STEVE BARGAS, CHIEF
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STEVE BARGAS, CHIEF
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WILDLAND FIRE MITIGATION INFORMATION
Photo by Liz McKay © 2002 Sunday June 9, 2002 12:41 pm Hayman Fire Smoke from Indian Mountain Subdivision looking East.
Wildland Fire Mitigation Information Wildland Fire Mitigation is best done before a disaster such as the Hayman Fire pictured above threatens our District as it did in June of 2002. Jefferson-Como Fire Protection District (JCFPD) does not at this time require wildland fire mitigation. Cooperation with the mitigation guidelines is on a voluntary basis. However, any items listed in these guidelines that you can accomplish will be greatly appreciated by JCFPD and your neighbors. Three separate articles from the Federal Government have been copied for your convenience below. Please be aware that these guidelines MAY OR MAY NOT agree with JCFPD rules and regulations, your homeowner's covenants, your Park County Building codes, your well permit, and any other governing entity for your area. Please check with the applicable entity before instigating any changes to your property. Fact Sheet: Wildland Fires (Copied from Federal Emergency Management Agency website) http://www.fema.gov/hazards/fires/wildlanf.shtm The threat of wildland fires for people living near wildland areas or using recreational facilities in wilderness areas is real. Advance planning and knowing how to protect buildings in these areas can lessen the devastation of a wildland fire. BEFORE Learn and teach safe fire practices.
Obtain local building codes and weed abatement ordinances for structures built near wooded areas. Use fire-resistant materials when building, renovating, or retrofitting structures. Create a safety zone to separate the home from combustible plants and vegetation.
Check for fire hazards around home.
Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and near sleeping areas. Make evacuation plans from home and from neighborhood. Have disaster supplies on hand
Develop an emergency communication plan. Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person. Fire-Resistant Building Materials Avoid using wooden shakes and shingles for a roof. Use tile, stucco, metal siding, brick, concrete block, rock, or other fire-resistant materials. Use only thick, tempered safety glass in large windows and sliding glass doors. Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on wildland fires. DURING Turn on a battery-operated radio to get the latest emergency information. Remove combustible items from around the house.
Take down flammable drapes and curtains and close all Venetian blinds or noncombustible window coverings. Take action to protect your home.
Be ready to evacuate all family members and pets when fire nears or when instructed to do so by local officials. AFTER Take care when re-entering a burned wildland area. Hot spots can flare up
without warning. Check the roof immediately and extinguish any sparks or embers.
Check the attic for hidden burning sparks. For several hours afterward, re-check
for smoke and sparks throughout the home. If trapped in a Wildland Fire Breathe the air close to the ground through a wet cloth to avoid scorching lungs or inhaling smoke. Mitigation Mitigation includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or lessen the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. Investing in preventive mitigation steps now such as installing a spark arrestor on your chimney, cleaning roof surfaces and gutters regularly, and using only fire resistant materials on the exterior of your home, will help reduce the impact of wildland fires in the future. For more information on mitigation, contact your local emergency management office.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME Copied from the Federal Government Brochure Every year many families lose their homes and possessions to the ravages of wildfire. These losses can be minimized if homeowners take the time and trouble to become aware of safety measures to help protect their homes. By observing the precautions and procedures described in this folder, you can reduce the risk of losing your home to wildfire. Only you can decide if it's worth the effort. Use fire resistant building materials. The roof and exterior structure of your dwelling should be constructed of non-combustible or fire resistant materials such as asphalt roofing, shingles, tile, slate, sheet iron, aluminum, brick, or stone. Wood siding, cedar shakes, exterior wood paneling and other highly combustible materials should be treated with fire retardant chemicals. Burn Safely. Check local laws on burning debris. (Webmaster's Note: Jefferson-Como Fire Protection District requires a Burn Permit which you obtain from JCFPD at Station 5 on County Road 15, (719) 836-3244. After you have obtained a permit, before starting burning activities, please check with JCFPD to see if high winds or other adverse circumstances would make outside burning a risk. At times there are county wide fire bans in place that do not allow outside burning of any type at any time irrespective of the fact that you have a burn permit. In addition, you must also call the Park County Sheriff's Office on days when you intend to burn and give them your location and permit number. This prevents the fire department from being dispatched to your location if a neighbor should report seeing smoke coming from your location. Read more about Burn Permits, their rules and regulations by reading