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Narrator: WILDFIRES ARE NATURAL EVENTS
AS OLD AS THE LAND ITSELF.
EVERY YEAR, WILDFIRES IN THE UNITED STATES
BURN MILLIONS OF ACRES OF FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS.
TODAY, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
LIVE IN AREAS WHERE THESE NATURAL WILDFIRES
HAVE HISTORICALLY SHAPED THE LANDSCAPE OVER THE CENTURIES.
PROBLEMS ARISE WHEN RESIDENTS
DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LIVE COMPATIBLY WITH WILDFIRE
IN AN AREA KNOWN AS THE WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE.
Man: THIS PARTICULAR STRUCTURE WAS AN L-SHAPED STRUCTURE
THAT CAME OUT TO THIS OPEN AREA IN THE FRONT.
BEHIND IT WAS THE BACKDROP OF THE HILL,
AND IT HAD THE NATURAL VEGETATION FOR THE AREA.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE HOUSE,
AND IT CREATED AN INDEFENSIBLE SPACE
FOR OUR CREWS TO GET IN AND PROTECT THE STRUCTURE.
Narrator: THE LOSS OF HOMES
AMOUNTS TO A PROBLEM OF NATIONAL SCALE,
BUT ONE THAT CAN BE SOLVED ONLY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE TO GET THE CITIZENS INVOLVED.
IT CAN'T BE AGENCY-DRIVEN.
WE HAVE TO HAVE GRASSROOT SUPPORT
FROM PLANNERS IN THE PLANNING COMMUNITY,
FROM MAYORS, COUNCILMEN, NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS.
AND YOU HAVE TO GET BUY-IN.
Narrator: FOR OVER 10 YEARS,
THE NATIONAL FIREWISE PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED HOMEOWNERS
WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES NECESSARY
TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT
SO THEIR HOMES CAN SURVIVE A WILDFIRE.
FIREWISE IS LIKE A CLEARINGHOUSE.
THEY GET ALL THE GOOD INFORMATION --
WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING.
SO THAT'S WHERE IT'S REALLY BEEN AN ADVANTAGE
FOR US TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.
Narrator: IN 2001, THE FEDERAL REGISTER
PUBLISHED A LIST OF 11,000 COMMUNITIES
DETERMINED TO BE "AT RISK."
YET THE FIRE SEASON OCCURS AROUND THE COUNTRY
AT DIFFERENT TIMES EACH YEAR,
MAKING NEARLY ALL COMMUNITIES AT RISK TO WILDFIRE.
ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE
IS THAT IT CANNOT BE DEFINED AS A GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION,
BUT A SET OF CONDITIONS THAT CAN EXIST ANYWHERE.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS, HOWEVER,
IS THAT HOMES DON'T HAVE TO BURN.
THE FIREWISE COMMUNITIES/USA PROGRAM
ENCOURAGES HOMEOWNERS TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE
IN PROTECTING THEMSELVES AND THEIR HOMES
AS THEY CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF NATURE
AND THE REASONS THEY CAME TO LIVE IN THESE AREAS
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THE FIREWISE COMMUNITIES/USA RECOGNITION
DRAWS ON A COMMUNITY'S SPIRIT, ITS RESOLVE,
AND ITS WILLINGNESS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR ITS IGNITION POTENTIAL.
IT PROVIDES NATIONAL RECOGNITION TO HOMEOWNERS
BY REWARDING THEIR EFFORTS
TO PROTECT THEIR HOMES FROM WILDFIRE.
THE COMMUNITY OF EMIGRATION CANYON IS LOCATED
IN THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF SALT LAKE COUNTY, UTAH.
THE VEGETATION IN THE CANYON
IS PREDOMINANTLY GAMBEL OAK AND SAGEBRUSH
WITH SOME RIPARIAN ZONES AT THE CANYON BOTTOM.
WHILE THE VEGETATION AND LAY OF THE COMMUNITY
WOULD NOT SUPPORT A CROWN FIRE, A WILDFIRE IN THE CANYON
WOULD CREATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FIREBRANDS,
A SERIOUS THREAT TO INTERFACE HOMES AND STRUCTURES.
EMIGRATION CANYON IS COMPRISED OF MORE THAN 400 DWELLING UNITS
IN AN INTERESTING MIX OF HOUSING AND RESIDENCE.
CANYON RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED
THE EMIGRATION CANYON COMMUNITY COUNCIL
TO EXAMINE THEIR WILDFIRE RISKS
AND IDENTIFY CONDITIONS THAT COULD BE MODIFIED
TO INCREASE THEIR LEVEL OF READINESS.
AS A RESULT, A PUBLIC MEETING WAS HELD IN MAY OF 2002
AND ATTENDED BY OVER 40 RESIDENTS
AND FIRE PROFESSIONALS.
THE RESULT WAS THAT THE EMIGRATION CANYON COUNCIL,
ALONG WITH FOUR CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS,
DECIDED TO SERVE AS THE EMIGRATION FIREWISE BOARD.
THIS WAS THE ORGANIZATIONAL BEGINNING
OF MAKING EMIGRATION CANYON A FIREWISE COMMUNITY.
