Some thoughts on Fire Safety in our communities. Please share yours.

[2HOTinPHX]

Hello all,

Thought this important subject could use it's own thread. The recent wildfire events in LA have us looking around at our home, neighborhood and community and questioning if something like that could happen here? It's possible as we are in a typical Phoenix track home community with home after home close to each other with plants and trees planted right next to the houses. We have had almost no rain this winter and its been very dry even for the desert. The post in the LA fires thread where people have taken proactive measures to safeguard their homes got us thinking we should probably be better informed and prepared. I found a set of very well done videos for those interested in learning more about fire safety for your home and community.

Fire Safe Marin​

Fire Safe Marin is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing wildland fire hazards and improving fire-safety awareness in Marin County, California. We foster community involvement by building partnerships and providing resources for mitigating wildfire danger.

youtube.com

There is also this website for those looking to try and get your community involved. This is pretty important since it's the embers in the air that spreads the fires in a lot of cases.

NFPA - Firewise USA®​

NFPA's Firewise USA® program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action.
www.nfpa.org
What are the primary threats to homes during a wildfire:

NFPA - Preparing homes for wildfire

There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home.

www.nfpa.org

 

[Midpack]

Anything could happen, but very low risk where we live.

Wildfire | National Risk Index

Wildfires are one of 18 natural hazards included in the National Risk Index.

hazards.fema.gov

 

[Ronstar]

Our risk from the wildfires is very, very low. We do live close to state / federal grasslands that are control burned in the spring. After control burns, there isn’t much left to burn when it gets hot and dry. And it rarely gets hot and dry enough here to produce wildfires.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Anything could happen, but very low risk where we live.

Wildfire | National Risk Index

Wildfires are one of 18 natural hazards included in the National Risk Index.

hazards.fema.gov

That is a very cool interactive map. Click on view map and zoom into your area and tap city to see report for your county risk level for all natural disasters. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

From attached link. Nearly 85 percent* of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans. Human-caused fires result from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, equipment use and malfunctions, negligently discarded cigarettes, and intentional acts of arson.

Wildfire Causes and Evaluations (U.S. National Park Service)

Learn about the causes of wildland fires and how managers decide how to deal with wildland fires.

www.nps.gov

 

[audreyh1]

Anything could happen, but very low risk where we live.

Wildfire | National Risk Index

Wildfires are one of 18 natural hazards included in the National Risk Index.

hazards.fema.gov

Im glad we’re blue. We did have a nearby brush fire many years ago. Scorched the grass field next to the water tower. Now we have a fire station down the street.

And they annually burn the sugar cane fields a mile away. But those are well controlled.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

These are good short videos that covers general ideas for those like me thinking about what I can do to make area around home safer by creating defensible space.

 

[Flyfish1]

Cool Map @Midpack. Thx

 

[Koolau]

These are good short videos that covers general ideas for those like me thinking about what I can do to make area around home safer by creating defensible space.

Our condo building appears to follow these guidelines pretty well. Being on the leeward side of the Island, we use a lot of irrigation and our plants, trees, shrubs and grass would appear to be unlikely to be a fire hazard. On the hillside behind the building, that is not irrigated, our maintenance crew keeps the brush down and trims any trees/shrubs which become dry. I've never seen a fire in our area in 15 years even though we've been in drought conditions and relatively high wind potential for a long time. YMMV

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Our condo building appears to follow these guidelines pretty well. Being on the leeward side of the Island, we use a lot of irrigation and our plants, trees, shrubs and grass would appear to be unlikely to be a fire hazard. On the hillside behind the building, that is not irrigated, our maintenance crew keeps the brush down and trims any trees/shrubs which become dry. I've never seen a fire in our area in 15 years even though we've been in drought conditions and relatively high wind potential for a long time. YMMV

Knock on wood...just make sure its kept away from your house.

 

[joejetski]

Hello all,

Thought this important subject could use it's own thread. The recent wildfire events in LA have us looking around at our home, neighborhood and community and questioning if something like that could happen here? It's possible as we are in a typical Phoenix track home community with home after home close to each other with plants and trees planted right next to the houses. We have had almost no rain this winter and its been very dry even for the desert. The post in the LA fires thread where people have taken proactive measures to safeguard their homes got us thinking we should probably be better informed and prepared. I found a set of very well done videos for those interested in learning more about fire safety for your home and community.

Fire Safe Marin​

Fire Safe Marin is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing wildland fire hazards and improving fire-safety awareness in Marin County, California. We foster community involvement by building partnerships and providing resources for mitigating wildfire danger.

youtube.com

There is also this website for those looking to try and get your community involved. This is pretty important since it's the embers in the air that spreads the fires in a lot of cases.

NFPA - Firewise USA®​

NFPA's Firewise USA® program teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to work together and take action.
www.nfpa.org
What are the primary threats to homes during a wildfire:

NFPA - Preparing homes for wildfire

There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home.

www.nfpa.org

 

[Gremlin]

Our risk is high. I’m already very familiar with the Firewise program and have watched many of the Fire Safe Marin videos. We’ve already followed many of the recommendations and are working to do more each year, especially after the 2021 wind-driven Marshall fire in Colorado. There is a ton of excellent information available out there. I also recommend the YouTube documentary A High An Awful Price, which details many of the lessons learned from the Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise, Ca.