the Burn Permit Page on this site. (Click Here to go to the Burn Permit Page) Some communities allow burning only during specified hours; others forbid it entirely. Make sure you have a valid permit. A burning permit shall not be valid for any day in which agriculture burning is prohibited by the Air Pollution Control District. If debris burning is allowed in your locale, take the following precautions: (Editor's note: Be sure and check these requirements against the Jefferson-Como Fire Protection District Requirements.) ▪ Clear the ground of all flammable materials for at least 10 feet. ▪ Have adequate water and fire tools available in case the fire escapes. ▪ Burn only during those hours specified on your permit. ▪ Don't burn on dry, windy days. ▪ Have an adult attend the fire until it is completely out. Clean Your Roof Clean roof surfaces and gutters regularly to avoid accumulation of leaves, twigs, pine needles, and other flammable materials. Keep Your Chimney Clean At least twice a year, inspect your chimney or have it inspected for an accumulation of soot or creosote. Clean your chimney at least once a year, or more often if necessary. Keep the dampers in good working order. Install a Spark Arrestor Every home and cabin built in a wooded area should have a spark arrester on its chimney. It should be constructed on non-flammable, corrosive-resistant material, similar to stainless steel. The openings in the mesh should be no larger than 1/2 inch in diameter. Inspect your spark arrester annually for broken mesh and secure installation. Control Vegetation A fuel break at least 30-feet wide should be established and maintained around all structures. Wider fuel breaks are needed around buildings located on steep slopes or in areas of dense, highly flammable fuels. The fuel break area may contain single shade trees and ornamental shrubs that do not provide a means of rapidly transmitting the fire from native vegetation to buildings. Shrubs and trees should be at least 15 feet apart. Remove branches from trees to a height of 15 feet to prevent ground fire from spreading to tops of trees. Trees and vegetation should be kept at least 10 feet away from a chimney or stove pipe. Foundation plantings should be of the non-resinous resistant variety and be free of dead and dying vegetation. Develop a water supply An adequate and reliable water supply is essential to protect structures and natural areas from fires. Water can be supplied in rural areas by wells with high volume pumps. A plan should be developed to locate and note nearby creeks, rivers, lakes, and ponds so that firefighters can obtain additional water, if needed. (Webmaster's Note: JCFPD has, for the last three years, been developing underground water storage in order to provide adequate reliable water supplies for our district at all times.) Swimming pools may also be considered a source of additional water supply. A garden hose outlet should be installed on the exterior of each swelling. One hundred feet of hose should be racked and connected to the outlet to be available to protect all sides of the house and roof. It is recommended that additional outlets be installed at least 50 from the house for firefighter use. Plan Adequate Access and Escape Each home should have at least two different entrance and exit routes. All roads leading to your property should be at least 16-feet wide to allow for easy entrance of fire trucks and the passage of vehicles evacuating the area. Roads should not be located in areas with grades in excess of 12%. Dead-end roads terminating in a cul-de-sac should have a minimum turn-around radius of 60-feet. Names of roads should be clearly indicated at all intersections, and the name and address of the occupants should be prominently posted at the driveway entrance. bridges should be constructed to support a minimum gross vehicle weight of 30,000 pounds to accommodate firefighting equipment. Plan a safe retreat route for you and your family before a forest fire occurs, and make sure everyone knows the plan. Emergency phone numbers should be posted near the telephone. Have Fire Tools Handy Your home should have a cache of fire tools, including the following: a ladder long enough to reach the roof in case of a roof fire, 100-feet of pre-connected garden hose, a shovel, a rake, and a bucket. Those tools should be kept in an easily-accessible place and all occupants of the house should know where they are located. If a Fire Occurs ▪ Back car into garage, close garage door, and leave keys in the ignition. ▪ Close windows and doors to the house and close all inside doors. Take down drapes and curtains. ▪ Place water in containers to fight fire. ▪ Place ladder against front of house. ▪ If you have a combustible roof, wet it down or turn on roof sprinklers. ▪ Turn off gas at the meter and propane tank. ▪ Evacuate family and pets to a safe location. After you've done everything on your checklist and the fire is close - it is time to evacuate. If law enforcement and fire authorities permit, and it is safe to do so, an able-bodied member of the household may remain to protect the house. If the fire cannot be stopped and passes over your home, the safest place for protection is inside the house with all doors and windows closed. Immediately after the fire passes, check for hot spots for at least six to ten hours. In a major conflagration, fire protection agencies may not have enough equipment and personnel to be at every home. Taking a proper precautions before a wildland fire will be your best defense against it.
