Target: Robert Rivas, Speaker of California House of Representatives
Goal: Support funding for unique wildfire mitigation strategies such as home pool pumps.
When ravaging wildfires razed countless California communities, two residents counted themselves among the lucky few that emerged relatively unscathed. Ominous flames licked at a father and son’s highlands home, but the residence was spared the catastrophic fate suffered by nearby homes. The family attributes the salvation to an unconventional, unexpected weapon: their swimming pool.
While much of the discourse concerning fires and swimming pools focuses on contamination and clean-up, pools can be – and in this case, were – utilized to combat dangerous fires. Months earlier, the patriarch of the spared residence had learned about, purchased, and installed a system featuring a pump that would be powered by the family’s pool. The water from the pool was drained into the pump system and then used to douse the hillside where the house was located with water for around ten hours.
If such systems were invested in and coordinated within fire-prone communities, the results could be immense. Sign the petition below to urge California’s leaders to make this important investment.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Rivas,
Gene and Patrick Golling emerged as welcome beacons of hope amidst the devastation of the recent wildfires. This family’s home survived due in large part to a homemade pumping system that transformed their swimming pool into a big and efficient fire extinguisher. With foresight, investment, and a little know-how, this father and son helped save not only their own residence but very likely other neighboring residences as well.
With another wildfire season fast approaching, now is the time to take a second look at outside-the-box solutions such as these systems. California can set a forward-thinking standard once again by financially and logistically supporting the utilization of pool pumps in vulnerable communities. Please make this investment that can save lives and livelihoods.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Pixabay
