Fire-Wise for City Dwellers - Nick Jeffries

Protecting your Home and Property from Wildfire

Nick Jeffries

Spokane Fire Department

Wildland Resource Planner

Spokane County Fire History Interesting Facts Last 20 year period

2003-2012:

 1,058 Fires

 4,521 Acres

 3 Type 2 IMT

 15 Type 3 IMT

2013-2022:

 1,966 Fires (186% Increase)

 50,519 Acres (1,117% Increase)

 4 Type 2 IMT

 34 Type 3 IMT(227% Increase)

August 18, 2023

A Day That will Not be forgotten in Spokane County

Gray Fire in District 3 and Oregon Road Fire in District 4

Weather On That Day: From Spokane Airport

 High Temperatures 86 – 90 degrees

 Relative Humidity 6 – 9%

 Wind Sustained 20 – 25 mph

 Wind Gusts 30 – 37 mph

 Switching from Southwest to North by early evening

Gray Fire

 Started at 12:27 Hours

 Burned 10,085 acres

 Destroyed 240 homes and 86 other buildings

 1 Civilian Fatality

 Over 1,000 people evacuated

 Hundreds of homes saved

*Information based on ICS-209 submitted on August 23, 2023

Gray Fire

Suppression Cost: $10,371,969

Peak Resources Assigned: Type 2 IMT Assigned

 14 – 20 Person Handcrews

 73 Fire Engines

 3 Dozers

 17 Water Tenders

 638 Fire personnel assigned

*Information based on ICS-209 submitted on August 23, 2023

Oregon Road Fire

 Started at 16:16 Hours

 Burned 10,817 acres

 Destroyed 126 homes and 258 other buildings

 1 Civilian fatality and 1 Civilian serious burn injury

 Over 4,000 people evacuated from their homes

 Hundreds of homes saved

*Information based on ICS-209 submitted on August 23, 2023

Oregon Road Fire

Suppression Cost: $14,232,553

Peak Resources Assigned: Type 1 IMT Assigned

 30 – 20 person handcrews

 6 Helicopters

 60 Fire Engines

 11 Dozers

 20 Water Tenders

 975 Fire personnel assigned

*Information based on ICS-209 submitted on August 23, 2023

We help homeowners preventatively by completing wildfire Risk Assessments

to Prevent This

So our firefighters have a better chance to do this with less risk to themselves and the public that live there

Property Goals

 Fire ?

 Wildlife?

 Forest Health?

 Other?

Hot Zone Exercise

 Heavy Fuels

 Steep Slopes

 Summer Afternoon Winds

Heat transfer

 Conduction

 Radiation

 Convection

Home Ignition Zone – Defensible Space

 Zone 1: The Immediate Zone

 Be Ember Aware

 House, deck, +5 feet

 Zone 2: Lean, Clean and Green

 Yard and Garden

 High maintenance

 Zone 3: Unimproved property.

 Forest, sage, shrubs.

 Low to no maintenance

Source: Victoria State Government, Australia

Ignition Resistant Homes

Little Things Be Ember Aware

 Check before you leave.

No burn landscape

Be Ember Aware

Could start house on fire?

Be Ember Aware

Be Ember Aware

Home Ignition Zones

5 to 30 feet

Source: NFPA

Zone 2 – Lean, Clean and Green

5 – 30 feet or more

 Radiant Heat

 The Right Plant

 The Right Place

 The Right Condition

There is no such thing as a plant that will not burn, …but some plants are more fire resistant than others.

https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/

rp_fire_resistant_plants_guide_easternwa.pdf

Characteristics of Fire Resistant Plants

Little accumulation of dead vegetation

Open, loose branching

Non-resinous, oily or waxy

Low volume of total vegetation

High moisture content

Slow growing

Most Flowers and Garden Plants

Did You Know?

 The heat from a wildfire may be enough to ignite the furnishings inside your house through the windows, even if the glass remains intact.

The correct answer is: “True” Firewise

Zone 2 – Lean, Clean and Green

5 – 30 feet

 The Right Plant

 The Right Place

 The Right Condition

Wicks Can fire get from point A to point B?

Zone 3 – Unimproved property

Reduce the Energy 30’ – 100’ plus

Zone 3 – Unimproved property

Reduce the Energy 30’ – 100’ plus

Defensible Space...

Photo’s by: Steve DeCook

Spacing

 Five Feet Between Branches minimum.

 Wider is better and think of the hot side of your house

 Clumping

 Think of one big tree

 Variable Density thinning ???

Tree Response

 Before thinning

 14 years to grow 1 inch

 After thinning

 4 years to grow 1 inch

Healthy Forest

Pruning Height

 10 feet high

 Never more than 50% of the tree

 14 feet along roads for fire access

 Big motor home

Slash Disposal

 Lop and Scatter

 Mastication

 Chipping

 Pile Burning

Cut or Leave?