Fire Break – Wildfire Safety Blog

Webinar to highlight the "Ready" in Ready, Set, Go! Program

Join the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and a regionally diverse panel for a free webinar on Thursday, March 14 at 11:00 AM (EST) to discuss the “Ready” aspect of the Ready, Set, Go! Program.

During the webinar, participants will:

•Hear from the regional advisors of NFPA’s Firewise Communities Program

•Gain knowledge from a regional perspective on preparedness and best practices

•Learn about specific vegetation and fuel risks in different regions

•Be directed to resources for public outreach regarding safety and wildland fire preparedness 

Register today!  For more information, please contact IAFC at RSG@iafc.org or 703-273-0911.

The Ready, Set, Go! and Firewise Communities Programs are a part of the Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) initiative, and a member of the FAC coalition, sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and NFPA. For more information, check out the FAC website at www.fireadapted.org.

U.S. drought problem prompts concern for increased wildfire activity this year

In a recent New York Times article, Thin Snowpack in West Signals Summer of Drought, author Jack Healy paints a painful picture of what’s likely to come this spring and summer. According to the latest government assessments, more than half of the United States remains deep in drought, which makes climatologists and wildfire experts worried about another summer of damaging wildfire activity.

Minimal snowpack, higher temperatures and even less rain has made the situation so dire that Colorado Senators, Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and other members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation are seeking $20 million in emergency funds to help restore watersheds in the state crippled by the over 1,400 wildfires last year. The word is still out about whether help is on the way.

So while Colorado, like many other western states, are planning for the worst and fine-tuning its plans for combating wildfires this summer, what can we as residents do? Take action and do our part in helping to reduce the risk of damage these wildfires can cause.

Don’t know where to start?

Start small. NFPA’s Firewise Communities Program is a great way for homeowners and neighbors to work on projects around their homes and yards. The website provides easy-to-follow checklists and project ideas you can download and start using today. Got questions? Our Firewise regional advisors are a great resource for information about the program and who to contact in your local area.

Then think big. There are a number of ways an entire community can address wildfire safety. Our Fire Adapted Communities initiative focuses on bringing together not just homeowners but all members of a community to tackle this problem, including civic leaders, fire and emergency responders, and forest and land managers.

How can you do it? Begin by checking out the FAC website that provides contact information, program and project ideas from a coalition of wildfire experts dedicated to keeping residents safer from fire. Your community can start having these discussions now.

With fire season nearly upon us, it’s time to act. Everyone can and should get involved. Find out more about what you can do, and start making a difference today!

Avoid being the cause of wildfires

Not only does “wildland fire” fail to exclude urban homes from danger, but an overwhelming number of wildfires (brush, grass and forest fires) are caused by people to begin with. Fortunately, most of these are accidental; around 20% of human-caused wildfires are intentionally set.

Taking care when getting rid of hot embers, ash or cigarettes – and not just flinging them toward the nearest clump of dry, flammable grass – will help ensure that your home is not one of the 350,000 or so wildland fires that fire departments respond to annually.

Visit the Firewise Toolkit for more information on the causes of and approaches to wildfires.

Wildland fire detection tactics highlighted at SUPDET 2013

There are various means available for detecting wildland fires, and a recent presenter at the Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications Conference outlined an array of these technologies. Albert Simeoni of Worcester Polytechnic Institute discussed the important aspects of wildfire detection, from preventing fire spread to evaluating the intensity of fires, and what tools are available for local and global analysis.

Some of the technologies highlighted were image processing using satelliates and aircraft, infrared or ultraviolet sensors, and "acoustic" devices that allow users to track a fire through the noise it makes. Many of these tools, however, have its limitations, says Simeoni, who noted that an area's complex topography and smoke might impede the technology's performance.

A potential solution for better protection, adds Simeoni, are wireless sensor networks that are spatially distributed and can monitor a wildfire's temperature, heat flux, and smoke.