 

[joejetski]

I would avoid plantings close to house, particularly plants that dry/go dormant. Maybe stick with xeriscaping and succulents. Also, if you have a pool, get a gas powered generator and pump for a water supply to keep your house wet with hoses so you are not dependent on the municipal supply.

 

[Sunset]

We are low risk of fire.

I did once have a house in a low risk neighborhood, but some kids light the cedar hedge on fire. Neighbor said the flames shot 40 feet in the air (it was a large hedge). The Fire dept came and put it out.

Had it burned beside the house, probably would have spread to the house. Cedar has oils that really burn!

 

[skyking1]

That is a very cool interactive map. Click on view map and zoom into your area and tap city to see report for your county risk level for all natural disasters. Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks for reminding me about that map. We are very low for fire, but moderate for earthquake, social vulnerability and community resilience.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Our risk is high. I’m already very familiar with the Firewise program and have watched many of the Fire Safe Marin videos. We’ve already followed many of the recommendations and are working to do more each year, especially after the 2021 wind-driven Marshall fire in Colorado. There is a ton of excellent information available out there. I also recommend the YouTube documentary A High An Awful Price, which details many of the lessons learned from the Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise, Ca.

Good recommended video. Seems to be several parts.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Crews contain fast-moving brush fire on South Mountain in Phoenix

As of Saturday at 8 p.m., fire officials say crews are working on accessing the fire and controlling the blaze.

www.azfamily.com

Wow this just happened near us yesterday. Lucky there were no winds blowing at the time.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Part two of the series for those interested.

 

[Zona]

Wow this just happened near us yesterday. Lucky there were no winds blowing at the time.

Yes if it had happened the other day earlier this week when crazy winds were blowing, it would have been a different story! Glad you were not affected and they got to it before any loss of property or life!

Edited to add: having a written out proper emergency plan/fire plan has been on my to-do list for a while now and this past few months has really moved it up the priority list.

 

[jollystomper]

From that nice map provided above, we are in a very low risk area. Good thing as our property has shrubs and trees close to the house (though we have been cutting the trees back/down in recent years).

Our county does permit open burning, with a permit, so that is our cause for concern regarding fire. While they ban it from June trough August, other months are permitted, and most of the houses in our area (including ours) meet the size and distance guidelines for getting a permit. Fortunately our neighbors have done this only 5 times in the 35 years we have lived here, and always notified us ahead of time that they would be doing it.

We do have the illegal fireworks going off at times of celebration, but fortunately nowhere near our homes, and the police have been responding to these more frequently in the last few years.

 

[1242Vintage]

We are as fire safe as possible and our area is a Firewise community.

I have a Stucco house with tile roof. Concrete patio and RV pad on the side of the house. No significant landscaping bushes or trees up near the house. And we have important docs in a “go-bag” safely stored in a fire resistant safe and ready if/when we need them.

All utilities are underground and I have a generator and pump if I need to pump water from the creek to fight fire.

But all this is going to fail when we get high winds and a fire starts. Will need a bit … or a lot … of luck for our home survive a significant wild fire.

Reassuring when you see/hear the CalFire spotter plane up there evaluating the scene. You know the air tankers and helicopters are right behind him and ready for the fight!

 

[tutan]

Anything could happen, but very low risk where we live.

Wildfire | National Risk Index

Wildfires are one of 18 natural hazards included in the National Risk Index.

hazards.fema.gov

Zooming in to our area with “county view” selected, we are in a high fire risk (pink) area. That can’t be as we are on the wrong side of the tracks so there aren’t that many trees and brushes to burn. Then switching over to “census tract view” shows that we are actually in a low risk neighborhood. Phew.

 

[stepford]

Then switching over to “census tract view” shows that we are actually in a low risk neighborhood. Phew.

I did the same and found I am (unsurprisingly) in a yellow "relatively moderate" risk zone. I then checked the areas of some recent fires including last November's Mountain Fire in Camarillo. Many of the homes that burned were in a blue, low risk, zone on the map. Nobody's truly safe.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Because of the LA fires Reno is putting together a team of experts to develop a plan for prevention. I’m in a condo building right in town so less likely to be affected by fire than people on the outskirts.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Because of the LA fires Reno is putting together a team of experts to develop a plan for prevention. I’m in a condo building right in town so less likely to be affected by fire than people on the outskirts.

That's what I am trying to find out here in Phoenix, do we have a plan in place. I emailed last week to someone listed as a contact for our region on the fire wise website asking for info and advice. They replied thanks for you interest. How can we assist you? Not the answer I was expecting. Was hoping for some details on what might already be in place and how to get the ball rolling if need be. I sent a second request last night. Hopefully get a more helpful, actionable response this week.

Our local news briefly touched on the small fire that started near us Saturday night and some tips on making your home safer. Hopefully it's got others thinking about fire safety in the area. So many homes with trees and shrubs way too close to their house. Ours included so we need to make some changes that we never really thought about before. Watched a lot of YouTube videos yesterday on the subject. One of them mentioned that there is a lot of denialism built into human nature. The it can't happen here syndrome is real. Just remember a large percentage of fires are human caused so it best to look around your home to see if it's at risk from combustible materials being to close to your home or being used in construction of the home.