nfpa firewise briefing info oct 11
TRANSCRIPT
Wildfire Safety: Resources from NFPA’s Firewise Communities®
Program
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Saving lives and property from wildfire:• Acting Now• Understanding Wildfire• Taking Ownership• Working Together
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Saving lives and property from wildfire:• Acting Now
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
NFPA and the WUI
• The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) founded 115 years ago
• Wildfire safety standards date back to the 1920s
• Modern involvement in “the WUI” came 25 years ago
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
What is the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)?• Nonprofit life safety codes and standards
organization• 80,000+ members worldwide• 300+ consensus codes and standards
documents• Administers the Firewise program
– Partner with USDA Forest Service, US DOI, US Fire Administration on WUI Fire Protection since 1986
1985 Wildfires – A Call to Action
FL
1,400 homes lost!
400 in ONE day!!CA
Data from NIFC; Image from NOAA National Climatic Data Center – State of the Climate 2010
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Saving lives and property from wildfire:• Understanding Wildfire
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise.org is a resource
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise.org visitors learn:
• How homes ignite• How to protect homes• How to order
informational materials• Who to call
– NFPA Firewise Staff– State forestry liaisons– Firewise Regional
Advisors
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Saving lives and property from wildfire:• Taking Ownership
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
A private property problem• Homes ignite in wildfires due to conditions at
– The home itself– Home’s surroundings within a maximum of 200 feet
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Early Research Models
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Breakthrough Research• 1998: International Crown Fire Modeling
Experiment – Northwest Territories– Big crown fire flames burn out in about 50
seconds– Crown fire must be less than 100
ft to ignite a wood wall• 33 ft: heavy char; few ignitions• 66 ft: no char or scorch
It’s often the little things that burn homes
EmbersSurface fire
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Focusing on the Home Ignition Zone
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise Strategies: Home Ignition Zone• The Home Ignition Zone includes
the home, in addition to its immediate surroundings up to 200 feet.
If it’s attached to the house, it’s part of the house.
Firewise Strategies: Keep flames from touching the house and attachments
• Create a ‘fuel free’ area around your house that runs one yard out on all sides.
• When preparing your home ignition zone, start with the house and work out
Firewise Strategies: Keep flames from touching the house and attachments
• Wood fences and mulch should not touch structures • Keep mulch and pine needles away from house, fence and
deck
Firewise Strategies: Landscaping with Fuel Breaks in Mind
• Plan your Firewise landscape!
• Careful selection of fire-resistant plants can slow the spread of a wildfire and reduce its intensity
Firewise Strategies: Keep radiant heat sources away from the home
• During fire season, store fire wood at least 30 feet from your house if possible
• Vehicles (cars, ATVs, boats) are also heat sources
Firewise Strategies: Keep radiant heat sources away from the home
• Thin trees and remove dead branch and stem wood under and between trees.
• Within 30 feet of a home limb trees up eight feet above the ground.
Firewise Strategies: Address Ember Danger in Nooks and Crannies
• Pine needles are unwelcome in your gutters or on your roof
Firewise Landscaping: Maintenance is Important
• A clean, healthy garden is not a receptive surface for embers
• Keep plant debris to a minimum…– Rake– Mow– Dispose of debris
promptly
What else can we do?• Work with our
neighbors!• Where homes are
close enough to ignite one another, neighbors must work together to modify overlapping home ignition zones
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
An example from Bastrop
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Cola Vista Neighborhood
Fire Spread
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Fire Spread
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Metal Roof
Noncombustible Siding
Noncombustible Trim
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Bastrop County Complex Fire
Double-Paned Windows
Metal Framework
Noncombustible Decking
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Saving lives and property from wildfire:• Working Together
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise Communities/USA Criteria
1. Community wildfire risk evaluation
2. Local committee creates an action plan
3. Conduct a Firewise Day annually
4. Document Firewise work at least $2/capita
5. Submit documentation and renew annually
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
• 700+ Firewise communities• 40 states throughout the U.S.• Goal of 1,000 by 2013
Today: Firewise Communities/USA®
New York Wisconsin
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise Communities/USA - Results• Residents are accepting
their role in mitigating wildfire hazards
• Communities have invested $77 million+ since 2003
• 230 sites involved 5+ years
'03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 $-
$5,000,000
$10,000,000
$15,000,000
$20,000,000
$25,000,000
Firewise Community Investments
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Community Ignition Zones Are Appearing
• Florida, 2007. Mitigated home ignition zones kept a wildfire at bay so that firefighters could save homes
Florida
Michele Steinberg | Wildfire Safety Briefing October 11, 2011
Firewise “Saves” Documented
• 2010-2011– Idaho– Georgia– Florida– Virginia– Colorado– Texas
Colorado