Emergency Preparedness

BARTON HILLS COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN
ACTION PLAN

BHNA and its members will take the following actions in the next year to reduce and mitigate the risk of wildfire:

Encourage all residents and property owners to register their addresses with the website WarnCentralTexas.org in order to receive emergency warnings by e-mail, text, or telephone. (BHNA is a voluntary association of neighbors and has no authority to require compliance with recommended measures. But the neighbors have demonstrated good cooperation in community improvement efforts in the past, and we expect that they will again.)

Encourage all residents and property owners to download and read the fire preparedness manual Ready, Set, Go! (English / Spanish), in order to learn how to harden their property against wildfire and evacuate or shelter in place if necessary.

Encourage all residents to request a Structural Ignition Zone (SIZ) evaluation from AFD by calling 3-1-1. The SIZ evaluation will identify areas of risk on each property and measures that the owner can take to reduce or defend against the risk. To facilitate this measure, AFD has offered to conduct a class for 10-15 volunteers to teach them how to conduct SIZ evaluations and identify protective measures for themselves and their neighbors.

Encourage all residents to have the gutters at the edges of their roofs cleaned out. The greatest risk of a fire spreading is from embers that can float for long distances and carry fire from house to house. Removing dead leaves, sticks, and other debris from gutters is an easy and effective way to reduce that risk.

Set out “EXTREME FIRE DANGER” signs at the neighborhood entrances and the Greenbelt trailheads whenever the weather conditions call for warning.

Work with AFD and the Austin Transportation Department to designate preferred and alternate evacuation routes from the neighborhood, especially the Horseshoe Bend area and the Gus Fruh Trailhead, by mounting road signs similar to those used in hurricane zones.

Conduct an annual fire risk awareness event in cooperation with AFD to spread knowledge about fire and how we can protect against it.

Organize a Neighborhood Fire Alert Network of volunteers with views of the Barton Creek Greenbelt, who will agree to telephone 9-1-1 to alert AFD if they spot unexplained smoke.

Work with Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) on a plan to remove some of the dead wood that has accumulated in the Barton Creek Greenbelt over many years. PARD has maintenance teams to address this problem, but they are stretched thin trying to cover all of the parks in Austin. A volunteer dead wood removal event, even if supplemented by contract labor, would make little difference and still require PARD supervision. The Emergency Preparedness Committee will continue discussions with PARD on a solution they could approve.

For additional information, contact BHNA Emergency Preparedness Committee chair Craig Smith

Helpful Information for Emergency Preparedness