Test your fire danger awareness:
1. I'm safe from wildfire because I live close to the ocean and we have the marine layer to protect us. True or False?
Answer: False, weather and fire patterns, together with our area's rugged topography and dense fuel loads, combine to create a high fire risk during dry parts of the year. Coastal areas are not immune from this risk, even with a cooler and moister climate than inland areas. Large wildfire conflagrations with significant damage are highly likely in the coming years. All Humboldt and Del Norte County residents, organizations, and government entities share a fire risk. A challenge for coastal communities is the denial or lack of understanding about the potential for wildfire to affect their area and the subsequent lack of wildfire preparedness.[1]
2. Of the three fire risks – embers, radiant heat, and direct fire, which pose the greatest risk to me as a homeowner.
Answer: Embers can travel up to a mile ahead of a direct fire causing “spot” fires. This not only includes oncoming forest fires but building fires in nearby neighborhoods. Embers are small bits of ash that can collect on a home's roof, in gutters, crawl spaces, air vents, and skylights and can also collect in landscaping including mulch and dry vegetative areas. Embers can cause a home to burn from the inside out.
One misconception about a home loss in a wildfire is that the loss occurs as the main body of the fire passes (direct fire). Researchers (Butler et al, 2003) found that homes don't spontaneously ignite but rather are lost as the growth of smaller fires in and around the home or landscape. It is critical to maintain the home and create a defensible landscape zone.[1]
3. I live next to a redwood forest and I've planted fire-resistant plants in my landscape, I should be safe from wildfire, right? True or False
Answer: False, any tree or plant will burn under the right conditions. Fires are burning hotter and spreading faster due to climate change and California's drought situation. Our past forest management practices of fire suppression have allowed trees such as Douglas Fir which are shade tolerant and understory, to expand and overgrow. This provides prime fuel sources intermixed among the more fire-resistant Redwoods. In addition, the overgrowth of trees and understory increases competition for water resources causing higher instances of disease and early death, thereby adding “fuel to the fire.”
4. There are three main things we can do with our homes that will reduce our fire risk, these are “hardening” our home, creating a defensible space around our home and regularly maintaining our home. True or False
Answer: True, surviving a wildfire can be substantially improved through careful attention to three principles: (1) retrofitting or “hardening” homes to resist wildfire, (2) thoughtfully considering our landscape design to create a defensible space on the property, and (3) implementing ongoing maintenance of the home and landscaping to reduce combustible materials (leaves and debris) and address the wear and tear that homes incur over time.
“Home hardening[1]” means building or retrofitting a home including but not limited to installing Class A roofing materials; using non-combustible siding; using tempered glass for windows and doors; adding screens to air vents; and, properly flashing the roof. The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) has produced an excellent publication “Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations,” by Steven Quarles et al, which provides further detail on “home hardening” and maintenance. The publication can be found here: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8393.pdf
A second but equally critical factor is creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is a term used to describe actions taken in zones around a home that involve the selection, location, and maintenance of vegetation and other combustible materials on a property. The goal of defensible space according to authors Yana Valachovic et al in“Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations,” found here: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8695.pdf are to:
• eliminate pathways for a wildfire to burn directly into the home;
• reduce radiant heat exposures;
• reduce the potential for embers to ignite vegetation and other combustible materials adjacent to the home; and
• provide a safe place for fire personnel to defend the home and allow safe routes for evacuation.[1]
In California defensible space is defined by three zones - Zone 0 is the area within five feet of a building and should contain no combustibles. Zone 1 is between 5 and 30 feet and Zone 2 is between 30 and 100 feet.
Zone 0 should eliminate combustible materials and vegetation within 5 feet of the building to reduce the potential for direct flame or radiant heat exposure resulting from ember ignitions.
Zone 1 creates a safe space between 5 and 30 feet from the building. Plantings are widely spaced and irrigated in this zone. The goal is to reduce connectivity between trees, shrubs and garden spaces, thus limiting fuel ignition and deterring fire from reaching the house or into tree crowns.
Zone 2 extends from 30 feet to at least 100 feet from the home (or more, if possible). If the building is located on a steep slope, this zone should be extended. The goal in Zone 2 is to reduce the flame heights of an approaching wildfire or spot fire. Modifications may include tree limbing and creating space between shrubs and trees or within the shrub canopy. These actions will increase the effectiveness of Zone 1 efforts.
