Earthquake Preparedness
Every October, Bella Beach Residents and visitors alike are invited to plan in the annual Shake Out; the largest emergency drill in the world. Emergency readiness is never wasted. Details for the 2024 drill will be posted ahead of the date!
The Great Oregon ShakeOut – Get Ready!
While the potential earthquake hazards depend upon your location, you could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes- at home, at work, at school or even on vacation.
What we do now will determine our quality of life after our next big earthquake. Are you prepared to survive and recover quickly?
The Great Oregon ShakeOut is an annual opportunity to practice how to be safer during big earthquakes: “Drop, Cover and Hold On.” The ShakeOut has also been organized to encourage you, your community, your school, or your organization to review and update emergency preparedness plans and supplies, and to secure your space in order to prevent damage and injuries.
Please join us for this life saving exercise in October.
Bella Beach Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC)
The Bella Beach Homeowner’s Association is committed to the safety of our community neighbors. We believe that our community can work together to improve our preparedness and better respond to disasters and emergencies.
Group Leader and Cache Management and Procurement: Kim Brook
Finance: Dick Chaplain
If interested in helping on the committee, please contact Kim or Dick.
Wildfire Season
As a reminder, the Bella Beach Community prohibits open outdoor fires unless in board-approved fire pits which meet the safety code. Wood burning fire pits may not be used when fire danger is elevated in our county.
As we approach the 2024 Wildfire Season, we should all be reminded of the
devastating fires in our region a couple of summers ago and the need to take all
necessary steps to avoid out-of-control fires in our neighborhood. A fire in our
neighborhood would spread quickly with the proximity of our homes and would
affect our entire community.
Though the use of open wood burning fire pits, portable wood stoves, and fires fueled
by gas are permitted on properties within the HOA (unless restricted by Lincoln
County or the State), they must be in compliance with the fire safety code and best practices!
All fire pits must be inspected and approved by our
Neighborhood Fire Safety Official, Rick McGraw. Rick was a career fire professional
and is a full-time resident at Bella Beach. He can be reached at
firesafetyofficial@bellabeach.org.
As part of his inspection, Rick will check your fire pit for compliance with the
fire safety code and best practices, help you understand the potential risks to
your home and neighbors, and provide recommendations to make your property
safe. There are lots of options to help ensure fire pit safety. This may include
trimming trees or vegetation away from the fire pit, moving it, or even selecting
a different type of fire pit option. For example, did you know that gas fire pits
are allowed in much smaller spaces than wood burning fire pits?
If your property currently has an open fire pit or outdoor portable wood
burning stove, please contact Rick to set up an inspection time and date.
Just a reminder–New fire pits are installations subject to ARC approval, which
includes evaluating the position on your property for fire safety. Please contact the
ARC with questions or to apply.
Let’s do our part to keep Bella Beach safe!
Bella Beach Board
Let’s all work together to have a safe and responsible fire season in 2024.
A refresher on Fire Code Guidelines:
Open wood burning fire pits must be constructed of noncombustible materials (brick, stone, or concrete), must not exceed 3’ in diameter, and wood burned within the pit cannot be piled higher than 2’. The area around the fire pit needs to be free of grasses or other combustible ground cover for a distance of 7’-10’ (bare soil or noncombustible material such as rock or concrete is acceptable). The fire pit has to be located 25’ from vertical combustible surfaces such as wood framed structures, fences, and vegetation (trees and shrubs). Branches from nearby trees cannot be within the area of the convection currents created by the fire (fire pits cannot be located under the branches of nearby trees).
Portable wood burning stoves (ie a stainless steel smokeless fire pit), require 6’ of clearance to vertical combustible surfaces and 15’-20’ of overhead clearance. The manufacturer also warns against using the fire pit on a combustible surface without researching the ignition temperature of the surface. Manufacturers provide stands to allow air passage under the fire pit and the height of the stand required for safe operation is based on the ignition temperature of the combustible surface on which the device is placed. [This specific information is from the Solo brand Bonfire Stainless Steel Fire Pit, but other similar portable fire pits may have different clearance requirements so please refer to the manual of your particular device.]
As for portable gas fire pits, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on clearances and safety
precautions. Portable gas fire pits should be a minimum of 3’ from vertical combustible surfaces. For example, a gas appliance on the porch or deck of a home would have to be 3’ away from the structure and the handrail, and have at least 7’ of overhead clearance to the combustible surface of a ceiling. Most manufactures also require a minimum 2” clearance under the device to allow air passage and separation from a combustible surface, such as a wood deck.
When having any fires or using barbecue grills, a water source should be located nearby, including
but not limited to a bucket of water, garden hose or you can use a fire extinguisher. Gas sources
should have proper shutoff valves, and you should know where those shutoff valves are located.
It is against the law to conduct any open burning that:
a. Unreasonably interferes with enjoyment of life or property
b. Creates a public or private nuisance
c. Is a hazard to public safety
d. Results in smoke that substantially impairs visibility on a roadway
e. Burning the following materials is illegal at anytime, anywhere in Oregon:
1. Asbestos
2. Asphalt or industrial waste
3. Automotive parts (including frames) or Tires
4. Dead animals
5. Plastic and rubber products
6. Waste oil, petroleum treated materials
7. Wet garbage and food waste
8. Material creating dense smoke or noxious odors
If you have an existing open fire pit or outdoor wood burning stove on your property, please
contact our Fire Safety Official to set up an inspection before the start of summer.
Fire Safety Information:
Lincoln County Public Service Announcement – Wildfire Readiness 2022 : Please review this year’s local Wildfire Public Safety Announcement from your local Fire Defense Board and Sheriff Curtis Landers.
2021 Wildfire Readiness Modules 1-8 Presentations: Lincoln County Emergency Management partnered with local Public Safety agencies to record 8 different Wildfire Readiness modules in 2021. These are an excellent way to learn more about wildfire readiness.
Tsunami Preparedness
Bella Beach Tsunami Evacuation Map
The Bella Beach community, in partnership with the Depoe Bay Fire Department, maintains a Community Disaster Cache, which is a stock of supplies designed to support our local population in our response to a tsunami or other potential disaster.
During a Tsunami-driven evacuation, these supplies will help sustain Bella Beach evacuees and provide water, food, shelter, and medical assistance until emergency services can assist.
For more information, please contact the Emergency Preparedness Committee at tellyourboard@bellabeach.org.
For More Information:
For more information regarding Emergency Preparedness and how you and your family can prepare for the unexpected:
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Emergency Management Division
Office Phone: 541-265-4199
Lincoln County Call Center: 541-265-0621
Email: vdemaris@co.lincoln.or.us
Website: https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/emergencymanagement
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lcemergencymanagement
Lincoln Alerts: www.co.lincoln.or.us/alerts
Media Releases – https://www.flashalert.net/id/LCSO
Bella Beach HOA Emergency Cache: Lieutenant Patrick Ganz, Depoe Bay Fire District, pganz@depoebayfire.com; www.depoebayfire.org