NEWS ABOUT SAN JUAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 3

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List of stories about San Juan County Fire District No. 3

PART ONE:
Are we at risk?

PART TWO:
Preparing for Wildfires

PART FOUR:
Wildfires: Steps to Reduce Your Risk

PART FIVE: Building a Firewise Community.

How Safe is Your Home?

Article by San Juan County Fire District No. 3 Chief Bill McLaughlin

posted 03/25/01

• September 1997, Henry Island: A lightning strike causes a fire that destroys a garden shed.
• August 1998, Grover street: Three homes evacuated as 30-foot flames burn into the woods. One person injured.
• July 1999, Hannah Heights: Firefighters arrive just as flames burn under the deck of a home. One fire engine damaged trying to fit in the narrow driveway.
• July 2000, Kanaka Bay: Flames jump across a gravel road, threatening two homes.

Every year, homes are threatened by wildfires in San Juan County. In the past ten years, one home was destroyed and several others damaged. Most damage occurs before the fire department even arrives, as small fires fanned by summer winds consume the tinder dry fuels. In some cases, the fires are traveling 4 or 5 feet each minute. In a worst-case scenario, the fire can race uphill at 200 feet per minute, consuming everything in its path.

Not every home faces the same level of risk. Some homes even survive infernos like the Oakland Hills fire that destroyed 3,000 homes in a single day. Yet a handful of homes even in the heart of the fire are spared.

So, how can you tell if your home is at risk from wildfires? First, take a look at your road and neighborhood.

Does your neighborhood have two or more access roads? Are they well-maintained? Are they at least 20-feet wide? Is the maximum grade 10% on an access road? Do the dead-end roads have cul-de-sacs or turnarounds? Do the roads have signs? If you answer no to these questions, the fire department will have difficulty getting to your home.

Narrow roads and dead ends increase the risk of getting trapped by the fire. When residents are fleeing the fire, the fire department may be blocked from getting in to fight the fire.

Are your utilities above ground? Electrical lines above ground provide an increased risk of fires starting, and an increased risk of losing power when fires burn through. Do you have a water supply close by? Hydrants provide the best water for firefighting. Ponds and swimming pools can also be used if the fire department can get to them. The fire department must be able to get within 15-feet of a pond to be able to use it in most cases. If you don.t have a water supply close by, how far is it to the nearest reliable water source?

Next, look at the terrain around your home. Is your house on a steep grade? Fires move faster uphill. Are there ravines, canyons or draws nearby? Terrain features like these can funnel a fire, increasing its intensity. Does your home sit on a slope that faces south or west? Afternoon sunshine and predominant winds make fires run faster on south and west slopes.

What kind of vegetation grows near your house? Tall, dry grass carries fire quickly, but doesn't produce many firebrands. Grass should be kept trimmed at least 30 feet out from all structures. Grass growing close to houses can ignite decks or siding, even if the fire is low intensity.

Hardwood forests of alder, cottonwood or maple usually do not pose much risk. Likewise, large conifers such as mature cedar and Douglas fir trees are usually benign, especially if limbs are well above the ground.

Smaller conifers, on the other hand, can ignite and burn readily. Mixed fields of pines, small firs, shrubs and grass can be a deadly combination. Fires in the grass and shrubs ignite the trees, creating intense heat and sending showers of firebrands downwind.

Some native shrubs are relatively fire-resistant. Roses, snowberry, sumac and Oregon grape do not burn readily. Introduced plants that remain lush during the summer, such as rhododendrons and laurel are also fire-resistant.

Some shrubs, like salal, are hard to ignite, but burn hot once started. Other shrubs, such as Oceanspray and Scotch Broom, burn readily and can pose a very real risk to homeowners and firefighters alike.

Logging slash, downed trees and standing dead timber pose the greatest risk. They are easy to ignite, and once ignited, they burn hot and are hard to extinguish. Flames from slash can leap high into the air and often ignite the canopy, creating what firefighters can a "crown fire."

Nothing firefighters can do on the ground can stop a crown fire. It will move through the canopy until it has burned all the trees it can reach. If houses are in the way, there's nothing that can be done but evacuate as quickly as possible.

Mowed lawns and well-maintained, fire-resistant landscaping provide the best chance of surviving a wildfire. Vegetation that is sparse and grows low to the ground provides little fuel to the fire. Irrigated greenbelts, patios and walkways also give firefighters a .defensible space. in which to protect homes when wildfires arrive.

Finally, look at your home. Does your home have wooden siding that can catch fire? Wooden decks? Wooden roofing? Cedar shingles are particularly bad. A single burning pinecone dropping onto a roof from a fire as much as a half mile away can ignite a cedar roof, turning a home into an inferno in minutes.

Are your gutters full of needles? Burning embers that land on the roof often roll into the gutters where a ready source of kindling awaits. Do you have firewood stacked against the house? And how about wooden lawn furniture and other combustible materials? Can it spread fire to your house?

The attraction of a quaint, rural house in the woods draws many to the Pacific Northwest and away from the cities. The same features that make life here so appealing often contribute to the risk of losing a home to wildfire. It pays to know the risks, and know how to minimize them, while maintaining a beautiful and natural environment.

If you are interested in learning more about wildfire risk rating, contact your fire district.

• On San Juan Island, call 360.378.5334.
• On Orcas Island, call 360.376.2331.
• On Lopez, call 360.468.2991.

Each department has copies of the Pacific Northwest Fire Risk Rating for Homes brochure available for free.

Next Week: Wildfires: Steps to Reduce Your Risk