More Dock Safety Tips

Mud Boot  |  photo from Mudder Boots
Mud Patten  |  photo from Sundaysail
Click on this image on the right-hand side of the FHA website to watch the webinar  |  photo from SMFPD  | post by Larry Clinton

Fire is an ever-present danger on in our community, and during the recent dock safety webinar, a number of fire prevention and firefighting tips were provided by Marshal Nau, fire inspector with the Mill Valley Fire Department and a member of the Southern Marin Fire Protection District (SMFPD):

Clean your gutters.  Where leaves fall, embers can, too.

Keep piers clear.  Firefighters use carts to bring high pressure hoses down our piers, and they must have room to maneuver. Never block the pier hose boxes.

Make sure your address is clearly visible, day or night.  Reflective numbers can be purchased at hardware stores.

Make plans for exiting your home in a fire. Plans might vary depending on stages of the tide.  Marshal Nau suggested mud boots for low tide. Mickey Allison of Issaquah Dock found some websites with more information on mud boots:

Mudder Boots offers them for sells them for $140
Mud-Snow-Shoes sells them for $135 .
Youtube has a video that demonstrates their use, and another that shows a less expensive option: mud pattens. A third video shows how to use them safely.
Sundaysail gives directions on how to make them.

Giselle Sutter Sponholz, a cluster captain and EMT deployed in fire zones by the Red Cross, provided her first-person lessons from her experience in wildfire shelters. In a mandatory evacuation, our closest Red Cross shelter will probably be at the San Rafael Fairgrounds, but Giselle strongly recommends arranging to stay with family or friends in safe zones if you can. At the shelter, you can expect to be offered a cot and a blanket, so bring your own sheets. You can also expect three free meals a day, plus help communicating with insurance companies and renewing prescriptions. Do not bring valuables; these shelters accept all comers, and there’s no protection from theft. Some medical attention and charging stations should be available.

A video of the entire webinar is now on the FHA website.

Photos from Mudder Boots and Sundaysail  |  post by Larry Clinton