1	Firewise Communities/USA® Presented by WalkerCAA Sept. 4, 2010 Bud Mellor Mona Feige
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3	Fire, all bad? Fire is natural and essential for this planet’s ecosystem, it’s unavoidable.
4	History 1896—NFPA founded 1935—Active Wildland Firefighting initiated 1980’s—NFPA determined must deal with the new phenomenon of Wildland/Urban Interface Firewise Communities initiative began.
5	Basic principle of Firewise When adequately prepared, a home can withstand a wildfire without firefighter intervention.
6	What does it mean to be Firewise? You, your family, and your home are prepared for wildfire inside and outside. You understand the role and behavior of wildfire and accept responsibility for the way we live on this fire-prone planet. You make simple, sensible choices to protect what you love from wildfire. You know these facts and take action before fire ignites. You and your community have increased eligibility for Title III grants.
7	Five Standards Complete a community assessment and create a plan Form a Firewise Board Six months to develop Action Plan Hold a Firewise Day event Invest a minimum of $2/capita in local wildfire mitigation projects. (Volunteer hours, equipment use, time contributed by agency fire staff, and grant funding can be included) Submit an application.
8	Required throughout process Qualified Advisor Qualified Assessor State Liaison
9	Predictable Pattern Innovators—3% Early Adopters—13% Early Majority—34% Late Majority—34% Laggards—16%
10	TAKE HOME MESSAGGE Small portion will take an initial active role, will that be YOU? Are you going to wait on your neighbor? Firefighters can’t save every home. Firewise measures are most effective before fire occurs. These measures can only be done by the resident or homeowner.
11	Is your property appropriate? No “official” size for a Firewise Community Approximates size of homeowners association. Usual size of 400 homes according to www.firewise.org. Requires commitment from homeowners and residents. Successful programs, long term, have proven to be those with engaged homeowners and residents. Tips Community must function effectively as a unit. Neighbors must work together on a mitigation project. Most residents must be willing to take part in the Firewise action plan. Neighbors must be able to organize without depending on agency guidance.
12	Statistics Wildfire/Urban Interface has progressively changed since 1980. “According to experts, wildfires across the country are burning hotter and faster than ever before.” (Excerpt from Firewise PSA radio script) 1961 Belair/Brentwood Fire, 95% of the structures that maintained 30-60 feet of clearance survived. (Stanford Research Institute)
13	Statistics (cont) 1990—Painted Cave Fire, 86% of structures survived if they maintained at least 30 feet of clearance. (University of California, Berkley) 1998—International Crown Fire Modeling Experiment in Canada. Crown fire must be within 100 feet from a structure to ignite a wood wall At 33 feet, heavy char and few ignitions occurred. At 66 feet, there was no scar or scorch.
14	Statistics (cont) June 2003—Summerhaven, Aspen Fire (Jack D. Cohen, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory) Study shows the ignited homes contributed to the crown fire. The fire was driven by the ground fuels.
15	Timing is Everything Neither you nor the responding firefighters may be able to act in the event of a fire, mitigation may not be possible once a fire starts. The best time to mitigate your property is during inactive fire season. Fire doesn’t discriminate with regard to value or history of your home. Create defensible space now.
16	Reference Information Brochures for take home and review. www.firewise.org www.interfacesouth.org www.nfpa.org Multiple other on-line resources
17	What can each homeowner/resident do today? Create and properly maintain defensible space. It’s everyone’s responsibility!!
18	Eight Things Homeowners Should Do (“SECOND DEADLIEST FIRE FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN U.S. HISTORY MARKS 100TH ANNIVERSARY” NFPA News Release 08-10-2010) Clear leaves and other debris from gutters, eaves, porches and decks. This prevents embers from igniting your home. Keep your lawn hydrated and maintained. Dry grass and shrubs are fuel for wildfire. Remove fuel within 3-5 feet of your home’s foundation and outbuildings including garages and sheds. If it can catch fire, don’t let it touch your house, deck or porch. Clear vegetation surrounding your home, at least 30 to 100 feet depending on your area’s wildfire risk.
19	Eight Things Homeowners Should Do (cont) Wildfire can spread to tree tops. If you have large trees on your property, prune so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet high. Don’t let debris and lawn cuttings linger. Dispose of these items quickly to reduce fuel for fire. When planting, choose slow-growing, carefully placed shrubs and trees so the area can be more easily maintained. Landscape with native and less-flammable plants. Your state forestry agency or county extension office can provide plant information.
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