NFPA has conducted its own research on wildland fires--more specifically, the Fire Protection Research Foundation has completed a study that reviewed and assessed tools designed to address community wildfire risk, from land use regulation to adopting building codes and standards. Watch the following clip of Casey Grant, the Foundation's research director, giving an overview of this study:

Firewise communities kicked it into high gear in 2012

To all of our 878 active Firewise communities across the country, we say:

Congratulations on a job well done!

Record breaking drought and high temperatures last year along with increased fuel loads (due in part to a number of damaging weather-related events) on our forest floors provided the perfect breeding ground for the more than 67,000 wildfires that burned over nine million acres of land. But while the fires painted a bleak picture for many communities, still many more didn’t wait till the threat was at their doorstep to get involved; they took action ahead of time to reduce their risk of damage.

How did they do it? Through hard work and perseverance, a few laughs and a whole lot of heart.

Check out our community success stories for the many projects and activities neighborhoods small and large have participated in. Want to know how you and your neighbors can get involved? It’s easy! Visit ourFirewise Communities/USA Recognition Program page for details. There you’ll find a number of resources that’ll help you get started including links to a homeowner’s checklist, facts about the Firewise program and contact information.

Want the chance to win valuable prizes to help with your mitigation efforts? Then join the Firewise Challenge this year and take your state to a whole new level of safety! The map below outlines the number of active Firewise communities in each state; we encourage you to take that number and raise it! Learn all about the Challenge on our website today.

Congratulations to all our Firewise sites for helping to create a safer world from wildfire! And don’t forget to tell us how you’ll make a difference this year. Your community could be highlighted on our success stories page!

Looking for more? Learn how your community can get involved in wildfire safety practices beyond your home and neighborhood. Check NFPA’s Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) website where you’ll learn about the many great programs and resources available through FAC’s coalition of wildfire safety experts.

Windy and fiery in Texas...just in time for Firewise workshop

I'm wondering when the state wildfire officials will begin to put two and two together: invite Steinberg to a meeting in our district and watch the red flags fly!

This is the 2nd time in a month that I've traveled south for Firewise and been met with high fire danger conditions on arrival. This pretty map from ESRI shows big red arrows signifying wind speeds over 40 miles per hour. And trust me, I can hear and feel the wind from my temporary perch in Georgetown, Texas. I nearly got pushed out of the parking lot of my hotel trying to get from my vehicle to the building. Good thing I overpack: my nice heavy luggage saved me!

I'm here for a Texas Firewise Workshop tomorrow and a tour of the Sun City Firewise community on Wednesday. Interest should be high given current conditions! Wish me luck!

Fire safety event at LEGOLAND California kicks off partnership and honors firefighters

The NFPA kicked off its partnership with LEGOLAND California Resort this past Friday at the Carlsbad theme park. Last year, it became the official fire-safety partner of LEGOLAND Florida.

In celebration of Firefighter Appreciation Day, local firefighters and their families joined NFPA and LEGOLAND staff for a presentation of “The Big Test,” a show in which an acrobatic troupe engages in comedic attempts to become firefighters, while incorporating essential fire safety messages. The kid-friendly production reminded the audience to check their smoke alarms and practice a home fire escape drill.

During the week, visitors to the park helped put together A LEGO City Mural. The final mural bricks were added by a crew of firefighters from the Carlsbad Fire Department, revealing an image of LEGO first responders. The completed mural, which included over 80,000 LEGO bricks, will be featured in the resort’s Imagination Zone.

See the rest of the photos from the event in our Facebook album.

New Jersey continues its battle with damaging southern pine beetle

The southern pine beetle (SPB) is one of the most destructive forest insects in the southeastern United States. This native bark beetle is smaller than a grain of rice, but can rapidly devastate pine dominated forests by burrowing into the cambium layer under the bark to lay their eggs. The S-shaped tunnels or “galleries” they create and the blue stain fungi they transmit cut off the flow of water and nutrients to the tree, resulting in death within a few weeks. The tell-tale signs a tree is infested include yellowish needles that quickly turn brown, and yellowish-white sap oozing from pitch tubes on the trunk. 

