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

Saturday, October 29

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

SA01
8:30 – 9:45 am
Reaching Beyond Our Borders
Track(s): Technology, Policy & Communication
Val Charlton, Firewise South Africa, Kelly Johnston, Partners in Protection; Molly Mowery, NFPA Firewise Communities Program; Sean Tracey, NFPA Regional Office, Canada
Increased global population and development is resulting in communities around the world being impacted by the threat of wildfire.  Last year alone the international community saw the devastation of catastrophic wildfires in Russia, Israel, and Tibet. Learn how NFPA is responding through international outreach to global wildland/urban interface communities, including collaborative efforts with organizations in Canada and South Africa.

SA02
8:30 – 9:45 am
2005-2006 Oklahoma & Texas Grass Fires: Lessons Learned and Relearned
Track(s): Research (Physical & Social); Fire & Emergency Management
Bob Mutch, USDA Forest Service (retired), Wildfire Consultant
Strong winds, prolonged drought, and extreme fire danger produced wildfires that ravaged the grasslands of Oklahoma and Texas in 2005 and 2006, killing 25 people and thousands of livestock and, destroying numerous homes. The assessment of these fires produced lessons learned for fire fighters and residents of the interface. The presentation covers the circumstances of the victims and survivors at the time of entrapment and uses the victims' and survivors' stories to motivate others to be more fire safe.

SA03
8:30 – 9:45 am
Community Wildfire Protection Plan: A Tale of Four Subdivisions
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Craig Goodell, San Juan Public Lands Center; Pam Wilson, Firewise of Southwest Colorado
Follow four southwest Colorado communities − Elk Stream Ranch, Deer Valley, Falls Creek Ranch, and Forest Lakes − on their journeys to developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs). Learn how they overcame obstacles, how they drew in partners, and the benefits that resulted from implementing their plans.
 
SA04
8:30 – 9:45 am
Involving Youth in Spreading the Firewise® Message
Track(s):  Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments; Technology, Policy & Communication
Terry Mallet, Eagle Promise Charitable Fund, Inc.; Kenneth D. Pekarek, GIS 4 Schools, LLC
Around the world youth are seen as critical to educating families and other community members about disaster management.  In the United States, youth have been used to a limited extent to spread the Firewise® message.  In this presentation we will provide two examples of youth wildfire education programs and talk more generally about how youth can help in creating fire-adapted communities.

SA05
8:30 – 9:45 am
Humor in the Wooo-eee II
Track(s):  Technology, Policy & Communication
Keith Worley, Forestree Development, LLC and Firewise Regional Advisor
Whether you have heard Keith before or not, you won’t want to miss this presentation. Keith is one of the few people we know who can bring a sense of humor to a serious subject. So the Fire Wiseguy is back with his special brand of humor developed in the wild, woolly wildland/urban interface of Perry Park, Colorado.  See the new and improved Swiss Army Chainsaw, along with solar and wind powered chainsaw prototypes.  See the Perry Park Precision Pruners Firewise® Drill Team. Finally, the ever expanding FEMA- approved Slash Control Animal Technology (S.C.A.T) program update! What more could you ask for on a Saturday morning?

SA06
8:30 – 9:45 am
Getting Firewise Going and Keeping it Alive
Track(s): Firewise® Neighborhoods & Developments
Tom Burns, Idaho State Program Director of the College Network; Rod Howard, USFS District Ranger (Retired); Carrie Wiss, Idaho Firewise Director and Wilderness Ranch Firewise Coordinator
Three Idaho community leaders tell their community's Firewise story.   Although these communities each have different levels of involvement and accomplishments, they are equally thriving.  The presenters will share the lessons they have learned in terms of what to expect when trying to rally a community and how to keep the Firewise effort alive after the initial wave of activity passes.

SA07
8:30 – 9:45 am
Community Infrastructure Considerations in Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Incidents
Track(s):  Fire & Emergency Management
Rick Trembath, Flathead Forestry & Fire Consulting
This presentation will give participants a greater awareness and appreciation for applying Firewise® principles to community infrastructure assets such as communication sites, bridges, power-lines, businesses, etc. The presentation will provide numerous examples and lessons learned from the effects of a wildfire event impacting community infrastructure with emphasis on showing appropriate proactive Firewise mitigation measures.

SA08
8:30 – 9:45 am
Firewise Landscaping for your Front and Backyards
Track(s): Environment/Ecology/Landscaping
Roger Rosentreter, PhD, Bureau of Land Management
Plants can save your home. In southern Idaho, we have tested over 200 plant species for drought and fire resistance. This presentation will cover how to choose some attractive plants that will leave your home looking good even after a fire, what makes a plant more or less fire resistant, are drought tolerant and easy to grow.