuel fires is managed; adding fire containment features to the environment, such as firebreaks; working with local home owners associations and residents to develop fuel break measures around homes and properties; working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish forest projects that reduce wildfire risk; and implementing a community chipper program to encourage residents to keep brush and other vegetation cut back from their homes.
To learn more about the plan or to view its full details, click here.
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