High fire danger led the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts on Friday, and the Gloucester Fire Department would like to remind residents and business owners that they can help protect themselves by reviewing the Community Wildfire Protection Plan that was prepared by Cape Ann stakeholders this spring.
The Cape Ann Community Wildfire Protection Plan website, https://bit.ly/3CjdhPT, 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.
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.
The Cape Ann plan also identifies high-risk areas for wildfires and suggested strategies for preventing them and reducing risk.
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.
“The Gloucester Fire Department and other regional, state and federal stakeholders put a lot of work into creating this plan earlier this year in preparation for the dangerous fire conditions we knew would come,” Deputy Chief Robert Rivas said. “We encourage homeowners and business owners to review the plan and learn what they can about simple ways to protect lives and property.”
To learn more about the plan or to view its full details, visit https://bit.ly/3CjdhPT.