Raymond Cape Wildfire Risk Reduction

On the evening of October 7, members of Raymond Cape Winter Watch (RCWW) attended a community meeting on wildfire risk reduction, specifically focused on Raymond Cape. This highly informative meeting was hosted by Bruce Tupper, Raymond’s Fire Chief and included panel members from the Maine Forest Service, Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA), Central Maine Power, Town of Raymond Selectmen and the Portland Water District.

Above is a recent (May 2024) fire on Little Sebago Lake

The meeting was focused on strategies for risk reduction, community resilience, mitigation, and public engagement to develop fire-adapted communities and improve preparedness for wildfire events.

The importance of this meeting could NOT be over-stated, as Raymond Cape represents a very unique location (only one road in and out) and was recently assessed as being at high risk relative to wildfires.

As a result of this meeting we at RCWW thought it beneficial to share information and key learnings that would serve to educate and reduce the risk of wildfires in our precious Raymond Cape community.

To support the above, we wanted to provide you with:

1. A link to the recording of the meeting – click here.
2. The main slides presented at the meeting – click here.
3. The Community Wildfire Risk Assessment, prepared by the Maine Forest Service, partnering with Raymond Fire & Rescue – click here.

As a property owner on Raymond Cape you are HIGHLY encouraged to review all of the above. We hope you find this informative and we will follow-up in the coming weeks with additional posts containing pragmatic steps, gleaned from the above (most specifically, the Community Wildfire Risk Assessment), to minimize risk and increase resilience to the risk of wildfires in our community.

One practical step we can ALL take is ensuring our homes and yards (especially, around the perimeter of our homes) are clear of “fine fuels” (leaves, pine needles, etc.), which is what we do as part of Fall Cleanup. As such, if you haven’t planned for, or scheduled, your Fall Cleanup, give us a call or text now at: (207) 370-4235.

As always, feel free to reach out to us with any needs you may have.

More to come!