"Chipper Days"

CHIPPING POLICIES

The Kern County Fire Department, in conjunction with the Kern River Valley, Greater Tehachapi and Mt. Pinos Communities Fire Safe Councils, schedules and conducts numerous “Chipper Days” in mountain communities in the spring and early summer of each year.

The purpose of these chipper days is to assist property owners with disposal of brush and woody materials generated by the property owners in the construction of “defensible space” zones around their structures which would be threatened in the event of a wildfire.

The Kern County Fire Department has four crews stationed in Tehachapi, Lebec, Lake Isabella and at Democrat Hot Springs in the Kern River Canyon. The primary function of these crews is wildland fire suppression. However, when not actually engaged in firefighting activities, these crews are actively involved in fire break construction, road brushing projects, wildland fuels modification projects and, of course, chipper days.

A chipper day is a specific day, or days, scheduled by the individual fire safe councils where a Kern County Fire Department Crew arrives with a complement of 12-14 personnel and a commercial-style mechanical brush chipper to chip brush which has been cut and stacked by individual property owners. The brush can be taken to a central location for chipping or the crew can come to individual properties to chip “on site”. The method will be determined prior to the chipper day by the responsible KCFD fire crew leader and the “Chipper Day Coordinator” from each fire safe council.

The following are some requirements and guidelines which will help to alleviate any confusion or misunderstandings when a chipper day is conducted in your community:

  • The crew cannot chip piles that have been constructed by tractors, bulldozers, etc. Dirt and rocks tend to get mixed in with the brush and can damage the chipper blades and the crew does not have the time or equipment to separate the brush from dirt piles. Only brush that has been hand cut by handsaws, axes or chainsaws will be chipped. Also, piles constructed by tractors and bulldozers tend to be compacted and it is extremely difficult for our people to pull these piles apart to chip them.

  • Brush must be stacked next to a road or area accessible by the chipper and its tow vehicle. Do not expect the crew to haul your brush up or down a hill to be chipped.

  • Brush should be stacked with the butt ends facing the road; generally, a “windrow” type of stack is best.

  • The intent of this program is to assist with the creation of “defensible space” (100 feet clearance) around each structure. Do not expect the crew to chip brush resulting from large scale land clearing operations. The crew leader has the right to refuse to chip excessive amounts of brush – please don’t put him in that position!

  • It is not the intent of this program to help you dispose of normal yard waste. Don’t put out rose prunings, lawn clippings, vine-like materials, etc.

  • The diameter of chippable material should not exceed 12” and brush should be cut in manageable sized pieces; the feeder opening on our chippers is 14” x 17”. A rule of thumb is to cut the brush in pieces that you can easily manage yourself. An ideal piece of brush would be 6-8’ long with the brushy part no wider than 2-3’. Brush can also be cut too short. Anything shorter than 2’ does not chip well.

  • Remember that you are not the only property owner that needs to have brush chipped; anything you can do to make the crew’s job easier and will expedite the process is greatly appreciated!

  • If you have questions or feel you need guidance in preparation for your chipper day, contact me at 661-391-7079. I will put you in touch with someone in your area who will be able to answer your questions.

The members of the Kern County Fire Department endeavor to provide the highest level of service to its customers – the citizens of Kern County. However, your cooperation and assistance is vital in helping us to help you! Thank you in advance for helping to make your chipper day a productive and successful one!

Sincerely,

Loren C. Lange, Captain
Fire Crew Coordinator
Kern County Fire Department