Interface Fires

I'm not sure how Emergency Service Coordinators sleep at night. They know so much about the catastrophic things that can go wrong in life - it's not a job for the anxious or faint-hearted.

I'm mentioning this because I had the dubious pleasure of learning about interface fires last week - specifically the responsibilities of our Department if a major forest fire hits our area. We're in a pretty high-risk area for forest fires, so this is a distinct possibility.

We have plenty of fuel mass, a fair amount of bug kill and heavy woodlands all around us. We're basically a long strip along the highway with forest on both sides - steeply sloped forest at that. I'd be surprised if there were any properties more than 100 meters from the forest.

Learning about the criteria that Forestry teams use to evaluate how hard to try to save a house was somewhat chilling, when applied to my property. Conifers within the 10-meter safety zone? Check. Trees less than 15 feet apart? Check. Vinyl siding? Check. Wooden deck connected to the house? Check. On the upside, at least the roof isn't shake! Of course, the shed alongside has a tar-paper roof…

Well, at least now I know about it all, so I can start making changes. I look at things differently though - that pile of wood from pruning the fruit trees is getting moved today, and I'm borrowing a chainsaw from my dad on the weekend for the trees. A little awareness and education certainly goes a long way.