SPB attacks all species of pine, including pitch, pond, and loblolly, all of which occur in Southern New Jersey. Since 2010, 27,000 acres of the million-acre New Jersey Pinelands have been impacted. USDA Forest Service estimates 80% of the pine forest could be affected within the next 10 years if action is not taken.

To reduce the risk of SPB infestations forests must be actively managed. Healthy trees are more resistant to pine beetle attacks. Trees should be thinned so they are spaced 20 feet apart or greater. Thinning in this manner not only promotes forest health, but interrupts pheromone communication between the pine beetles.

To control SPB populations and their spread, foresters must remove actively infested trees. Harvested trees should then be sold to a saw mill. The New Jersey State Forest Service has been effectively managinginfestations on state-owned lands by hand-cutting small stands of infected trees. In larger infested areas, contractors with mechanized equipment have been hired.

Fortunately, the Department of Environmental Protection recently announced that impact from SPB in 2012 was less than anticipated. In an effort to take advantage of the pine beetles’ reduced activity, the DEP is working with the DEP Science Advisory Team and other researchers to attempt to understand its behavior patterns in New Jersey and to develop strategies to combat its spread.

The DEP encourages local governments and private property owners to apply to the New Jersey State Forestry Service for financial assistance to combat pine beetle on non-state land. For more information visit www.southern pinebeetle.nj.gov.

Areas of the New Jersey Pinelands impacted by SPB can become more fire-prone due to an increase of standing dead trees and accumulated needles on the ground. Reduced tree canopy allows vegetation on the forest floor to dry out resulting in increased wildfire risk, especially during fire season.

Recognizing their vulnerability to wildfire, six homeowner associations bordering the Pinelands have become recognized as Firewise communities. Several other homeowner associations are now engaged in taking the steps to becoming recognized. Most Firewise projects initiated by these communities are focused on creating wide fuel breaks of at least 100 feet around the perimeter of these communities, often bordering along existing roadways. Dead standing trees are removed, existing canopy trees and ladder fuels are reduced, and the lower limbs of remaining trees are pruned to 15 feet.

It is important for other at-risk communities in southern New Jersey to consider taking steps to reduce their vulnerability to wildfire through the Firewise Communities /USA Recognition Program.

Want to learn more about what you can do in your area? Contact Heidi Wagner, Firewise Advisor for the Northeast Region at firewiseheidi@nfpa.org or 845-210-7007 for more information.

Within range of “wild”

When someone says “wildfire” or “wildland fire,” it can conjure up some fairly specific images, most of which don’t involve your house. Not living in an area that feels “wild,” overgrown or shrub-covered may lead homeowners to believe that their properties are not at risk. So, should you even bother being Firewise?

Well, yes.

If brush, grass or woods are nearby, all it takes are the right conditions and an ignition source. Suddenly, a fire outside your home could be advancing on it. Explore the Firewise Toolkit to find out what hazards could be around your property and what you can do to make your home fire-safe.

For frequently asked questions, visit the Firewise page.

Clearing snow from hydrants helps your local firefighters

This winter, depending upon where you live, Mother Nature has blessed us with quite a bit of the white stuff. In fact, here in New England we’ve seen storms almost every weekend for the last month, which have dumped up to a foot or more of snow each time in some areas. And as the snow continues to fall, we continue to shovel. The result: fire hydrants can easily get buried.

With winter’s grip upon us for the next month or two (maybe less, if we’re lucky) remember to take some time to shovel out the fire hydrant nearest your property, especially after a snowstorm. You’ll be doing your local firefighters a great service; access to critical water supplies during a fire means your fire department can fight flames more quickly and efficiently when they don’t have to dig out a hydrant.

And while the holiday season may be over, the video below featuring our Northwest Firewise advisor, Gary Marshall, still provides important information about the best way to shovel around the hydrant. Take a look and do your part to help keep your neighborhood safe.