• Thursday, October 27
• Friday, October 28
• Saturday, October 29

Friday, October 28

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.

F01
10:30 – 11:45 am
From Firewise® to Floodwise: Examining the Aftermath of the 2010 Schultz Fire & Flood
Track(s): Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Don Howard, Chief, Summit Fire District, Flagstaff, Arizona
The issue of flooding and the long term impact to land, communities and resources after a fire incident needs to be considered. This presentation will address the significance that thinning on both public and private lands can have in protecting the social, cultural, historical and economic aspects to wildland/urban interface communities and the importance of collaboration with community members, environmental groups and governmental agencies to insure thinning projects are at the forefront to protect W/UI communities.

F02
10:30 – 11:45 am
Evolution of Real-Time Mapping in Disaster Management
Track(s): Technology, Policy & Communication; Fire & Emergency Management
Tom Patterson, ESRI
A timely, accurate map is an essential item requested during the outset of any emergency management operation. Geospatial technologies provide the foundation to determine the location of the incident, the values at risk,
hazards to personnel, how fast the situation escalates and where to attack the problem. This presentation will depict the evolution and advancements of mobile GIS and tactical mapping from the use of Mylar overlaid on a paper topographic map on the hood of a pick-up truck to real-time data transfer from the field synchronized through a server and distributed to everyone on the incident to create situational awareness through a common operating picture. Case studies from various search and rescue operations, U.S. wildland fires, the 2009 Australia bushfires and the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be used as examples to portray technology development.

F03
10:30 – 11:45 am
Does Regulation Work? An NFPA Study on Community Wildfire Risk
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication; Research (Physical & Social)
Paul Anthony and Chris Duerksen, Clarion Associates; Molly Mowery, NFPA Firewise Communities Program
With increased development in high fire-risk areas, there is a growing need to understand the variety and effectiveness of regulatory tools, such as zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans, and building codes, being used around the country to address risk of wildfire in the wildland urban interface (WUI). This panel will present the research and recommendations of an in-progress study being conducted for NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation by Clarion Associates that will focus on lessons learned and best practices for wildfire regulations.      

F04
10:30 – 11:45 am
Expand Your Firewise® Outreach Through Social Media and the Web
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication
Lauren Backstrom and LisaMarie Sinatra, NFPA Communications; Mike Hazell, NFPA, Web and Internet
There are more people on NFPA’s Facebook® and Linkedin® pages than live in Castle Rock, Colorado! NFPA staff will offer tips and show you how to use the NFPA and Firewise® web sites and various social media tools and platforms to reach out to others with Firewise and wildfire safety messages.

F05
10:30 – 11:45 am
Nurturing Firewise® Communities: Conveying a New Aesthetics  through Education
Track(s):   Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments; Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Dan Schroder, Colorado State University Extension; Kim Scott, Red, White, and Blue Fire Protection District
This presentation will assist attendees in identifying strategies to effectively assess the current community condition, develop multi-faceted collaborations, and support homeowner partnerships. Attendees will gain the necessary tools to help their communities accept the dynamic forest and develop hazardous fuel mitigation strategies to achieve their desired results.

F06
10:30 – 11:45 am
Firewise® and Your CWPP
Track(s):   Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Kate Lighthall, Project Wildfire
Only 10 percent of wildland/urban interface communities in the United States have Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), yet they are a necessary step toward success in developing fire adapted communities.  As communities continue to develop CWPPs, the inclusion of Firewise principles and programs can strengthen and enhance CWPP implementation and success.  Utilizing examples from Deschutes County, Oregon, this presentation will highlight how to use Firewise® programs and principles as tools to engage communities to develop, implement and revise CWPPs. 

