Weekly Update 35

May 2, 2025

Hello, everyone.

We spent Independence Day in the shadow of severe wildfires that destroyed entire forests.

On Wednesday, we were all worried about what would happen if the fires spread to Zichron Yaakov. We are all still scarred by the fire disaster in Zichron Yaakov in 2016. A friend who has experienced disaster and learned from the Givat Eden fire wrote to me to prepare a bag and list what to put in it in case we need to evacuate our home. Because they were evacuated at 2 a.m. back then.

So this short newsletter will focus on that topic.

Preparations for responding to fires and reducing their spread, and what you can do to prevent them:

The Council, headed by Ziv Deshe, has prepared, with the assistance of the Agronomists’ Office, a plan titled “Activities to Reduce the Spread of Fires,” a plan that has been approved by the Fire Department. The plan includes an analysis of all areas bordering the community as well as areas and woodlands within the community. The data reviewed was processed according to accepted models, including consideration of wind patterns, humidity data, seasons, topography, fire history, and more. After analyzing the findings, priority treatment areas were defined based on severity and urgency as analyzed in the various models. The plan also includes the necessary procedures.

The Council began implementing the plan during Ziv’s term, including public engagement processes, and addressed areas such as Gan Israel and, more recently, a dense grove on HaGideonim Street.

As part of its routine operations, the Council has incorporated a series of ongoing measures to reduce combustible materials in several ways. This activity typically begins in April, when vegetation starts to wither and the soil becomes less moist. Below is an example of some of the actions carried out since the previous term:

*A fixed annual budget has been allocated within the current budget to fund these activities.

* All buffer zones bordering residential areas are cleared

* Groves and public areas are cleared through maintenance of groves and public parks. For example: the Shazif Grove, Stevens Lane, the grove on Tashach Street, the Langa Grove, and others.

* Private landowners are contacted starting in early January/February to clean their property; if they fail to do so, the work is carried out by the council, and the landowner is charged through the property tax bill.

* Additional equipment, such as pumps for drawing water from private pools, has been purchased to supplement water sources during emergencies.

* Hydrant systems must be inspected annually by the water utility responsible for operating water systems during routine and emergency operations.

* For several years, herds of cows have been brought to the eastern slopes

* As part of a pilot program, a volunteer team was established in collaboration with the Fire Department and residents of the forest villas to provide an initial response to fire outbreaks. The team underwent training by the Fire Department, and the Council equipped the team with firefighting equipment such as hoses and various other tools. This year as well, special equipment was purchased for the team as part of the budget reserve we approved in the plenary session.

I didn’t go around and inspect the entire town. But I can attest from my own street—HaShomer Street—that a large portion of these measures were not carried out this year. My street borders Ramat HaNativ, but the buffer zone has still not been cleared of dry grass and vegetation that could catch fire at any moment. Cleaning is usually done both by grazing goats and by a tractor—but they haven’t reached us yet. Even an empty lot in the middle of the street that used to be plowed every year hasn’t been addressed yet. And we’re in the middle of the heatwave season with fire warnings.

Check your street as well and start calling 106—so they can handle it quickly or provide a status update!