WACSD BOARD MEETING AGENDA
-------------------------------------------------
The next regular meeting will be held on Thursday afternoon,
May 16, 2013, at 3:00 pm at the Fire Station (947 Long Iron Drive).
1.0 Call to Order
2.0 Approval of Minutes
2.1 Minutes of meeting of November 29, 2012
3.0 Board / Staff Comments & Correspondence
4.0 Public Comment Period
• No action can be taken on any item brought up during public comment period. Matters are usually referred to the General Manager and placed on subsequent agendas.
• Board responses, if deemed appropriate, will either be made at the end of the comment period or at a future Board meeting.
• Total comment period not to exceed 15 minutes or a maximum of 3 minutes per speaker, whichever is less. (California Government Code 54954.3(b))
• All comments must be directed to the Board and deal only with matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Board. (California Government Code 54954.3(a))
• Comments should be directed to (1) current agenda items, (2) Policies, Procedures and services of the District, and (3) Board actions. (California Government Code 54954.e(c)).
5.0 Old Business
5.1 Prattville contract update and possible action
5.2 Chips financial update
5.3 Line of Credit report
6.0 New Business
6.1 West Almanor Firefighters -- Presentation to Board and possible action
6.2 Discussion -- Possible Policy & Procedure Manual update to meet current Brown Act findings
6.3 Discussion -- FY 2013-14 preliminary budget outlook
7.0 General Manager’s & Financial Report
8.0 Agenda items for next meeting
9.0 Date and time for next meeting
10.0 Adjournment
--------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER POSTINGS
2012 Operations Summary
WAFD was dispatched to 64 emergency calls during calendar 2012, including:
- 17 fire calls (1 structure, 2 vegetation, 3 unattended burn piles, 1 illegal campfire, plus mutual aid calls)
- 24 medical calls (including 2 motor vehicle accidents)
- 8 rescue boat calls
- 15 “other” calls (smoke checks, alarms, fireworks, etc.)
Another 60 man-hours were in support of a Plumas County Sheriff’s Office water search for a drowning victim on the east side of the lake, an operation that was ultimately successful in recovering the body three weeks after the incident. In addition, WAFD support of the late summer Chips Fire involved more than 2000 hours of local staffing.
2011 Operations Summary
During calendar 2011 WAFD was dispatched to a total of 71 emergency calls, including:
- 3 actual fires
- 6 fire alarm calls that turned out to be false alarms
- 32 medical calls (9 falls, 7 cardiac, 2 unconscious, etc.)
- 5 motor vehicle accidents
- 3 rescue boat calls
- 6 calls that were cancelled enroute
- 16 “other” calls (smoke checks, search & rescue standby, major water leak assist, etc.)
Lake Almanor West is a certified Firewise Community
As of October 7, 2010, Lake Almanor West became fully certified as a
Firewise Community by the Firewise Communities/USA national organization
following a year-long review, assessment, planning and hazard mitigation
process and subsequent review and endorsement by the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). Our certification
number is FWC/USA ID # 00747. The certification has been renewed annually.
TREE ISSUES
Living in a heavily forested area such as ours brings with it occasional issues with the trees that surround us. Resolving those issues can be confusing since multiple organizations may be involved. Here is a brief outline of the basics:
Basic Responsibilities
Lake Almanor West lies within what is called the State Responsibility Area (SRA), which means that CalFire has authority over tree removals and fire safety matters. CalFire has delegated fire hazard inspection authority to our local Fire Chief for lots within Lake Almanor West. Related enforcement is handled by WACC via the CC&R process. However, the ultimate responsibility for compliance and remedial action rests with individual property owners.
Tree Health
Like every living thing, trees go through a life cycle that can include health issues and eventual death. If you have concerns about the health of a tree, you should consult a qualified professional (e.g., an arborist or a forester). WACC, the Fire Department or tree fallers are not authorized to offer such advice.
Problem Tree
Trees that appear to threaten to fall onto structures or into regularly occupied areas are often called hazard trees. The word “hazard” is subjective, but a property owner can declare a tree a “hazard” if in that person’s judgement the term fits the conditions. This may be a situation involving an obviously-dead tree, a leaning or split tree, one showing signs of serious disease, etc. If you believe that you have a hazard tree on your lot and wish to remove it, you should begin the process by obtaining the necessary form from the WACC Office and submitting a tree removal request to the WACC Architecture Committee for approval. Their approval is required before you proceed (see also the final item below).
If the problem tree is on an adjacent lot, and you believe that it threatens your safety or property, your first step is to write a letter to the lot owner notifying them of your concern. Doing this is necessary to establish for your insurance company that you perceived a threat and duly notified the property owner; without this you may not be able to successfully file a liability claim for damages should the tree fall onto your property before it is removed. Tree removal is the responsibility of the property owner, and such a case is a civil matter between the two property owners (WACC or the Fire Department are not parties to the matter).
Fire Safety Citations
If you receive a notice from the Fire Department (or CalFire) indicating that you have tree issues that need to be addressed, please do so promptly. Removal or lower tree limbs, removal or brush and debris, or removal or small diameter trees (6 inches or less in diameter) do not require any further authorizations. If a larger tree needs to be removed, check first with the WACC Office to verity that an Architecture Committee approval is not needed. Then check the final item below. Actions necessary to address fire safety notices are the responsibility of the property owner.
Tree Removal Permits
Once you have a WACC Architecture Committee approval to remove a tree you may still need a CalFire permit. A more detailed discussion of this possibility is found under the “Tree Removals” section of the “Yards & Trees” page on this website. Again, it is the property owner’s responsibility to see that any necessary permits are obtained before the tree is cut down.