Oakland Community Preparedness & Response (OCP&R) provides awareness, resources, and support to help increase the community preparedness level and to improve disaster response capabilities for residents of Oakland (and beyond).
OCP&R also works to organize neighborhoods for emergency preparedness training, Neighborhood Watch for crime prevention, and for recognition by the national Firewise USA™ program.
The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise USA® program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action to help make their community more firesafe.
The Oakland Firesafe Council/OCP&R is encouraging Oakland neighborhood groups to join the growing network of more than 1,500 Firewise USA® sites from across the nation by taking ownership in preparing and protecting their homes and communities against the threat of wildfire.
WHY GET FIREWISE RECOGNIZED?
- Greatly reduces your wildfire risk
- Makes your home more resilient should a wildfire strike
- Makes our neighborhoods wildfire resistant
- May help obtain/retain insurance
- Some insurance companies give a discount
4 EASY STEPS:
- ORGANIZE: form small committee
- PLAN: perform assessment and create action plan
- DO: complete those actions
- SHARE: celebrate your success and report efforts back to Firewise USA®
LEARN MORE IN OUR TOWN HALL RECORDING
View this recording of OFSC’s town hall, “Know the Way to Firewise USA®”, to learn more.
Refer to this PDF of Macy M. Cornell’s presentation for clickable links.
CONTACT
Macy Cornell
Oakland Firesafe Council Firewise Lead
macymcornell@gmail.com
Are you parking safely for yourself, neighbors and first responders?
DID YOU KNOW that a fire engine needs a road width of 20 FEET* to assure access in an emergency?
Many streets in our area aren’t 20 feet wide, so when you’re parking be sure to leave room for emergency vehicles. It could be YOUR life at stake.
* From CA Fire Code 503.2.1:
“Fire apparatus access roads shall have an unobstructed width of not less than 20 feet (6096 mm), exclusive of shoulders, except for approved security gates in accordance with Section 503.6, and an unobstructed vertical clearance of not less than 13 feet 6 inches.”
NEED MORE CONVINCING?
Take a look at this home video by Janice Gatlin and imagine YOUR family is waiting while the fire engines thread the needle through parked cars.
DANGEROUSLY PARKED CAR?
Print this NOTICE to leave on the windshield (there are 2 per page).
A fire hydrant covered by vegetation, or half-buried in leaves and soil, or missing its blue Bott’s Dot street markers, can be difficult for firefighters to locate in an emergency, when seconds count.
CHECK FIRE HYDRANTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
- Clear around hydrants so that they are visible from the street.
- Report to OAK 311 if they appear to be damaged, leaking, etc.
- Verify that at least one blue Bott’s Dot is affixed in the centerline of the street adjacent to the hydrant. Report if it is missing.
- Perform these checks a couple times a year.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Be safe! Place safety cones in the street to warn motorists, wear a reflective vest and have an assistant to alert you for vehicles.
- Use only hand tools to clear around hydrants. Be careful not to cause sparks!
- DO NOT paint over or alter the color of the hydrant–the caps are color coded and the white body is uniform and recognized by firefighters, and easier to see at night.
GENOAK is a neighborhood-to-neighborhood emergency 2-way radio communications network for Oakland and nearby areas.
In the event of a large-scale emergency, individuals and neighborhood/CERT groups may need to depend on information and assistance from other nearby communities. Cellular, Internet and landline phone communications may be overloaded or disrupted at this time and GENOAK can provide an alternate means to communicate.
Oakland Firesafe Council’s town hall series covers topics related to disaster readiness, focusing on practical knowledge to help you to make good judgments and to take actionable steps towards emergency preparedness.
SERIES 2 (2022) – “Savvy & Prepared Communities”: this 4-part virtual town hall series (January through May 2022) is focused on working together and preparing as a community. For session topics and schedule, see EVENTS page. Recordings of sessions will be posted here when they come available.
SESSION 1: Whatever the Weather
SESSION 2: Know the Way to Firewise USA® , Presentation PDF
SESSION 3: Reducing Fire Risks As A Community
SESSION 4: If You Gotta Go
SERIES 1 (2021) – The “Savvy Homeowner/Renter in Our Disaster-Prone Area”: this 5-part virtual town hall series featured Oakland City staff and other experts providing in-depth information on how residents can protect their loved ones and property and be more resilient following a disaster.
SESSION 1: The City of Oakland Prepares for the 2021 Fire Season
SESSION 2: Remember the Ember – Hardening Your Home Against Wildfire
SESSION 3: All About Defensible Space
SESSION 4: Not a Matter of If, But When–Earthquake Preparedness
SESSION 5: Insurance Matters