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Training Other conferences / training events Backyards and Beyond Thursday, October 27
Thursday, October 27
The 2011 Backyards & Beyond Wildland Fire Education Conference will be offering more than 50 sessions in five tracks (see track listing to the right). Each session will provide opportunities to ask questions of the experts and those that have real life experience in wildland/urban interface fire and the Firewise program. Be sure to review the sessions and develop your own personal curriculum before heading to Denver.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION Welcome remarks President’s Address Wildfire Ignition Resistant Home Design Cassey will present the Wildfire Ignition Resistant Home Design (WIRHD) program, a science-based solution that provides community developers and homeowners the ability to assess and understand fire risks due to a nearby wildfire. You won’t want to miss this presentation and the opportunity to use the software that will be available to attendees throughout the conference. |
TH01
10:30– 5:00 pm
Assessing Residential Wildfire Hazards
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments; Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Pat Durland, Stone Creek Fire, LLC
This NEW1-day presentation on the science of assessing residential wildfire hazards was developed for homeowners, residents and newcomers to wildfire mitigation. It covers the perceptions and realities of wildfire, how wildfires ignite homes, how to identify and mitigate wildfire hazards so we understand and can apply effective wildfire mitigation measures to reduce wildfire risk and become recognized as Firewise® Communities.
TH02
10:30 – 11:45 am
Excuses & Motivation: How to Change Behaviors for a More Fire Safe Interface
Track(s): Research (Physical & Social); Fire & Emergency Management
Bob Mutch, USDA Forest Service (retired) Wildfire Consultant; Ed Smith, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
This presentation provides 15 reasons why homeowners fail to be proactive in creating defensible space, followed with the showing of the “1/3 Mile to Safety” video. A discussion about the video’s role in helping residents overcome the excuses that prevent them from taking action will follow.
TH03
10:30 – 11:45 am
Hunting for Dollars
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Keith Worley, Forestree Development, LLC and Firewise Regional Advisor
With grant funds becoming more limited, how do you find the money and resources to continue your community’s Firewise® program? Learn alternative ways to sustain your program whether you are in a homeowner’s association, special district or just a loose collection of homeowners. We will cover grant writing tips and how to set up an in-kind tracking program.
TH04
10:30 – 11:45 am
Working with Communities - Working for the Environment: Hazardous Fuels Reduction on Public Lands
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments; Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Erin Darboven, Bureau of Land Management/US Department of the Interior
The whole is greater than the sum of our parts and this presentation will inspire and inform. Learn about hazardous fuels reduction projects taking place on public lands surrounding communities and how these projects can help reduce the cost of fighting wildland fires when defending private property, and encourage the need for public participation.
TH05
10:30 – 11:45 am
Firewise in the Classroom
Track(s): Technology, Policy & Communication; Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Dan Douglas, Lassen County Fire Safe Council; Anna Stephens, Lassen County Fire Safe Council
This presentation focuses on how to establish a 6th grade educational program on wildland fire and how it can improve local community preparation. The presentation will also cover ways to receive acceptance by the local educational community, implementation, sustainability and measures to keep the program fresh and appealing.
TH06
10:30 – 11:45 am
Pre-Planning is Worth its Weight in Gold!
Track(s): Fire & Emergency Management
Greg Bartlett, Research Student, Brandon University, Canada
This presentation explores the hazards and lessons learned from the busy 2006 Canadian wildfire season, when wildfire nearly collided with one of Canada’s natural resource industries, gold mining operations. This was a “Golden” opportunity for all stakeholders to learn from each other and improve the comprehensive emergency management strategy in the Province of Saskatchewan.
TH07
10:30 – 11:45 am
Expanding Your Horizons – Mechanical Mitigation for Defensive Space and Fuel Breaks
Track(s): Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Dave Skogberg, Forest Health Coalition
Learn how various types of mechanical mitigation equipment can be used to remove understory and thin trees in the wildland urban interface. Examples of equipment will be shown with suggestions for appropriate applications for each equipment type. The presentation will show how one community in Southern Colorado applied this model from 2005 to 2009 to mitigate nearly 3,000 acres.
TH08
10:30 – 11:45 am
Firewise Around the World: A Visit to South Africa
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Michele Steinberg, NFPA, Firewise Communities Program
What can we learn about Firewise on the other side of the planet? Quite a lot, it turns out! Join Michele Steinberg as she shares her experiences in South Africa as a participant in the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference. Learn how one country has applied Firewise to its backyards and beyond.
TH09
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Boulder County: Homeowner Mitigation, Preparation and the Fourmile Canyon Fire
Track(s): Research (Physical & Social); Fire & Emergency Management
Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado; Patty Champ, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mt. Research Station; Jim Webster, Boulder County Land Use Department
The devastating Fourmile Canyon fire took place in a county with an active program to educate and encourage homeowners to reduce their risk of wildfire. This presentation will describe the County’s efforts along with survey results on homeowner attitudes and beliefs about wildfire before 2007 and after the 2010 fire.
TH10
1:00 – 5:00 pm
Structure Protection Strategies in the Wildland/Urban Interface
Track(s): Fire & Emergency Management
Dennis Childress, Orange County Fire Authority (retired), Consultant
Today's urban growth has created a need for different fire fighting strategies. Asking structural fire fighters to combat wildland fires when defending structures is dangerous. Asking forestry fire fighters to fight fires in and around structures is also dangerous. This session will focus on how to combine fire fighting forces with their different strategies with a common goal: fighting fire in the wildland/urban interface.
