Refuge Notebook
Peninsula Clarion Article
Dated
7 April 2000
 We're
Gearing Up For Fire Season 2000. Are You Firewise?
by Doug Newbould
Well, it's that time again. The hours of daylight once again exceed the hours
of darkness, the mercury is rising slowly towards 'tee-shirt weather,' and the
dog's footprints are more noticeable on the floor. Fire season can only be just
around the corner. I know it doesn't seem that way, when you look out your window
at the new snow on your car and those old snow berms along the driveway. But it's
true.
The traditional first day of the wildland fire season here in the Cook
Inlet area is the 15th of April, a date that signifies many different things (mostly
unpleasant) to Americans. As a fire management officer and firefighter, the approach
of that date means I need to be ready. Personally, I need to be physically and
mentally prepared for the rigors of a six-month fire season. I'm finding the physical
part is more and more difficult every year! Professionally, I need to ensure that
the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is ready for the fire season by hiring seasonal
firefighters, ordering supplies, checking equipment and getting everybody trained.
I'll have to admit I am not as far along in my preparations as I would like
to be at this time of year, but I believe the Refuge fire staff will be ready
when the snow finally disappears. How about you? Have you developed a FireWise
action plan for your home or business? Have you begun to implement your plan?
If you are one of those folks who know what I'm talking about, this will serve
as a friendly reminder to get busy - BEFORE the snow disappears. If you don't
have the slightest idea what I am talking about, you might be someone who rarely
reads the paper or listens to radio, you may have recently moved here, or perhaps
you have a very selective mind that filters out seemingly useless information
(my wife often accuses me of filtering out the things she tells me).
If you
are among the latter group, I want to tell you about the basic elements of the
FireWise Community Action Program and where you can get a free kit for your home
or business. Each kit contains a risk analysis for homes (or businesses) in the
wildland/urban interface and six pamphlets describing the basic elements of a
FireWise Plan.
The first phase of the FireWise program is to assess your home
or business for the risks of damage or destruction from a wildfire. From the assessment,
you can identify any deficiencies or needed improvements for your home and property.
The second phase of the program develops a plan for making the necessary improvements.
All of the 'tools' in the FireWise kits are easy to use, and there are many improvements
you can make at little or no cost.
The six elements of the FireWise Plan are:
Develop and Maintain a FireWise Landscape Around Your Home (to reduce the size
and intensity of a wildfire approaching your property by altering the vegetative
fuels),
Make Sure Emergency Personnel Can Locate and Get to Your Home (with
clearly marked signs and/or landmarks and adequate road access),
Establish
Your Emergency Water Supply (maintain an adequate water supply during a power
outage or periods of high demand),
Build or Remodel to Make Your Home Resistant
to Fire (your home and other structures should be able to survive a wildfire independently
of fire suppression agency presence),
Fire Safety Inside Your Home (ensure
life safety for all family members), and
When Wildland Fire Threatens (planning
your responses before an emergency to avoid panic and confusion).
You can
get a FireWise kit at the local fire station, at the Alaska Division of Forestry
office in Soldotna, at Refuge Headquarters on Ski Hill Road in Soldotna, or at
the Home Show at the Peninsula Sports Center on April 29-30.
Wildfires in Alaska
can be very scary, especially in dry weather, and FireWise preparation can reduce
the fear factor. Spring seems to starting early this year, and the forests can
potentially become quite dry in April and May before the grass greens up and the
trees leaf out. I'll admit that it is tempting to burn slash and trash in the
spring when the snow disappears, but this can be the most dangerous time of year
for escaped fires. Readers may recall that Homer's Hutler-Mansfield Road fire
last June was an escaped slash burn. Burn permits are required for any kind of
open burning after April 15th, and can be obtained by calling the Alaska Division
of Forestry office at 262-4124 in Soldotna.
----------------------------------
Doug Newbould is a fire management officer at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
For more information about the Refuge, stop by Headquarters at the top of Ski
Hill Road in Soldotna, call (907) 262-7021 or visit our website at http://kenai.fws.gov.
Last updated: June 16, 2008
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