Do you have brush against any of your buildings?

[KrisinCali]

California asks businesses to check around to make sure that brush, trees etc are cleared from around your buildings due to our heightened fire danger. There was a fire at a self storage facility in Long Beach this morning, and the chopper pilot speculated that the fire had come from the adjoining brush that was right up against the building. The brush was part of the area on the railroad tracks side. It was just speculation but there was a bunch of fire on that side of the facility and the building closest to it was on fire.

So, as a fellow self storage manager, check around your facility and make sure there's an area that can serve as a firebreak. Probably more CA specific, but you never know.

[MamaDuke]

Wow. I'm just a couple miles from Long Beach and didn't hear anything about that!

[KrisinCali]

Wow. I'm just a couple miles from Long Beach and didn't hear anything about that!

I was watching LA channel 5 this morning. For some reason I can't get local SB channels but LA comes in loud and clear.

[MamaDuke]

I always watch channel 5. But I wasn't paying close attention today. Oh well. I'm sure something will pop up in the local FB groups later.

[Storman]

I share a fence with the BART tracks in the bay area, and it's miserable trying to get them to come and cut back their vegetation from the fence and my building. A few times I've cut a hole in the fence and gone over there myself and chain sawed a 4' path along their side of the fence. They don't like that and if I'm seen over there they'll send the BART police to get me. I've never had an issue after showing them the overgrowth and BART lack of response. Not only is it a fire danger, but it's a rodent superhighway.

A couple of years ago, a customer complained that water was dripping into his unit on a very light rainy day. I went up on the roof and found a couple of gashes the size of softballs through my TPO roof membrane. Looking around, I noticed a large tree on the BART property was cut down to a stump, and damage in line with that tree all the way to the corner of my building. I called the BART people and complained that they had damaged my building when they cut down that tree (I was assuming that's what happened, but made it sound like I had proof). The guy said "oh, didn't someone call you about that? Yeah, a huge limb fell on your building and punched a few holes, sorry about that it happened a few weeks ago".

I had it fixed for about $2500, but BART paid $10,000.

[Gina6k]

At least BART fessed up to it. All I could see in my mind's eye when you said they'd send a BART police to get you is this scenario. BART dude shows up in his rent a cop outfit, takes one look at you, chainsaw in hand and says;

"Uh, sir BART sent me here to get you to stop what you're doing. Um..." looks down as he shuffles his feet in the chopped up debris you've cut. Then he looks up sheepishly and says "Have a good day sir." As he skedaddles away very quickly. LOL! I wouldn't want to meet anyone in a field with a chainsaw in hand. I've seen the promos for those kinds of movies. No thank you!