FOLLOWING A VISIT BY A FIREWISE COMMUNITIES ASSESSMENT TEAM,
THE RESULTING RECOMMENDATIONS AND STRATEGIES WERE PRESENTED
TO THE EMIGRATION FIREWISE BOARD --
THINNING OF THE GAMBEL OAK TO DECREASE THE FIRE RISK
AND PRESERVE AESTHETIC VIEWS.
IN AREAS THAT HAD BEEN THINNED AND CLEARED,
THE TEAM NOTICED THAT WILDFLOWERS WERE REAPPEARING,
A POTENTIAL FIREWISE ASSET TO MANY AREAS.
HOMEOWNERS SHOULD WORK TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN
30 FEET OF CLEARANCE AROUND THEIR RESIDENCES.
DEAD AND DOWNED VEGETATION SHOULD BE CLEARED
FROM THE RIPARIAN AREAS.
THE NATIVE SPECIES OF DOGWOOD, BIRCH, CHOKEBERRY,
AND COTTONWOOD SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED.
FLAMMABLE ROOFING SHOULD BE REPLACED
WITH NONCOMBUSTIBLE ALTERNATIVES.
AND CONTINUALLY EDUCATE
CITIZENS, VOLUNTEERS, AND PROFESSIONALS.
EMIGRATION CANYON DAY WAS HELD IN JUNE OF 2002
AS AN EDUCATION EFFORT
TO HELP RESIDENTS BETTER PROTECT THEIR PROPERTIES.
FAMILIES LEARNED ABOUT VEGETATION,
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS,
AND HOW TO DEVELOP DEFENSIBLE SPACE AROUND THEIR HOMES.
FINALLY, EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS ARE ONGOING IN EMIGRATION CANYON
AND INCLUDE SEMINARS, HOMEOWNER MEETINGS,
DIRECT MAILINGS, FIRE-CONDITION SIGNS,
AND OTHER VISUAL NOTIFICATION OF HIGH FIRE DANGER.
HOMEOWNERS REALIZE THAT TREES ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITY VALUES
AND THAT THEY MUST WORK
TO MAINTAIN THEIR FIREWISE READINESS.
NEEDLES, LEAVES, AND OTHER DEAD MATERIALS
MUST BE CONTINUALLY REMOVED FROM THE DECKS, ROOFS, AND WALKWAYS.
BECOMING FIREWISE IS A PROCESS, AND LIKE MANY PROCESSES,
IT IS MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN BEGUN AT THE SMALLEST SCALE.
A PARTICIPATING FIREWISE COMMUNITY/USA
NEED NOT BE AN INCORPORATED JURISDICTION.
ANY NEIGHBORHOOD, SUBDIVISION,
OR HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION MAY PARTICIPATE
BY REDUCING THE THREAT OF WILDFIRE TO THEIR HOMES
BY CHARTING THEIR OWN COURSE AT THEIR OWN PACE.
BECOMING RECOGNIZED AS A FIREWISE COMMUNITY/USA
BEGINS WHEN THE HOMEOWNERS RECOGNIZE THE WILDFIRE THREAT
AND DECIDE TO ACCEPT AND SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY
TO MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES.
THE FOLLOWING IS A SERIES OF RECOGNITION STANDARDS
TO ADOPT WHEN BECOMING A FIREWISE COMMUNITY.
ENLIST A WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE SPECIALIST
TO COMPLETE AN ASSESSMENT
AND CREATE A PLAN THAT IDENTIFIES
LOCALLY AGREED-UPON, ACHIEVABLE SOLUTIONS
THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN IMPLEMENT.
ASSESSMENT IS AN INVENTORY OF THE AREA
IN ORDER TO DETERMINE, YOU KNOW, HOW BAD THE FIRE HAZARD IS,
WHAT AREAS THAT WE NEED TO TREAT.
AND THEN, AFTER WE DO AN ASSESSMENT,
THEN WE HAVE THE INGREDIENTS TO PUT TOGETHER A PLAN.
Narrator: SPONSOR A LOCAL FIREWISE TASK FORCE,
COMMITTEE, COMMISSION, OR DEPARTMENT
THAT MAINTAINS THE FIREWISE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
AND TRACKS ITS PROGRESS AND STATUS.
OBSERVE A FIREWISE COMMUNITIES/USA DAY EACH SPRING
THAT IS DEDICATED TO A LOCAL FIREWISE PROJECT.
INVEST A MINIMUM OF $2 ANNUALLY PER CAPITA
IN LOCAL FIREWISE COMMUNITIES/USA EFFORTS.
WORK BY MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES OR VOLUNTEERS
USING MUNICIPAL AND OTHER EQUIPMENT CAN BE INCLUDED,
AS CAN STATE OR FEDERAL GRANTS DEDICATED TO THAT PURPOSE.
SUBMIT AN ANNUAL REPORT TO FIREWISE COMMUNITIES/USA
DOCUMENTING CONTINUING COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROGRAM.
WILDFIRES WILL HAPPEN, BUT HOMES CAN SURVIVE.
MANAGING THE WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE FIRE ISSUE AT HOME,
WITHIN A COMMUNITY, IS THE KEY TO CREATING
A SAFER, MORE WILDFIRE-COMPATIBLE AMERICA.
IF YOUR COMMUNITY IS INTERESTED IN BECOMING FIREWISE,
CONTACT...