TH11
1:15 – 2:15 pm
National Wildland Fire Safety Standards: Developing and Using NFPA 1141 and 1144
Track(s): Technology, Policy & Communication
Ryan Depew, NFPA, Public Fire Protection Division
NFPA 1141, Standard for Fire Protection Infrastructure for Land Development in Suburban and Rural Areas, and NFPA 1144, Standard for Reducing Structure Ignition Hazards from Wildland Fire, provide the framework for the principles and science behind the Firewise® program. Learn how the NFPA standards development process is utilized to incorporate current information into the standards that provide the blueprint for the development of Firewise homes and communities. From standard development to field implementation, we will examine how the standards are created, the information they provide, and how they can be utilized in the real world.
TH12
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Rural Alaska Fire Prevention – Crossing Geographic & Cultural Boundaries
Track(s): Technology, Policy & Communication}
Judith Reese, Alaska Division of Forestry – Coastal; Sharon Kilbourn-Roesch, Alaska Division of Forestry – KKAO
Embracing a vast audience in a fire dependent ecosystem, the Alaska Division of Forestry captures on video the unique realities and rural risks of living with fire in Alaska's expansive wildland/urban and rural interface. Using community based "stars" to build cultural connections, local people share their experiences andwildfire concerns, and build a consensus of community action items for their Alaskan neighbors. This presentation shows how this widely distributed video campaign continues to cross cultural boundaries.
TH14
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Firewise® From the Ground Up
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Joe Stutler, Deschutes County, Oregon
In Deschutes County, Firewise® principles must be met and included in the Covenants, Codes & Restrictions (CC&Rs) to obtain the necessary permits to build a home or develop a subdivision. This presentation covers how utilizing a collaborative approach with local planning agencies Firewise communities are built from the ground up in Deschutes Country, Oregon.
TH15
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Firewise® Urban Landscaping
Track(s): Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Ali True, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Oregon
How does landscaping in an urban environment influence fire spread and behavior? This presentation will cover the 2010 Oak Knoll fire in Ashland, Oregon where 11 homes were lost, and examine the home ignition zone in relation to small urban lots, compare the difference of fire-prone and fire-resistant vegetation, and provide landscaping guidelines for managing fuels in a neighborhood setting.
TH16
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Understanding Homeowners’ Intentions & Actions When Threatened by Wildfire
Track(s): Research (Physical & Social)
Sarah McCaffrey, USDA Forest Service
Think you know what homeowners will do to prepare homes and react during wildfire? This presentation may challenge your assumptions. Hear the findings from a study on what residents are doing to prepare their properties for fire, and their planned course of action should their homes be threatened. Use this knowledge to design effective outreach programs.
TH17
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Ready, Set, Go Program
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments; Fire & Emergency Management
Shawn Stokes and Lucian Deaton, International Association of Fire Chiefs
The Ready, Set, Go! Program provides fire departments with the tools, resources and guidance necessary to deliver the wildland fire safety message to individuals at the local level. The program works in complimentary and collaborative fashion with Firewise and amplifies the Firewise message to individuals to better achieve the common goal we all share of fire-adapted communities. The RSG Program is a three-step process that allows fire departments to teach homeowners to create their own action plan of preparedness (Ready), have situational awareness (set) and leave early in the event of a fire (Go!). The workshop will review the program resources and provide examples of successful collaborations between RSG fire departments and Firewise communities.
TH18
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Brush & Wildland Fires: The Surprising Facts You Need to Know
Track(s): Research (Physical & Social); Fire & Emergency Management
Marty Ahrens, NFPA, Fire Analysis Division; Michele Steinberg, NFPA, Firewise Communities Program
Recently published NFPA research reveals surprising facts about brush, grass, and forest fires in the United States and local fire department response. Major Western wildfires that burn down homes (also known as wildland/urban interface fires) have been making headlines, but smaller brush, grass, and forest fires also present problems throughout the U.S. From 2004 to 2008, local fire departments responded to nearly 1,000 such fires every day. While three-quarters of these burned an area of less than an acre, they also affected an average of 4,800 homes each year. Find out more about the causes, circumstances, and geographic distribution of these fires, the significant threat to life and structures that they pose, and techniques that can make people and property safer.
TH19
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Itasca County: Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Bill Brink, Itasca County Firewise; Julie Miedtke, University of Minnesota Extension; Don Piilola, Deer River Area Fire Program Leader
Located in northern Minnesota, Itasca County has two million acres of forest and over 1,000 lakes. This presentation will cover projects generated through the development of the Itasca County Wildfire Protection Plan, a strategic assessment of water resources and an incident response map for use during all-risk situations, and their Firewise® Chipper Day Program where in 2010, sixty-five neighbors logged 1700 hours of volunteer time and 275 tons of biomass that was chipped and used for renewable energy.
TH20
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Creating Sustainable Firewise® Communities
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Justice Jones, Texas Forest Service
This presentation will focus on the Texas Firewise® Communities application process as a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and how to sustain 100% renewal by empowering and inspiring community members.
TH21
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector
Track(s): Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Donna Murphy, USDA Forest Service
This presentation will provide an overview of the Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector. This plant selector tool is an easy-to-use online database developed to assist homeowners and landscape designers in selecting plants for use in fire-prone communities. It replaces the use of generalized fire-resistant or fire-retardant plant lists and flammability ratings with a more credible resource that is based on a scientifically validated methodology.
CFE credit hours from Society of American Foresters will be requested.
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