One year while camping at Thousand Trails in Oregon House, CA, my husband and I were awakened by a loud, incessant knocking on our RV door. It was in the pre-dawn hours. We were sleeping, and one of our camping neighbors was knocking rapidly and very hard to get our attention, for an excellent reason. There was an ominous fire blazing over the horizon. The neighbors were hearing word that we might have to evacuate, and they wanted to ensure my husband and I were aware of the imminent danger and possible evacuation order! We were new to the area and not yet connected to fire notification services.

The Decision to Purchase in a High Fire Zone
When my husband and I purchased our property in Dobbins, CA, we knew we were buying property in a high fire zone. On our first visit to view the property, we fell in love with the location and the ambiance of the Dobbins area. I had always dreamed of living in a resort area; this location was like a dream come true. But, there was this issue about the property being located in a high fire zone. We knew we had to weigh the pros and cons of living in such a place.

We did not want to put our safety at risk for the sake of living in our dream home. So before we purchased the property, we did extensive research. We talked to fire hazard professionals and people who live in the neighborhood. We saw that none of them were worried about fire danger. We learned that the last major fire was over several decades ago. We learned that since that fire, the county had put protective measures in place. These measures assure that if and when a fire happens in this area, the fire will be dealt with swiftly.

Dobbins has regular Fire Safe Council meetings dedicated to educating residents about how to protect their property from becoming a victim of fire damage. My husband and I attended one of these meetings. We learned a lot about establishing a defensive surrounding for our property and how to prepare for evacuation for both ourselves and our farm animals.

We signed up for neighborhood alerts so that we would be notified through a phone call, text message, and email notification if there is a possible danger. These notifications have been extremely helpful in keeping us abreast of potential fire danger. But the foremost and most prominent thing we learned was to be aware of our surroundings and be conscientious of the announcements and alerts about fire danger.

The Oregon Peak Yuba Fire Lookout Tower is located up high on a hill and is about 5.6 miles from our home (as the crow flies). This tower is staffed by volunteers positioned to watch and observe the valley and report any indication of fire.

Practice Makes Perfect
The good thing about living in an area designated as a high fire zone is that we have highly trained professionals who are called into action regularly. Because they constantly work to arrest fires, they build up an instinctual reaction to fires and know without hesitation what to do to stop the blaze. I have not heard of any fire getting out of hand here. Fires are quickly maintained and controlled.

I believe that if I were to live in an area where fires happened occasionally, the firefighters, while competent, are not constantly fighting fires, so when a fire occurs, they now need to calculate and figure out what to do versus the firefighter who is continuously called to work on fires. The more fires they fight, the more instinct they have toward maintaining a fire.

No More Fear of Fire
All of the above observations made my husband and I confident that we would live in a safe place if we moved to Dobbins.

• The fire station is located just down the road, and as we turn into our community, there is a fire sub-station. So, we are covered quite well in case of a fire.
• There are numerous opportunities to learn more about preparing for and staying safe during a fire.
• Fire officials have a dynamic alert system that keeps us in the loop by phone calls, text messages, and emails.
• And last but not least, the neighbors around here look out for each other, checking in with each other, making sure we are all safe, and if any of us need help, some neighbors can be counted on to make sure everyone and their animals are kept out of danger.

Resources:
The following resources provide information that may help thwart any fear you may have about living in a high fire zone.

• YubaNet: Keep up to date on fire news in Nevada and Yuba Counties.
  https://yubanet.com/
• Inciweb: Updated regularly as fire news from fire services comes in. This website has options on how you can view the fire perimeters. Use the Table View or the Map View to view fires. Also, get information about evacuations and announcements.
  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/accessible-view/
• The CalFire Incident Page: This page has information about any fire managed by CalFire.
  https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/
• CalFire Twitter Feeds: Here are links for Yuba/Nevada and our other neighbor Butte County.
  https://twitter.com/CALFIRENEU and
  https://twitter.com/CalFire_ButteCo
• Fire Cameras: There are many cameras located around the region. We are in the Greater Tahoe area. The following link is where you might be able to see a fire in the Dobbins area.
  https://www.alertwildfire.org/region/tahoe/...
• Yuba Fire Safe Council: You will find a plethora of information about fire safety, information, resources, and services.
  https://yubafiresafe.org/

Disclaimer
I do not advocate for or suggest that people move to a high fire zone. In this article, I intended to share my experience living in an area designated as a high fire zone.

