The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County has received funds to provide chipping for neighborhoods working together to be fire safe.

The FSCNC will chip any brush that is cleared 100’ from any permanent structure and/or 30’ from any roadside or driveway used for evacuation purposes. Any vegetation that grows past such limitations is beyond the boundaries of what we can chip.

The FSCNC is not able to chip solid piles of leaves, pine needles, yard clippings or decaying wood.  Waste Management offers a “Green Waste Pick-Up” program to dispose of such materials.  They can be contacted at (530) 274-3090. 

Program Requirements:

• Chipping will only be done along a road or driveway frontages which will allow the crew to work from the road or driveway.
• Piles must be placed within 5 feet of chipper access.
• Piles must be placed on the uphill side of road or driveway.
• Piles must be free of roots/stumps, rocks and mud, poison oak, scotch broom and blackberries and other vines.
• Piles must be stacked with the cut ends facing the same direction, pointing towards access route to piles.
• All material chipped will be blown back onto the property.
• The FSCNC will provide a maximum of 16 hours of service per residence, per year.
• The FSCNC cannot clean up timber harvest projects or vacant lots.

How Do I Get Scheduled for Defensible Space Chipping Services?

• Contact the FSCNC office @ (530) 272-1122 and leave your name, address and phone number. Staff will mail you a "Request for Chipping" form.
• Download Defensible Space Chipping Application
• Adobe Reader required to view and print .pdf form. Obtain it free from adobe.com
• Fill out the form and mail or fax it back to the FSCNC office once your piles are properly stacked and ready to be chipped.
• The chipper will arrive within a few weeks; as the schedule is determined by requests in each area of the county.

The Special Needs Assistance Programs is funded by grants. These grants specify income ceilings for participants and further require the participants be physically unable to clear their property, have no other person to assist in the clearance and cannot afford to hire a contractor to do the work.

The Fire Safe Council will provide defensible space clean-up for Nevada County Residents who:

• Are over 65 years old or
• Physically Disabled (verified by receiving disability, handicap placards for vehicles, etc.)
• Financially unable to hire a contractor and under the  USDA Rural Development Department low income definition of:
  • 1 person income: $23,004/yr =  $1,917.00/month or
  • 2 person income:  $31,750/yr =  $2645.83/month
• Physically unable to create and maintain their defensible space on their own.

The Fire Safe Council will:

• Reduce the fire danger from immediately around the home and roadways, to qualified residents.
• Grant an initial one day defensible space clean-up to residents to qualify.  Thereafter, maintenance of defensible space is available once yearly, in half-day increments.
• Work along with the homeowner to determine the work that the workers will conduct.

Workers:

• The FSCNC has partnered with the Work Release Program of Nevada County Probation Department. 
• We assure you that workers are non-violent misdemeanor convictions, (such as driving without a licence or driving under the influence) and have no prior convictions. 
• The workers are carefully screened by the court judge.
• The workers will receive regular supervision from the work release officer, who will be on site at all times.

Our workers will:

• Create defensible space clearance of fire danger from immediately around the home and roadways on the property.
• Trim trees and brush.
• Thin trees as needed.
• Remove hazardous limbs.
• Remove blackberries.
• Conduct other hazardous fuel reduction as needed.

Funds for this program are provided by the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County and Allstate Foundation.

How Do I Get Scheduled for Special Needs Assistance Service?

• Contact the FSCNC office @ (530) 272-1122 and leave your name, address and phone number. Staff will mail you a "Seniors & Disabled Assistance Request" form.
• Download Special Needs Assistance Application
• Adobe Reader required to view and print .pdf form. Obtain it free from adobe.com
• Fill out the form and mail or fax it back to the FSCNC office.

Web site maintenance by Nicholas George. Suggestions may be directed to the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County office.

This page last updated on: 4/9/2007