|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
With national Fire Prevention Week starting on Sunday, Oct. 5, we’re highlighting some local fire-safety tips, including the scoop on how local cities are sharing information on using lithium-ion batteries safely, plus the stories of two Peninsula residents who’ve added smart wildfire defense systems to their propeties and Midpen’s ongoing efforts to help prevent widespread fires in open spaces.
Safety tips: Lithium-ion batteries
As part of the National Fire Protection Association’s annual Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 5-11 and carries the theme “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home,” some local organizations – including Woodside Fire Protection District, the Palo Alto Fire Department and the Mountain View Fire Department – plan to share tips on safely using these batteries via their websites, social media or through fire-prevention events.
Despite their advantages, lithium-ion batteries have the potential to overheat, catch fire, or explode. While the exact number of Peninsula fires caused by these batteries is difficult to track, lithium-ion batteries were reportedly the cause of at least four fires involving homes, cars and businesses so far since the start of this year in Mountain View, according to news coverage at the time these fires occurred.
Lithium-ion battery safety tips
- Buy only listed products. When buying a
product that uses a lithium-ion battery look
for a safety certification mark such as UL,
ETL, or CSA. This means it meets important
safety standards. - Charge devices safely. Always use the cables
that came with the product to charge. Follow
the instructions from the manufacturer. Buy
new chargers from the manufacturer or one
that the manufacturer has approved.
Charge your device on a hard surface. Don’t
overcharge your device. Unplug it or remove
the battery when it’s fully charged. - Stop using your device right away if thebattery smells weird, gets too hot, makes popping noises, changes in shape or color. If it is safe, move the device away from anything that can catch fire. Call 9-1-1.
- Recycle batteries responsibly. Don’t throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or regular recycling bins because they could start a fire.
- Recycle your device or battery at a safe battery recycling location. Visit call2recycle.org to find a recycling spot near you.
-Information from National Fire Protection Association
The campaign offers best practices for how to buy, charge and recycle lithium-ion batteries, now very common in powering everything from cell phones, lap tops, power tools, toys and other rechargeable home electronics, as they can overheat, start a fire or even explode if overcharged or damaged. The NFPA has a downloadable fact sheet available on its website.
“Fire safety starts at home,” stated Woodside Fire Protection District Public Education Officer Selena Brown in a press release. “Simple steps – like using the right charger, storing batteries properly and disposing of them safely – can prevent small incidents from becoming life-threatening emergencies.”
The district will be sending out simple weekly safety tips on social media throughout October, including information on safe charging, signs of battery problems, outdoor safety, battery storage and transport, and Halloween fire safety.
“In a wildfire-prone region like ours, even a small battery fire can quickly spread to vegetation,” the press release notes. “Practicing safe charging and disposal reduces fire hazards and helps keep our community safer.”
Mountain View will share tips via social media, Palo Alto will provide safety tips at an open house at Fire Station 6 on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Events: Palo Alto Fire Station 6
The Palo Alto Fire Department will be holding an open house on Sunday, Oct. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fire Station 6 (711 Serra St., Stanford), as part of Fire Prevention Week. The event will include a station tour, the chance to look inside an emergency vehicle, an art table, and fire-prevention info and swag. The department is also holding a fire-safety poster contest for kids in grades K-5 during the month of October, according to Fire Marshal Tamara Jasso.
Homeowner efforts: Smart wildfire sprinklers
When the Tubbs Fire swept through Sonoma County in 2017, Peninsula resident David Ginsburg saw many of his wife’s colleagues lose their homes. At the time, his family was in the midst of building their dream house in a forested hillside area susceptible to wildfire.
The devastation up north made him rethink the risks.
“We started thinking very seriously about fires,” Ginsburg said. “We’re building right at the edge of the woods; maybe we want an extra line of defense.”
In addition to the fire sprinkler system required by local code, Ginsburg’s family decided to take an extra step and invested around $75,000 to install a Frontline Wildfire Defense system on the exterior of his 5,500-square-foot home.
The app-connected sprinklers, developed by firefighters and technologists in Wyoming, can soak a property with water and biodegradable foam to block wind-blown embers, the leading cause of wildfire home loss. The newest version of the system can even auto-activate when flames are detected within seven miles.
The Frontline website states that 96% of Frontline-protected homes survived the Los Angeles-area fires earlier this year, as opposed to around 35% overall.
For retired Los Altos teacher John Harney, wildfire worries and insurance woes prompted him to try the Frontline system. His redwood cabin in Woodside backs onto acres of open space. Fire inspectors once told him, “If a fire comes through here, your house is going to be gone.”
Despite clearing brush and following safety rules, Harney watched his premiums climb while neighbors lost coverage altogether.
“It kept going up, and they gave me a punch list to do, I would do it all, then they’d send me another punch list,” he said. “Meanwhile, I learned about neighbors; their insurance was getting canceled. I figured, they’re just making it impossible.”
Concerned he’d eventually lose his coverage despite his diligent compliance, especially after the CZU Lightning Complex fires threatened his property in 2020, he decided to take a proactive approach and opted for installing a Frontline Wildfire Defense System, cashing out his 401K to pay the $35,000 cost.
He now tests it monthly (using just water, not the fire-retardant foam) and, while the expense has been considerable, he hopes the system will help safeguard the property against fire risks for the foreseeable future, regardless of what Mother Nature – and insurance companies – may do.
“I’ve done pretty much everything I can do at this point,” he said.
Wildlands: Midpen’s efforts to protect open spaces
With hotter, drier weather making wildfires a year-round risk, the Midpeninsula Open Space District is working to actively protect Peninsula open spaces through its Wildland Fire Resiliency Program that rolled out in 2021. The district, which manages more than 72,000 acres of local open space, has reduced vegetation, created detailed fire plans, used prescribed burns and monitored results to lower risks while protecting local landscapes as part of the program.
This year, the organization is working on numerous projects, including expanding shaded fuel breaks at La Honda Creek Preserve and managing vegetation around Foothill, Monte Bello and Los Trancos Open Space preserves. It recently removed eucalyptus trees along Interstate Highway 84 to help maintain the road as an evacuation route, as reported recently by The Almanac.
Additional reporting by Linda Taaffe
