What it will take to renew our Firewise membership

General
#1

To keep NRG’s Firewise membership active, each year we must submit data on fire-prevention efforts. For 2023, here’s what’s wanted from each household:

VOLUME of vegetation removed*
TIME spent fireproofing any/everything
MONEY spent fireproofing any/everything.

Please try to keep track, so you can respond to the following questions this fall.

  1. VOLUME of vegetation (cubic yards*); how much did you:
    a. Haul away
    b. Reduce by burning
    c. Recycle/reuse elsewhere.

  2. TIME spent (hours) on wildfire risk reduction for:
    a. Your house
    b. Landscape up to 100 ft from your house
    c. Common areas beyond your property.

    d. Also, time spent participating in Firewise meetings, events, etc.

  3. MONEY spent (dollars) on wildfire risk reduction:
    a. Chipper costs
    b. Contractor costs
    c. Home improvement costs
    d. DIY landscaping costs
    e. Miscellaneous costs.

    f. Also, vehicle mileage: attending meetings, hauling slash, etc.

***** How big is a cubic yard? Some comparisons:

1 cubic yard = 202 gallons
Your Green Waste Barrel holds at least 1 cubic yard (so, up to 52 per year)
A large Lawn and Leaf Bag holds about 2 cubic yards
A Pickup Truck bed holds about 3 cubic yards
A Dump Truck holds about 12 cubic yards.

If you have acreage to clear, one acre = 4,840 square yards.

If all the weeds cut down would leave slash averaging a foot thick,
that acre would yield about 4,840/3 = 1,647 cubic yards of vegetation.

If only an average half-foot of slash, 4,840/6 = 807 cubic yards.

2 Likes
#2

Thanks Carolyn! This is really helpful.

1 Like
#3

Thank you Carolyn. That breakdown really helps. When is this due by? We have been very busy. Putting cement board on the sides of all our buildings and hauling trash. It’s going to take me a while to figure out how much we have spent.

#4

Marianna, we won’t be collecting the information until fall. Listing the information ahead of time gives everyone a chance to start keeping records, so it won’t be such a mad scramble later.

#5

Thank you Carolyn. I hope you will send another reminder closer to the time so I can calculate this year’s expenses. I am keeping track of expenses. But the way to figure out green waste hauling, etc is super useful. I can’t believe how much I am spending right now, but when I look my siding and all the work done, I feel so much less anxious about possible fire damage and destruction. I know it is not foolproof, but it can only help!

#6

Let’s make it now! I hope everyone has been keeping track of time and money spent this year on reducing wildfire risk to their property. We are about to deploy the renewal survey; you’ll receive a link by email. Please complete and submit the survey by November 6 at the latest.

We must show risk-reduction progress every year, or we will lose our Firewise USA membership; and you will risk losing your fire insurance.