FIRE SAFE San Mateo County supporters, please mark your calendars for our annual barbecue and meeting August 13, 2014 at 10:15 am at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, providing us a chance to network and celebrate the accomplishments of the past year.

Please feel free to invite your supervisors and chiefs. We ask that all attendees RSVP so we know how much food to buy. Please RSVP online, and be sure to note the number and names attending in your group!

You'll find directions to Jasper Ridge, below. Do not rely on Google maps - they won't work. Unless you are delivering something, PLEASE use the visitor parking lot, not the staff parking lot because we can't hold all of you and then you become a fire hazard by restricting access to the hydrant.

RSVP online

Directions:

If travelling from the north or the south, exit I-280 at Sand Hill Road west. Follow Sand Hill Road about 2 miles west of I-280.

• Along the way, you will pass an equestrian facility on your right as you approach the Whiskey Hill intersection at the bottom of a hill.

• The gate is another 1 mile or so. The main gate (an electric gate) will be on your left. While on Sand Hill Road, should you reach Portola Road or Family Farm Road, you’ve passed the gate and will need to turn around.

• If the gate is closed (it will be open from 10-11), at the entrance there is a phone. If you dial 005 (you will reach Philippe Cohen on his cell), and you be can let in remotely.

• Follow the signs to the visitor parking lot for the Leslie Sun Field Station.

• The trail on the left side of the parking lot takes you directly to the picnic area. The trail on the right takes to the building first and then you have to go through the building.

Directions to Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve

Hundreds of fires are started each year by power tools. If you live in a wildland area, use extreme caution during fire season. Lawn mowers, string trimmers, chain saws, grinders, welders, and tractors can all start fires if not used properly.

Mowing: Striking rocks can create sparks and start fireas in dry grass. Use caution, mow only early in the day (before 10AM, when the weather is calm, cool, and moist).

Spark Arresters: In wildland areas, spark arresters are required on all portable, gasoline-powered equipment. This includes tractors, harvesters, chainsaws, weed-trimmers and mowers.

Keep the exhaust system, spark arresters and mower in proper working order and free of carbon buildup. Use the recommended grade of fuel, and don’t top it off.

Visit www.firesafesanmateo.org for more information on creating defensible space!