Other than PG&E’s recent Public Safety Power Shutoffs, no issue has dominated local conversation more lately than the threat of wildfire in Mill Valley and the multi-faceted approach being taken by the City of Mill Valley and the Mill Valley Fire Department

In his continuing efforts to reach out to the community with Information and education on these Issues, Mill Valley Fire Chief Tom Welch leads “Getting Fire Up About Fire Prevention,” an event on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Outdoor Art Club.  that will cover such issues as what his agency is doing to prevent a similar disaster from striking our town, the City’s access/evacuation routes, what property owners should do, how some residents are banding together to protect their neighborhoods, and much more.

Welch brings a uniquely educated approach to these issues. He’s regarded as one of the leading fire chiefs in the North Bay but also is able to draw on his personal experiences, having lost his own home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa

Welch will also discuss the ordinance the MV City Council backed in September requiring residents living in the wildland-urban interface, an area that includes roughly 75 percent of all MV homes, to remove fire-prone plants around their homes by May 1, 2021. Faced with significant constituent opposition, the Council amended that ordinance to remove a requirement to create a three-foot hardscape by May 1, 2022.

The 411: Mill Valley Fire Department Chief Tom Welch leads “Getting Fire Up About Fire Prevention,” an event on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Outdoor Art Club, One West Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley. Free. Light refreshments will be served. MORE INFO.

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