|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
Lesson Plans
|
|
|
Fire in My Backyard
|
|
|
Activities
Discussion of conflicts and difficult decisions made
concerning fire and the wildland urban interface.
The wildland urban interface
refers to the geographical areas where formerly "urban
structures-mainly residences-are built in close proximity
to the flammable fuels naturally found in wildland areas,
including forests, prairies, hillsides and valleys.
The results can be aesthetically desirable…or disastrous".
|
|
|
Objectives
Students will increase their awareness of fire in the
wildland urban interface and learn fire prevention measures.
Students should have an opportunity
to learn strategies to protect their home, family and
the wildlands. The National Wildland Urban Interface
Fire Protection Initiative organized by the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provides an excellent
educational experience to help students begin to understand
the complexity of the wildland urban interface fire
interplay.
|
|
|
Who
Class of students.
|
|
|
Where
Classroom.
|
|
|
Estimated Time
15–20 minutes.
|
|
|
Materials
No special materials required.
See references for video, Firesafe Inside and Out.
|
|
|
Subjects
Geography, Social Science.
|
|
|
The Issues
In a case study of a destructive wildland urban interface
fire, NFPA lists four reasons for the increased risk
of fire occurrence in wildland/urban interface:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Background for a 15-20 minute discussion with students who are familiar with fire ecology concepts.
As urban areas expand into wildland areas and as an increasing number of vacation homes are built near wildland recreation areas, the conflicts associated with wildland fire become more commonplace. Just as people and their property are threatened by wildland fires, wildlands are threatened by human-caused fires. Thus students, parents and their communities benefit by knowing the risks and protection strategies related to home development in wildlands.
In the 1980s, wildfires burned large
tracts of land across the United States. More fires
have impacted even larger tracts of land and personal
property in the 1990s. A dream home built in an idealistic
wildland setting can be razed by fire in a matter of
minutes. Likewise, the exemplary scenery that attracted
homeowners to the setting can be altered, often because
of the inadvertent action of the homeowner.
|
|
|
You Can Help
Though people can never fully protect their homes and adjacent wildlands against wildfires, you can take steps to reduce the risk. For example:
 |
Remove combustible vegetation from the vicinity of any structure. Thin out continuous tree and brush cover and remove dead limbs, fallen trees, leaves, twigs and evergreen tree cones within 30 feet of the structure to create a " safety zone of low fuel density all around the home" (NFPA). Likewise, prune trees branches to 10 feet above the ground and remove leaves and twigs from beneath trees, in the yard, on roofs, patios and landscaped shrubs.
|
|
|
Limit the number and density of landscaped vegetation and do not use highly flammable landscaping near structures. Maintain a greenbelt or noncombustible zone around the home; avoid using bark or wood chip mulch in the safety zone.
|
|
|
Stack firewood uphill at least 15 feet from a house. Fire risks increase when wooden decks, patios and woodpiles are placed close to structures or when flammable materials are stored near structures.
|
|
|
Be aware that roofs and walls made of untreated flammable materials such as wood shanks and shingles pose a significant fire threat. Wind-carried embers or the intense heat from a nearby fire can ignite such fuel sources. Fire does not need to "burn over" a structure for it to catch fire.
|
|
|
Clean roof and gutters. Remove pine needles and leaves to eliminate fuel sources.
|
|
|
Prepare for water shortages. Lack of piped water to protect against fire is a major problem in wildland/urban interface settings. To protect a structure, develop an external water supply, such as a small pond, well or pool, for fighting fires. Publications such as Planning for Water Supply and Distribution in the Wildland/Urban Interface (see references in this section) provide valuable information for preparation of homes and protection systems in the event of wildland fire.
|
|
|
Choose home location wisely. Building structures in canyons and on slopes increases the chances that those homes will be destroyed by wildfire. Canyons and slopes serve to channel fires up in elevation, similar to the way chimneys channel fireplace emissions. When upland slopes and canyons are selected for home sites, downhill or lower elevation areas should be clear of excess fuel, to add an additional element of protection. If a home is on the crest of a steep hill, thin the fuel sources at least 100 feet below the crest.
|
|
|
Mow tall grass and keep it to a maximum height of two inches within the home safety zone. Avoid tall grass around driveways, areas susceptible to ignition by automobile exhaust systems.
|
|
|
Inspect and clean chimneys regularly. Equip chimneys for woodburning heating units with spark arresters.
|
|
|
Avoid all outdoor burning to decrease the likelihood of fire ignition near a home structure.
|
|
|
Prevent mishaps with outdoor cooking grills by carefully maintaining the grill and using caution during grill use.
|
|
|
Have the right tools. Equip home with smoke detectors. Keep these tools in good working order and store in an easily accessible area of the house.
|
|
|
|
Conflicts
To fight wildfires often requires setting a fire —
a backfire to remove fuel from the path of a major,
oncoming fire. To prevent fires, natural resource managers
write objectives for and ignite prescribe burns (fires)
to remove excess fuel from the ground without destroying
the major vegetation. Conflicts arise when the prescribed
burn area or the backfire is too near the homes in the
wildland urban interface. Who will make the difficult
decision about where and when to burn? How would you
respond if your home was nearby? What if your entire
vacation-home community had to be sacrificed to stop
an advancing wildfire that could alter an extensive
forest ecosystem? These are difficult questions to answer.
How would you make the decision?
|
|
|
|
|
|
This
activity is most important and relevant to students
living in wildland urban interface areas and areas where
wildland fire is a regular, familiar phenomenon.
During the presentation of a fire
unit or a lesson on fire awareness, discuss the subject
of wildland urban interface and fire to help students
better understand the difficult questions which eventually
will require controversial decisions. This discussion
is more appropriate for students who have explored the
other materials in this fire ecology unit. Firesafe
Inside and Out, a 22 minute video may be shown. Order
and provide each student a copy of How to Protect Your
Home-Wildfire Strikes Home (see references).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fire Control Division, Washington State Department of Natural Resources. (no date). Fire risk rating for homes [ Brochure]. Lacey, WA: Author
National Fire Protection Association. (no date). Black Tiger fire case study [ Brochure]. Quincy, Massachusetts: Author
National Fire Protection Association. (no date). Planning for water supply and distribution in the wildland/urban interface [Brochure]. Quincy, Massachusetts: Author.
Northwest Fire Prevention Cooperatives. ( 1992, February). Firesafe inside and out northwest version [Video].
USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management and State Foresters. (no date). How to protect your home-Wildfire strikes home! [Brochure].
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Backfire
Fire set downwind along a fire break.
Prescribed Burns
The planned application of fire to fuels, including
logging debris, grasslands and/or understory vegetation,
such as palmettos, with the intent to confine the fire
to a predetermined area.
Safety Zone
An area of low fuel density created around structures in the wildland/urban interface for protection against fire.
Wildland
Urban Interface
Areas where human communities are built in close proximity to flammable fuels found in wildlands.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
