Boynton Florida
Neighborhood

Welcome! We’re glad you’re here.

 

The Boynton-Florida Neighborhood (BFN) is a community of 70+ households. The BFN group focuses on helping neighbors on our two streets meet each other, strengthen our community ties, and improve our emergency preparedness.

​​

Save the Date!  BFN Disaster Drill Sunday, May 3 1:30 - 3:30

 

What can you do after the shaking stops? In a disaster it can take at least 72 hours for emergency services to become available. This drill, planned for the Boynton Florida Neighborhood, simulates actions ensuring life safety that should be undertaken soon after a disaster event. The most vulnerable people are those who are left behind when disaster strikes. Checking on the safety of neighbors is of vital importance. See here and the Events section below for more information.

 

BFN Insurance Symposium 

​

Several of us have been hearing the same concerns over the past year: rising premiums, unexpected non-renewals, and a lot of confusion about what actually drives insurance decisions for homes in the Berkeley Hills.

 

To help bring clarity (not sales pitches), our neighbor, Ambrish Chitnis, is hosting a small, informal neighborhood information session on home insurance. The goal is simply to explain what’s happening in the insurance market, how it affects homes in our area, and what homeowners can do ahead of time to avoid surprises. 

​

For additional information, see here and the Events section below for more information.

 

Ember Mesh and Gutter Guards

​

The Berkeley Fire Department is giving away Ember Mesh and Gutter Guard material for FREE!

Robin Beauchamp can guide you through the process with the Fire Department and schedule your project with a competent carpenter.  The installation cost ranges between $500-$1,000, depending on the amount of vents, deck skirting, and gutters for most homes.  This is a great opportunity to help make your home and our neighborhood more resilient.

Installations have already been completed at 18 homes in this neighborhood and yours can be done too.

Contact Robin Beauchamp
beauchamp49@me.com or 415-652-7263

 

City of Berkeley Fire Safety Inspections

​

Berkeley Fire Department conducts annual Wildfire Hazard inspections of residences in high fire-risk neighborhoods, including ours. They are conducted by the Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI) Division of the Berkeley Fire Department. The protocol to date is that the inspector will ring your doorbell and, if you are at home, will ask your permission to inspect your property. If you are not home, they will inspect only what is visible from the street. In either case, they will leave a door tag with a code you can use to access your inspection report.

​​

Allowing the inspector onto your property has the advantage of giving you a free expert review of any fire risks to your home that you may not be aware of, although it could lead to additional required remediation steps. If you know it is likely you will not be at home when the inspectors arrive and you would like your property to be inspected in your absence, you can opt-in ​and sign the Right of Entry form by clicking here. You will be directed to the Defensible Space Report page on the Fire Aside website. Once on that page, follow the steps below: 

​

• Log into your existing account or create one (this makes accessing your Defensible Space Report easier in the future)

• Review and accept the terms and conditions prior to signing

• Add property specific instructions where relevant such as gate entry requirements, dogs in the yard etc.

• Access can be revoked or access timeframe can be limited 

 

In the past years our neighborhood has been inspected in May. Due to an increased interest in hazard inspections beyond simple street visibility, and focus on properties on Panoramic Hill and east of Grizzly Peak, scheduling of Wildfire Hazard inspections elsewhere have been delayed. New timeframes for inspections have not yet been made public for our neighborhood.

​

Register for upcoming CERT classes

 

Click here for a link to the upcoming CERT classes being offered in Berkeley.

When available, classes on Disaster Mental Health, Disaster Preparedness, and Disaster Medical Operations 1 & 2 are arguably the most important aspects of disaster preparedness among the CERT offerings.  They deal with the most critical and immediate needs following a disaster in our neighborhood.

 

Please consider getting yourself prepared to help when your family and neighbors need you most.  These classes are free and typically run only a few hours.

​​​​​​​​​

Chipper Day Events have returned

 

Chipper Days are an opportunity for you to get free chipping service provided by the City of Berkeley for shrubbery and tree pruning debris. Clearing this kind of flammable debris reduces fire hazards and protects your home and neighborhood from wildfires.  See the Fire page for more information.

 

First Aid Classes

 

First Aid Classes continue to be offered through West Contra Costa Adult Education. A 3 hour class is scheduled monthly through March 2026. See the Trainings page or WCCAE's website for more information.