15. Managing Wildfires

Question 1

Prevention

Answer 1

• Education programmes such as ‘Smokey the Bear’ have raised awareness of how to minimise the risk of wildfires. In the US the number of hectares lost to wildfires had fallen from 54 million in 1994 to 16.5 million today.
• Many countries introduce ‘fire bans’ during times of high risk and strictly enforce regulations on the use of BBQs and campfires.
• However, some people think fires are a natural regenerative process and should be allowed.
• Controlled burning -> setting planned fires to maintain health of forest
  - Broadcast: lighting fires across tract of land
  - Pile burning: stacks of vegetation burned individually -> used when conditions are not safe to set a larger fire

Question 2

Mitigation

Answer 2

• Aircraft used to spray retardants to slow the pace of the fire.
• NASA developing drone technology
• Cameras used to detect early ignition of fires
• Disaster aid and fire insurance -> becoming too expensive to insure
• Use natural barriers such as rivers
• Removing fuel -> deliberately back burning vegetation ahead of the fire front, however, fire can jump across

Question 3

Preparedness

Answer 3

• Community preparedness -> early detection + suppressing wildfires -> many countries have rural fire fighting teams staffed by volunteers
• Warnings released -> social media
• Fire bans introduced
• Red flag warning issued when weather conditions for extreme fire behaviour may be met within the next 24 hrs
• People may be able to establish firebreaks or a ‘defensible’ space around property
• Knowing where to evacuate to
• Store firewood away from home
• Remove dead limbs, leaves and other litter
• Clean gutters
• Mow dry grasses and weeds

Question 4

Adaptation

Answer 4

• Planning regulations -> restrict access to areas that are at risk during fire season
• Building design -> simple, cheap, natural products
• Maintain an emergency water supply that meets the fire department’s standards -> community water system, emergency storage tank with neighbours, min 2500 gallon storage supply
• Stack woodpiles away from structures
• Remove lower tree branches, at least 6ft from ground
• Install fire resistant roof
• Identify 2+ exit routes from neighbourhood
• Make sure electric service lines, fuse boxes and circuit breaker panels are installed and maintained per code