Page Title

Forest Grove

Firefighters Association

"Trained to Save, Committed to Serve"

(503) 992-3240 FAX (503) 992-3243 Email Us
1919 Ash Street Forest Grove, Oregon 97116
Website Created and maintained by Forest Grove Firefighters Association

2009
Monthly Call Totals:

January: 198
February: 197
March: 190
April: 202
May: 211
June: 206
July: 217
August: 218
September: 196
October: 213
November: 192
December:
Total: 2241

2008
Total Calls: 2704

Department News

Apparatus

Wildland Fire Preparedness

Are you prepared for a wildland fire?

We at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue would like to provide you with tips in helping to protect yourself and property
from a wildland fire.

Here are some tips to help protect your home and property in the event of a wild fire.

Limb up trees to a minimum of 15 feet from the ground.
Maintain a natural fire break free of fuel around your house of at least 30 feet on flat ground and 100 feet if your home
is located on a hillside.
Remove any piles of debris from near your home or other structures on your property. This would include piles of
stacked wood used for home heat.
Make sure your roof and gutters are regularly clear of debris.
Keep combustible items away from the exterior of your home or other structures on your property.
Landscape with fire resistive plants and landscaping, try to keep plants spaced at least 15 feet apart. Also try to keep
your landscaping watered during the summer months, this will help in maintaining a defensible space around your home
in the case of a wildland fire.
Soak all ashes in water for at least 24 hours, prior to disposing of them.

Fall, Winter and Spring are great times to start preparing your property and home for a wildland fire. Fall and
Spring fall into our backyard burning season, this means that you can burn any debris on your property. This is
the time to get rid of the excess fuel loading on your property. Burn season is open roughly 3 1/2 months in the
spring and 2 1/2 months in the fall. More information on open burning can be found here.

Some other helpful tips which will help us as responders getting to you in the case of a wild fire or other
emergencies.

Making sure you address is clearly marked.

Forest Grove Fire and Rescue offers rural address signs to rural fire district members to better mark your driveway in the
case of an emergency. For more information on our rural address sign program
click here.

Making sure your driveway is free and clear of debris will help us in getting to you faster.

Not only is making sure the surface of your driveway is clear, but also having the tree limbs trimmed back will aid in getting a
large fire engine up your driveway in the event of an emergency. Here is a picture to illustrate the room needed for a fire
engine.

Trim the trees and brush back to a
minimum width of 20 feet and a
minimum height of 14 feet. This
will provide adequate clearance for
responding fire apparatus to safely
make it up your driveway.

If your driveway is not maintained
to the clearances listed above it may
be difficult for us to get to you during you emergency.

Making sure there is adequate room at your home for a fire engine to turn around.

If there is not enough room to turn a fire engine around at your home, we will have to back down your driveway. This may
pose as a hazard to us as fire fighters. In the winter months the ground is soft and in a tight driveway a fire engine could very
easily get stuck. In the summer months during the event of a wildland fire this could be an extreme hazard. When there is a
wild fire, fire crews when at a structure want to be facing outwards in case they need to leave in a hurry. Not having enough
room to turn around at the end of the driveway can pose a hazard for this reason.

For more information please contact us at 503.992.3240