Neighborhood Fire Free Dumpsters will be located at the following locations from Friday April 20th- Sun. 22nd and again Fri. April 27th- Sun. 29th.

Sylvan Park, NW 3 Sisters Dr.

Summit Park, NW Summit Dr.

ONLY DEPOSIT YARD WASTE NO PLASTIC BAGS

FireFree demonstration set on Awbrey Butte
New way to show impact of 'defensible space'

FireFree program kicks off 10th year with 'before and after' demonstration in thick wooded area off 12th Street on Bend's Awbrey Butte.

By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.com



As most teachers know, nothing drives home a lesson like a live demonstration - and as the FireFree program in Bend marks its 10th anniversary, that's what's going to happen on the slopes of Awbrey Butte next week: a "before" and "after" visual aid of how to protect your home from wildfire.

In an effort to educate the community about creating a defensible space around their homes to reduce wildfire risk, the FireFree fuels reduction demonstration project is scheduled for next Tuesday at a site above Hillside Park on 12th Street in Bend.

The message is a familiar one to many Central Oregoians: By creating a minimum of 30 feet of defensible space around a home, homeowners can increase their chances of their home surviving a catastrophic wildfire.

The interagency cooperative project, between Bend Parks and Recreation, the city of Bend, the Awbrey Butte Neighborhood Association, Bend Fire & Rescue and the Deschutes County Weed/Vegetation Department, will demonstrate how homeowners can establish a FireFree zone around their homes.

The objective of the "before and after" fuels reduction project is to offer citizens an opportunity to learn how to create and maintain defensible space around their homes, while retaining aesthetic qualities. Defensible space can be created using existing landscape, without creating a "moonscape" look. This reduces the risk and increases the chance of a home surviving a catastrophic wildfire.

The two-acre spot will be treated about 100 feet off the sidewalk, in essence creating a "drive-by" (or "walk-by") view of how fuels reduction and defensible space can make a wooded area healthy and safer, but not unsightly or barren, Deputy Fire Marshal Susie Lovisco said.

"It's one of Bend Metro Park and Rec and the city's priorities to identify spaces with defensible space issues," Lovisco said. "Awbrey Butte has been a huge concern of ours, not only for the hazardous fuels but the slope," a factor that, in worst-case scenarios can send flames racing uphill and threatening to destroy everything in their path.

A FireFree demonstration project sign has been posted near the site, offering citizens a glimpse of the dense, flammable underbrush and vegetation before the reduction project is initiated.

In addition, as part of the FireFree program, citizens can bring their yard debris to the Deschutes County Knott Landfill free of charge, for nine consecutive days, beginning April 21st through April 29th.

April marks the 10th anniversary of the FireFree program, which was created in 1997 following two devastating wildfires in Bend that destroyed homes and consumed thousands of acres of land.

Oregon State University Extension also will be involved, as much of the material will be chipped and put down on bare soils to control erosion and weed infestation, Lovisco said.

"It'll probably be a two-day project," she said, with labor provided by volunteers from the city, parks and rec and the neighborhood.