The President's Comments appears on the front page of each issue of the Sea Breeze.

February 2009

Other than a few really cold spells, it hasn’t been too bad a winter, so far.  I’d love to see a good blizzard before it’s over!  The views down at the beach and marina of the frozen bay are really spectacular.  The next time we have a few days of very cold weather, be sure to go down and take a look.

We had a very low turnout at our January 8th General Meeting.  That’s not surprising since it was so soon after the holidays.  It’s too bad though, because we had a last minute guest speaker who had some very interesting things to say that affect all of us.  Our guest was Brooke Doswell, the President of the Oyster Harbor Community Association.  Oyster Harbor is located on Arundel On The Bay Road near Fishing Creek.  Their community had that terrible multiple house fire on the night of December 7th.  Two homes were totally destroyed and another severely damaged.  The fire started on the outside of one house and quickly spread due to the extremely high winds.  Luckily, no one was hurt although a family pet was killed.  Eight fire departments responded, some from as far away as Kent Island.  How could a simple house fire get so out of control?  The question on everyone’s mind was “Would the new Annapolis Neck fire station, scheduled to open this Spring, have made a difference?”  Residents at the scene said that it took 30 to 45 minutes for the fire department to arrive.  However, a review of the fire department communications tapes showed that first responders arrived within 10 minutes.  It seems to take forever when waiting in a situation like that. 

The new fire station would have certainly helped, but the real problem was a lack of water.  The fire department had a very difficult time getting water to the fire even though the houses were surrounded on three sides by water.  Brooke has researched the situation and has discovered some very interesting facts.  Two-thirds of Anne Arundel County has no fire hydrants and no public water.  She also discovered that the Insurance Services Office, known as the ISO, provides insurance companies that write policies for homeowner, ratings on which to base the premiums.  Oyster Harbor, and probably Hillsmere Shores as well, has a rating of 9 out of 10 with 10 being uninsurable.  One way to help address the problem is with the installation of “dry fire hydrants.”  These are hydrants next to the water that consist of a pipe going far enough into the bay to allow the fire department to pump water from the bay in an emergency.  These are apparently very expensive, costing approximately $20,000 each and need regular maintenance to keep clear of marine growth and debris.  It was pointed out at the meeting that Hillsmere actually has two underground tanks that store water for use in a fire.  One 10,000 gallon tank is located next to Key School.  A smaller one is at a county pumping station on Beach Drive.  In addition, the Hillsmere swimming pool could be used in an emergency.  The pool was built with a reinforced area near the diving boards in order to support the weight of a fire truck, if necessary.  Brooke, and other members of her board, were scheduled to meet with fire department officials to discuss the fire and what could have been done differently.  County Councilman, Josh Cohen, has been very involved in working with Oyster Harbor starting early the morning after the fire occurred.  He has been involved in the meetings with the fire department as well.

There is a lot of information about the fire, the issues of access to water, and other related stories on the Oyster Harbor web site.  The link is www.oysterharbor.org/fire.html.

I believe that Hillsmere Shores should investigate what steps could be taken to minimize the risk in case of a serious fire.  This could involve both working on ways to get water to a fire, as well as working with the fire department to make sure they are fully prepared with action plans and training on the specific situations they might face in our community.  If this is to happen, then we will need someone to volunteer to lead the effort.  If you are willing to help, then please contact me or Natalie Lobe, our Volunteer Coordinator, at 410-263-1947.

The best way to make sure that you and your family are not victims of a fire is to practice fire safety.  The three most important things are (1) install smoke alarms, (2) make an escape plan, (3) practice with your family.  I have smoke alarms in every bedroom in addition to ones in the hallway.  I know I’ve told this story before, but it makes the point so well that I’m going to tell it again.  When my daughter was about four years old, I went into her bedroom one morning and was horrified at what I saw.  During the night, her smurf comforter had caught on fire from a night light next to the bed.  It had burned half way up the bed before it went out.  She was so little that it never got to her.  There was a smoke alarm in the hallway outside her room, but with the door closed, the smoke never triggered it.  She was fine but I was a bit shaken.  From that day forward, I have always had a smoke detector in every bedroom.  My story could have been so much worse.  If you don’t have smoke detectors in your home, please get them today.  If you need help getting or installing them, please contact our Good Neighbors program at goodneighbors@hillsmereshores.net or leave a message on our 24 hour voice mail at 410-263-4456.  For more information on fire safety, go to www.firesafety.gov.  They have all the information you need.

Enjoy the rest of the Winter.  Soon, it will be getting warmer and you’ll be able to spend more time outdoors meeting your neighbors and enjoying our wonderful community.  I’ll see you at Come And Get It Day on Saturday, February 28th at the Key School.