When my husband and I moved to Dobbins, CA, it was for survival. Initially, we lived in the eastern parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. We lived a prosperous lifestyle with little concern for what would happen if it all was suddenly taken away from us. As luck would have it, we were one of many people affected by the economic crash that began in 2008. One day we were on top of the world, and the next day we lost everything. We gave our house back to the bank instead of foreclosure. We did all that we did to preserve our good credit. But, good credit means nothing if you don't have secure shelter.
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Read a complete account of our dilemma in my book, "From Riches to Rags to Right-Sized Living."

Everyone knows that the number one survival strategy is to have shelter. At a minimum, people need protection from the harsh elements of weather. Having been homeless and close to living on the streets, we did not ever want to be without shelter again, so we decided to purchase land using cash that we could extract from liquidating possessions.

We figured that if worse comes to worst, we could always pitch a tent and live off the land. This way of thinking began setting up our minds to the mindset of what people call preppers.

Eventually, we built a house on the property and began setting up small-scale strategies for future survival.

​To explain a prepper, let's go to a common source, Dictionary.com. Here's what the dictionary says about preppers.

​And here's what the dictionary says about survivalists.

I hope these descriptions help readers understand the mindset of preppers and survivalists.

Dobbins is located a little over 33 miles from a major city. Living out here in Dobbins has steered my husband and me into a lifestyle that can be considered small-scale preppers. With current gas prices on average about $6.50 per gallon, in a gas-guzzling 4X4 truck that gets 14 miles to the gallon, we now spend at least $30.62 minimum every time we go into town. Because of this cost, we try to save gas expenses by going into town no more than once a month. When we go into town, we stock up on supplies so that we still survive if something comes up and we can't make it into town.

I have learned that most people living in Dobbins conduct minimal preparatory measures as a precaution. And, then, others are what I feel are true preppers. These are people who are bona fide survivalists. They have food supplies that will last for years. They have medical supplies to account for every injury that could occur. They are knowledgeable about natural remedies. They grow their own food and are ready to be able to live off the land with no outside help. And, you had best believe they have the necessary weapons to protect their land if need be. I view them as people who are wise and conscientious about the world we live in.

​The world (to me) appears to be changing into a place where we can no longer depend on our government to provide and protect us. Providing for ourselves seems to be a wise maneuver.

​A prepper never advertises their position. To do so makes them vulnerable to predators (people) who failed to prepare (prep). In disastrous situations, an unprepared person will quickly come looking for a prepper for the goods they need for survival.
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Living in a remote location such as Dobbins has opened my eyes to the possibility of Dobbins being a fabulous location for preppers. Being remote, Dobbins is a survivor's best strategy. Living on a property, isolated from others is a prepper's ideal location. And for preppers who want to live off the grid, Dobbins' elevation makes it as much possible as can be desired.

​There is more to Dobbins than the opportunity to survive as a prepper. Dobbins offers a rich lifestyle filled with ongoing activities.

• The Farmer's Market is loaded with fresh produce, a food stand, a play area for children, live music, and more every Saturday.
• The Farmers Market also hosts Taco Thursday in the afternoon.
• For wine enthusiasts, there is wine tasting at Lucero Vineyards & Winery, showcasing award-winning wines.
• And last but not least, stop by Lake Francis for many outdoor activities.

Dobbins is considered a destination city for its many amenities for tourists, campers, fishers, hunters, hikers, historians, explorers, and the like.
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Come to Dobbins and explore a lifestyle worth living.

​For information about a property available in Dobbins, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Marlene Bertrand, Broker, GRI, SFO, ePRO, NHCB
800-264-6439 Office
925-708-6027 Cell
Dept. of Real Estate License #01056418 (since 1989)

Welcome to this blog about Dobbins. This is a newly created page where amenities and the Dobbins lifestyle will be shared. Please stay tuned for the first blog to be posted this week.

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