F08
10:30 – 11:45 am
Firewise on Steroids : A CWPP, Risk Assessments, Treatments and Communities
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication
Tom Esgate, Lassen County Fire Safe Council
During this presentation you will learn how to integrate Firewise in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), conduct Risk Assessments in the Home Ignition Zone, and how fuel treatments can be conducted on a community wide landscape

F09
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Closing the Science-Practice Gap: Scientists & Community Members as Partners in Wildfire Management
Track(s):  Research (Physical & Social); Technology, Policy & Communication
Pam Jakes, PhD and Daniel Williams, USDA Forest Service; Judy Serby, Colorado State Forest Service
The link between science and on-the-ground practice is often not as easy to apply as scientists and stakeholders would believe. We will discuss approaches to the knowledge transfer process and a key lesson for researchers that suggest knowledge transfer should focus less on delivering specific knowledge and more on developing and strengthening networks with community members, practitioners and scientists.

F10
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Challenges for Rural British Columbia Communities Toward Implementation of FireSmart Neighbourhoods
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
John Addison, WREN Consulting, British Columbia, Canada; Greg Lay, Mayor of Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada
Throughout British Columbia, small rural communities are encountering institutional barriers concerning protection of their homes and properties from wildland/urban interface threat. Citizens are unaware or uninformed of the potential consequences of a major catastrophic fire event. This presentation will follow one rural community towards initiating a self-organizing effort of FireSmart Prevention based on “Neighbours Helping Neighbours”.

F11
1:00 – 5:00 pm
Fire Fighter Safety in the Wildland/Urban Interface
Track(s):  Fire & Emergency Management
Dennis Childress, Orange County Fire Authority (retired), Consultant
In the past few years, more than 150 fire fighters have lost their lives at wildland fires. As our society moves outward from urban to rural areas, we are finding that the skills needed in fighting these fires  is also evolving. Combing structural and wildland fire fighting techniques is becoming a specialty and, with fire fighter death rates on wildland fires already high, we've begun putting a much greater emphasis on fire fighter safety in the wildland/urban interface (W/UI). The session will identify some important concepts and strategies of W/UI fire fighter safety.

F12
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Current Issues in Federal Wildland & Wildfire Policy
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication
Meghan Housewright, NFPA, Washington Office
We know budgets are tight and we all would like a clearer picture of where we may be heading. This presentation will try to address how shrinking federal budgets and changes in regulations and policies may impact federal land management and fire suppression activities.
 
F13
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Regulations to Reduce Home Loss
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication
Eric Philips, Boulder County Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator; Cheryl Renner, Renner Associates
Wildfire mitigation ordinances can be enacted at the state or local level. This session will discuss three state-level regulatory programs – California, Oregon and Utah, and the local program in Boulder County, Colorado. Discussion will include the development of the Wildfire Hazard Identification and Mitigation System (WHIMS) program, and adoption of portions of the wildland/urban interface (W/UI) model code provisions into the current Boulder County building code.

F14
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Incorporating Forest Health into Firewise® Communities Planning & Practices
Track(s):  Environment/Ecology/Landscaping; Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Jennifer Hinderman and Carolyn Kelly, Skagit Conservation District
Using Firewise® efforts in Skagit County, Washington as an example, the presentation will show how forest health aspects can be incorporated into Firewise planning and implementation within the Home Ignition Zone. The specifics of a Community Forest Health and Firewise Plan will be discussed along with what kinds of projects and partnerships are made possible by this type of plan.

F15
1:15 – 2:15 pm
Stimulus Dollars Collaborative Efforts in Wildfire Mitigation
Track(s):  Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Gary Wood, North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
This presentation will discuss how the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources is utilizing an American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant to complete Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) for communities, compile GIS data, conduct fuel mitigation projects, and identify potential participants for the Firewise Communities/USA® program.

F16
1:15 – 2:15pm
After the Fire – Firewise® 101 Before the Next One
Track(s):  Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Robert Winston, The Preserve at Sharp Mountain, Georgia
The Preserve at Sharp Mountain experienced its first wildland fire. Hear how this fire event was used as an educational tool to help the residents of this closely knit community learn about Firewise® and the benefits of defensible space, fuels mitigation and living safely in a fire-prone area. Learn how together with the cooperation of the Georgia Forestry Commission, a Firewise action plan was developed utilizing Firewise concepts creating a safer community from wildland fire that also gave the residents sense of accomplishment.
 