One thing to note is that given a choice between a defensible home compared to one that hasn't been prepared, firefighters may be more prone to try to save the property that already has a defensive shield in place.
And finally, regular maintenance of your home is vitally important. Implementing a maintenance program to rake, sweep and dispose of leaves and debris that accumulate throughout the year is an obvious consideration. Trimming tree branches away from the house is also important as cleaning the all-important gutters. However, other things including removing combustible mulches, removing fiber doormats, and relocating wooden planters and building materials including stored firewood, lumber, storage containers, and portable propane tanks as well as plastic trashcans may not be quite as obvious but are equally important.
5. I'm sure I will receive an evacuation alert and have more than enough time to gather my belongings and pets. The officials always seem to be too cautious in these things anyway. True or false
Answer: False, in a recent Southern California fire, officials were concerned about notifying residents and visitors of a fast-moving wildfire citing that Riverside County had an outdated alert system for landlines and registered cell phone users. Visitors to the area and unknowing residents with cell phones weren't notified. Unfortunately, we assume this won't happen to us and that we will have time to get out and someone will tell us.
The Camp Fire in 2018 caused at least 85 civilian fatalities, injured 12 civilians and five firefighters, and covered an area of 153,336 acres destroying more than 18,000 structures in its wake, with most of the destruction occurring within the first four hours. The fire cost was $16.65 billion and chiefly destroyed the towns of Paradise, Concow, Magalia, and Butte Creek Canyon.[1]
One challenge in our area is evacuation vulnerability. Similar to what happened in Paradise, we have limited exit routes. CalFire has produced an excellent guide, “Ready for Wildfire (Ready, Getting Set, Go! Evacuation Guide) found here www.readyforwildfire.org. Part of the website includes customized checklists you can use to develop and execute an evacuation plan. Here are essential highlights:
- Create an evacuation plan and share it with all family members;
- Designate a meeting rendezvous site for family members if you should become separated;
- Create a physical list of emergency contact numbers to keep with you;
- Prepare a “go bag” for each family member including pets. The website provides a list of important items to include;
- Keep at least a half tank of gas in your vehicle;
- Every family member should know where to shut off utilities;
- Keep in touch with neighbors to see if they need assistance and to let them know your plans.[1]
Very importantly make sure you can receive emergency alerts. You can sign up in Del Norte County on this website: https://www.preparedelnorte.com/home or in Humboldt County register on this website: https://humboldtgov.org/2014/Emergency-Notifications
Fires and other disasters have become a way of California life. To stay safe, we need to be aware of our risks, plan, prepare and be ready to safeguard the lives of ourselves and our loved ones.
While the diagrams below shows a forested setting, the same concepts apply to other vegetation types or more residential settings:
Footnotes:
[1] Humboldt County Wildfire Protection Plan Pub 2019
[2] UCANR Publication 8393 Home Survival in Wildfire Prone Areas –Building Materials and Design Considerations by Steven Quarles et al
[3] CalFire “Ready for Wildfire (Ready, Getting Set, Go! Evacuation Guide)”
[4] UCANR Publication 8695 Reducing the Vulnerability of Buildings to Wildfire Vegetation and Landscaping Guidance by Yana Valachovic et al
[6] CalFire “Ready for Wildfire (Ready, Getting Set, Go! Evacuation Guide)”
Resources:
Del Norte County Wildfire Protection Plan Pub 2020 https://docslib.org/doc/5743365/del-norte-county-fire-safe-council-community-wildfire-protection-plan-2020-volume-1
Humboldt County Wildfire Protection Plan Pub 2019 https://humboldtgov.org/2431/Community-Wildfire-Protection-Plan
UCANR Publication 8393 Home Survival in Wildfire Prone Areas –Building Materials and Design Considerations https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8393.pdf
UCANR Publication 8695 Reducing the Vulnerability of Buildings to Wildfire Vegetation and Landscaping Guidance https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8695.pdf
CalFire “Ready for Wildfire (Ready, Getting Set, Go! Evacuation Guide)” www.readyforwildfire.org
US Census Bureau https://www.census.gov/topics/preparedness/events/wildfires/camp.html
Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services https://www.preparedelnorte.com/home
Humboldt Sheriff's Office https://humboldtgov.org/2014/Emergency-Notifications
Image and Graphic Credits
House on Fire - Image by kolyaeg from Pixabay Permission for Use
Defensible Space Graphics - UCANR Publication 8695 - permission granted