AVOIDING WILDFIRE DAMAGE: A CHECKLIST FOR HOMEOWNERS FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY If you live in a forest or wildland area, you face the real danger of wildfire. Wildfires destroy thousands of homes and devastate hundreds of thousands of acres of woodland every year. Protecting your home from wildfire is your responsibility. To reduce the risk, you'll need to consider the fire resistance of your home, the topography of your property and the nature of the vegetation close by. This homeowner's checklist will help you to learn what you can do. You should also contact your local fire department, forestry office, emergency management office or building department for information about local fire laws, building codes and protection measures. ● Do you know your wildfire risk? Learn about the history of wildfire in your area. Be aware of recent weather. A long period without rain increases the risk of wildfire. Consider having a professional inspect your property and offer recommendations for reducing the wildfire risk. Determine your community's ability to respond to wildfire. Are roads leading to your property clearly marked? Are the roads wide enough to allow firefighting equipment to get through? In your house number visible from the roadside? ● Have you thinned out and maintained the vegetation around the house? All vegetation is fuel for a wildfire, though some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. To reduce the risk, you will need to modify or eliminate brush, trees and other vegetation near your home. The greater the distance between your home and the vegetation, the greater the protection. ● Create a 30-foot safety zone around the house. Keep the volume of vegetation in this zone to a minimum. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. Fire spreads rapidly uphill. The steeper the slope, the more open space you will need to protect your home. In this zone, do the following: ▪ Remove vines from the walls of the house. ▪ Move shrubs and other landscaping away from the sides of the house. ▪ Prune branches and shrubs within 15 feet of chimneys and stove pipes. ▪ Remove tree limbs within 15 feet of the ground. ▪ Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns. ▪ Replace highly flammable vegetation such a spine, evergreen, eucalyptus, junipers and fire trees with lower growing, less flammable species. Check with your local fire department or garden store for suggestions. ▪ Replace vegetation that has living or deal branches from the ground-level up (these act as ladder fuels for the approaching fire). ▪ Cut the lawn often. ▪ Clear the area of leaves, brush, dead limbs and fallen trees. ● Create a second zone at least 100 feet around the house. This zone should begin about 30 feet from the house and extend to at least 100 feet. In this zone, reduce or replace as much of the most flammable vegetation as possible. If you live on a hill, you may need to extend the zone for several hundred feet to provide the desired level of safety. ● Are combustible materials away from the house? Identify all combustible materials outside the house. Stack firewood 100 feet away and uphill from the house. Keep the gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet from the house. Clear an area 15 feet around the grill. Place a 1/4 inch mesh screen over the grill. ● Are sundecks and porches enclosed underneath? Any porch, balcony or overhang with exposed space underneath is fuel for an approaching fire. Overhangs ignite easily by flying embers and by the heat and fire that gets trapped underneath. If vegetation is allowed to grow underneath or if the space is used for storage, the hazard is increased significantly. Clear leaves, trash and other combustible materials away from underneath sun decks and porches. Extend 1/2 inch mesh screen from all overhangs down to the ground. Enclose wooden stilts with non-combustible material such as concrete, brick, rock, stucco or metal. Use non-combustible patio furniture and covers. If you're planning a porch or sundeck, use non-combustible or fire resistant materials. If possible, build the structure to the ground so that there is no space underneath. ● Are eaves and overhangs enclosed? Like porches and balconies, eaves trap the heat rising along the exterior siding. Enclose all eaves to reduce the hazard. ● Are house vents covered with wire mesh? Any attic vent, soffit vent, louver or other opening can allow embers and flaming debris to enter a home and ignite it. Cover all openings with 1/4 inch or smaller corrosion-resistant wire mesh. If you're designing louvers, place them in the vertical wall rather than the soffit of the overhang. ● Is the roof made of non-combustible materials? The roof is especially vulnerable in a wildfire. Embers and flaming debris can travel great distances, land on your roof and start a new fire. Avoid flammable roofing materials such as wood, shake and shingle. Materials that are more fire resistant include single ply membranes, fiberglass shingles, slate, metal, clay and concrete tile. Clear gutters of leaves and debris. ● Are chimneys and stovepipes covered with spark arrestors? Chimneys create a hazard when embers escape through the top. To prevent this, install spark arrestors on all chimneys, stovepipes and vents for fuel burning heaters. Use spark arrestors made of 12-gauge-welded or woven wire mesh screen with openings 1/2 inch across. Ask your fire department for exact specifications. ● Is the house siding fire resistant? Use fire resistant materials in the siding of your home, such as stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete and rock. You can treat wood siding with UL-approved fire retardant chemicals, but the treatment and protection are not permanent. ● Have windows been treated to reduce the risk? Windows allow radiated heat to pass through and ignite combustible materials inside. The larger the pane of glass, the more vulnerable it is to fire. Dual or triple-pane thermal glass, and fire resistant shutters or drapes,, help reduce the wildfire risk. You can also install non-combustible awnings to shield windows and use shatter-resistant glazing such as tempered or wire glass. Other Federal Government links with information on this topic: http://www.fema.gov/hazards/fires/wildlanf.shtm http://www.nifc.gov/information.html http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/prevention.html http://www.fema.gov/regions/viii/fires.shtm This link has info on the Hayman Fire and a History of Colorado wildland fires.
There is a great deal of information on the internet on this topic. Much of it is repetitive and sometimes conflicting as you can see from the articles copied above. For your particular area and situation it is probably most prudent at this time to use your common sense, and make sure that you check with the governing entities for your area before instigating any changes.
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