F17
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Proactive Hazard Mitigation Tools & Educating the Public
Track(s):  Fire & Emergency Management; Technology, Policy & Communication; Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Justice Jones, Texas Forest Service; Bob Watson, Chief, Borger, Texas Fire Department
Our communities are increasingly exposed to risks from wildfire encroachment and often times the local government, fire departments, and citizens are not adequately prepared or understand the mitigation tools available to them.  Through proper code enforcement, public education, ordinance adoption and mitigation activities, a community can drastically mitigate the hazard and educate the community to be better prepared.  The presentation will follow the steps that the City of Borger took to become the first city in the United States to become Firewise® and provide an outline that can be applied in all communities and cities.

F18
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Fire or Ignition Resistant? Building Materials and Vegetation
Track(s):   Research (Physical & Social); Technology, Policy & Communication
Pat Durland, Stone Creek Fire, LLC; Steve Quarles, University of California Cooperative Extension
Individuals living in the wildland/urban interface have read or heard about terms that describe the relative combustibility of construction materials and vegetation. These terms can refer to materials (e.g., select a fire-resistant material), type of construction (e.g., use ignition-resistant building techniques) or the ignition potential of vegetation. The objective of this presentation will be to provide participants with information on how building codes and standards have defined and used terms related to "fire performance", provide specific examples of these materials and techniques, and discuss limitations of standard test procedures.

F19
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Increasing Defensible Space Practices Among Homeowners
Track(s):  Research (Physical & Social)
James Absher, USDA Forest Service; Katie M. Lyon and Jerry J. Vaske, Colorado State University
Natural resource agencies have long emphasized the practice of defensible space for residents and homeowners.  Using a survey of Colorado residents, we examined the effect of current behavior, perceived effectiveness, safety, aesthetics, and income on the adoption of defensible space activities. This presentation will discuss what influences residents’ and homeowners’ decisions to adopt defensible space practices.
 
F20
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Ready, Set, Cut! Rethinking Tree Care within Defensible Spaces
Track(s): Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
David Oettinger, Anchor Point Group
Current defensible space design recommendations often do not take into consideration the health and aesthetics of trees to remain. This presentation will explore arboriculture best management practices and cover how these practices can be employed in the creation of healthier, aesthetic aspects of defensible spaces.

F21
2:45 – 4:00 pm
A Fire Department’s Approach to Achieving Mitigation around Homes
Track(s):  Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Rich Graeber, Chief, Upper Pine River Fire Protection District
The Upper Pine River Fire Protection District’s approach to fuel mitigation and retrofitting subdivisions to the ecosystem in which they were built was to open the dialogue between themselves and the residents. By discussing actual triage criteria, fire behavior calculations, and using a simulator, fire district personnel were able to connect with residents and homeowner associations and to explain the importance of fuel reduction and why the fire department may not feel it safe to defend a particular property.

F22
2:45 – 4:00 pm
Wildland/Urban Interface Fires from a Fire Fighters’ Point of View
Track(s):  Fire & Emergency Management
Rick Trembath, Flathead Forestry & Fire Consulting
This presentation offers participants a greater understanding of the limitations and capabilities of both structural and wildland fire fighters during wildland/urban interface (W/UI) fire events. Case studies from Montana, Washington, Colorado, and Idaho will show the effectiveness of fire fighter strategies and tactics under variable fire behavior intensity and with variable existing neighborhood wildfire risk conditions.

F23
2:45 – 4:00 PM
Community Adaptations: Building Situational Awareness for your Public and Responders
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication
Jennifer Schottke, ESRI, Fire and Public Safety Policy; Kate Dargan, Interra; Laura Blaul, Orange County Fire Authority, CA
This session will describe the importance of including the fire prevention bureau, as well as other key department stakeholders, in the process of creating a strong GIS program for the entire agency. We will study the example of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), where a strong information management platform has been leveraged to support the objectives of the Ready, Set Go! pilot. By applying proven IT design principles and best practices, they have achieved an effective and sustainable technology approach to supporting their wildfire hazard mitigation program.