New Millenium Wildfires: Paradigm Shifts for the 21 st Century: Assessing the Home Ignition Zone

1. New Millenium Wildfires:Paradigm Shifts for the 21st Century:Assessing the Home Ignition Zone February 13, 2013 Austin, Texas Hank Blackwell Wildfire Solutions, LLC

2. “Changes” in Wildfire • Human/Structural Encroachment • Climate Cycles • Wildfire Intensity • Structural Losses • “Megafires” • International Wildfire Events • U.S., Australia, Europe

3. Forest Health and Wildfire Policies Experience Technology New Information

4. What Is A Healthy Forest?

5. Public Perceptions • Wildfire reputation • Characteristics • Myths • Role of victim • Suppression mindset • Prevention issues

6. Myths Capricious Nature of Fire Helplessness Fire Department Protection Stringent Codes Wildfires don’t happen ‘here’ I have insurance

7. Wildland-Urban Interface The WUI is not a physical location, but a set of conditions

8. Perspective While we specifically focus on the problem of residential fire losses during wildland fires we should recognize that sustaining ecosystems, and the many values we derive for those ecosystems, is a principal concern.

9. Forest Health, Climate and Fire Intensity Fire Physics Personnel Safety & Effectiveness Resident’s Responsibiliy Stakeholder Roles

10. Current Strategy & Tactics Reactive Strategies Life Safety Preplanning Interagency Operations & Suppression

11. Severe Fire Conditions Fuel, Weather, and Topography Wildland Fire Rapid fire spread and/or High intensity Urban Fire Multiple, simultaneous ignitions Overwhelmed Fire Suppression Too much fire and too few resources Reduced Fire Protection Lack of resources leads to reduced effectiveness DISASTER! Many homes totally destroyed Module 2 – Understanding W/UI

12. Paradigm Shifts

13. What We Have Learned? • Wildfires are inevitable in fire adaptive ecosystems. • During large interface fires hundreds of structures an hour may be ignited. • No fire suppression system in the world can stop losses from these large conflagrations. • Many structural ignitions begin via ember accumulation

14. Severe Fire Conditions Fuel, Weather, and Topography Wildland Fire Rapid fire spread and/or High intensity Urban Fire Multiple, simultaneous ignitions Stop the transition from the Wildland fire to an Urban fire and the likelihood of a Disaster is significantly reduced Overwhelmed Fire Suppression Too much fire, Too few resources Reduced Fire Protection Lack of resources = Reduced effectiveness DISASTER! Many totally destroyed homes

15. Whole Community Concept Prevention Strategies & Missions Shared Responsibilities & Consequences Previously Successful Models PARTNERSHIPS!!

16. Miracle Vegetation

17. Structural Losses Can Be Prevented!!

18. Home Ignition Zone • Fire does not spread to homes like an avalanche or flash flood where a mass engulfs objects in its path • Fire only spreads to locations along its path that meet the requirements for combustion – including homes

19. Values Responders Policy Makers Constituents Stakeholders Opponents Social Economic Cultural Political

20. These are tools for addressing fire control not for reducing home ignitability

21. “It’s the little things”

22. Ignition-Resistant Homes & Communities Independent Survivability Community Fuel Breaks Limited or No Structural Protection Stay or Go Issues

23. New W/UI Strategies & Tactics • Home ignitions can be prevented by reducing structure ignitability—NOT by keeping wildfires from encroaching on W/UI areas! • When structure ignitability is reduced, firefighting operations become safer and more efficient!

24. Coalition Building Partnerships are a critical element for government, private and public sectors

25. Assessing the HIZ Paradigm Shifts Reintroduction of Fire Field Experience Resource & Information Sharing Facilitation & Coordination Communication & Coalition “Opportunity is often missed because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -T. Edison-

26. New Paradigms • Ignition-Resistant Communities • Partnerships • Preventive Strategies • Forest Health • Understanding • Fire Behavior & Forest Health • Limitations of Firefighters • Necessity of Coalitions

27. It’s the Little Things! Litter Gardening/yardwork Openings Glowing Combustion Unattended Home Survival

28. Assessments Peak to Eaves Eaves to Foundation Foundation to Immediate Area 30’-90’ Openings and penetrations Ember Accumulation Risks Big Fire, Small Flames, Ember Accumulation

29. Ignition resistant communities can reduce wildfire exposure to firefighters and reduce the life safety threat to residents.

30. Summary • Modern W/UI disasters have shown that firefighters cannot be at every threatened structure • For structures not to burn, they must resist ignition on their own • If we are to affect a reduction in structures destroyed by wildfire, we must focus on reducing ignitibility of Home Ignition Zones

31. Assessment Model • Peak-Eaves-Foundation-1st Tier Vegetation • Little Things • Most home ignitions have little or no direct flame contact • Ember accumulation/glowing combustion • “Miracle Vegetation” • Scientific Data

32. Recognize that fire is an ecosystem process • Sustaining our ecosystems requires compatibility with fire. • Compatible communities require ignition resistant homes… we must take responsibility in our Home Ignition Zones! Module 4 – The Site Visit

33. Treat the earth well, It was not given to you by your parents, It was loaned to you by your children. Indian Proverb Module 4 – The Site Visit

34. Thank You! Thank You !! Hank Blackwell hbfire88@gmail.com