NEWS ABOUT SAN JUAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 3
Related stories
List of stories about Fire District No. 3
PART ONE:
Are we at risk?
PART TWO:
Preparing for Wildfires
PART THREE:
How Safe is Your Home?
Community Risk Reduction
Article by San Juan County Fire District No. 3 Chief Bill McLaughlin
posted 04/08/01
"It was a nightmarish scene. Evacuation was impeded by narrow steep roads, high winds and heavy smoke. Fleeing residents did not know which way to go, and firefighters had a hard time directing them. Fire apparatus could not pass the cars filled with fleeing residents."
So reads the report after the Oakland Hills fire in 1991. Narrow roads, inadequate water supplies, flammable roofs, lack of vegetation management and loss of electricity were cited as major causes to the devastation. Fire apparatus couldn’t get up the roads as residents blocked them trying to escape. Fire hydrants ran dry. The fire was fed by stands of eucalyptus, pine and juniper. Embers from burning houses landed downwind to create new fires. The fire knocked out electrical transmission lines, killing power to the fire pumps.
Oakland had plenty of warning. They had considered ordinances requiring non-flammable roofs. They had an ordinance in place requiring vegetation to be kept cleared. They had considered bond proposals to widen roads, bury power lines and improve reservoirs. But when the fire started, they weren’t ready. In the past few articles, I’ve talked about personal preparedness and fire department preparedness. But what about our communities and neighborhoods? Are they prepared?
"By 5 p.m. on the first day of the fire, 10 reservoirs were dry." Most of the neighborhoods on the island don’t have adequate water for fire protection. Shuttling water to a fire ties up firefighters and trucks that could otherwise be used to contain the fire. Fire hydrants are best, but ponds, swimming pools and water storage tanks can be used.
"Eleven of the victims died as flames caught up with them while they were trapped in a traffic jam." Fire engines can’t get to the fire if the road is blocked by evacuating residents. In some cases, fire engines can’t get through even if the roads are clear. Fire engines stand up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 40,000 lbs. Steep grades, narrow roads and overhanging limbs can keep the fire department out. Ideally, each neighborhood should have multiple two-lane roads, so the fire department can get in while residents are getting out.
"Eight pumping stations and 10 residential reservoirs were lost in the first half-hour of the fire." Aboveground utilities are easily susceptible to fire. Even heavy smoke will cause shorting. And when power lines come down from high winds or falling trees they can block roads and start fires. While we are fortunate that most of our utilities are underground now, it would be wise to make sure they all are.
"One of the fundamentals of residential fire protection in wildland areas is the creation of safety zones." Individually, we are responsible for maintaining a defensible space around our homes. Collectively, we are also responsible for maintaining easements to keep fires from starting and spreading along roads. The County does a good job keeping vegetation cut back along County roads. Neighborhood groups and private homeowners should do the same along private roads.
"Flammable wood shingle roofs were a major factor in the fire." Wood shingles pose a risk not only to the home they are on, but also to the surrounding homes. Once a roof starts to burn, it lofts flaming shingles on the convection column created by the fire. One house fire on San Juan Island in 1999 caused over 20 "spot" fires when the burning shingles landed in the fields and woods around the house. Requiring non-combustible roofing makes the whole neighborhood safer. Class "A" roofs have the added benefit of being longer lasting and lower maintenance than wood roofs.
Neighborhoods don’t have to look like suburbs to be firesafe. Roads can still have a rural character and be wide enough for fire engines and cars. Vegetation should be managed, not stripped away. Strategically placed ponds and cisterns can enhance the fire safety of a neighborhood without being an eyesore. Good construction techniques reduces fire risk and adds to a home’s beauty.
"Fire is natural part of the ecology of forests and wildlands. It’s predictable, and even cleansing." This holds true for San Juan County just as much as California. Indeed, the original vegetation of Oakland was very similar to what was found on San Juan Island when Europeans first arrived. It is not "if a fire starts," it’s "when."
Prevention of devastating wildfire is not one group’s responsibility. It is all our responsibility.
