9:30 – 10:30 am
SA01 The Island Park, Idaho Sustainable Fire Community Project
Track: Wildfire Planning, Suppression & Operations
Presenters: Mark Larson, Idaho Department of Insurance; Craig Glazier, USDA Forest Services/Idaho Department of Lands; Liz Davy, USDA Forest Service Ashton/Island Park Districts
Description: The Island Park Sustainable Fire Community Project will implement the Cohesive Strategy, a collaborative effort to identify, define, and address wildland fire management problems and opportunities for successful wildland fire management. This project will restore and maintain resilient landscapes, create a fire adapted community, and improve agency and local response to wildfires in Island Park, Idaho. An ecologically and socially resilient landscape is one able to withstand large wildfires and insect epidemics. The collaborative group has developed and begun implementation of a dynamic long-term strategy to achieve this goal by establishing management objectives, techniques, and prioritized treatment areas. The groundwork for the implementation of this unique project was brought about by Idaho’s 10 year involvement with the National Fire Plan.
SA02 Understanding Planned Evacuation Decision Making of Homeowners During a Wildfire
Track: Research (Physical, Social, Ecology & Environmental)
Presenter(s): Sarah McCaffrey, PhD., Research Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service
Description: Most social wildfire research to date has focused on mitigation actions taken before a fire event occurs with less attention paid to homeowner actions during a fire. However, the increasing number of stories of homeowners refusing to evacuate or leaving at the last minute has highlighted the need for more accurate understanding of the intended actions of homeowners during a fire and what factors shape their decision making. This presentation will report on results from a recent survey conducted in Texas, South Carolina and Washington with two primary objectives: 1) understand how risk perception and risk attitudes (tolerance/aversion) influence planned response of homeowners during a wildfire, and 2) assess the relative role of risk attitudes to other issues of concern in shaping planned response during a wildfire.
SA03 Cohesive Strategy – How Fire Adapted Communities Fits in the Big Picture
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenter(s): Shawn Stokes, IAFC
Description: The National Wildland Fire Cohesive Strategy highlights the need for communities to be fire adaptive, placing a new spotlight on a critical need. How does existing resources and programs support the new emphasis? What other resources are available? This session will present an overview of how Fire Adapted Communities fit into the Cohesive Strategy, how existing resources can be utilized and highlights two programs that complement what’s already been done to support the goal of FAC.
SA04 Humor in the Wooo-EEE
Track: Research (Physical, Social, Ecology & Environmental)
Presenter(s): Keith Worley, Forestree Development, LLC, Certified Arborist
Description: If you haven’t heard Keith before 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 offering his special brand of humor developed in the wild, woolly Wildland/Urban Interest 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!
SA05 Doing a Walkabout Assessment in Your Community
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenter(s): Faith Berry, NFPA Firewise Advisor
Description: This presentation will show how to use photographs in an entertaining way to encourage a community to complete a home assessment in wildfire-prone areas. Faith will also share a sample community assessment using pictures from a "walk about presentation" using the good, bad, and ugly situations found in a community. It would be helpful to those attending to have previously gone through the Assessing Wildfire Hazards in the Home Ignition Zone workshop first, but not mandatory.
SA06 Firewise® Concepts and Implementation – A Community Perspective
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenter(s): Dan Dodson, Sun City, Texas Community Association
Description: The introduction of Firewise concepts, their implementation in the community, and their evolution over time to adapt to community needs has made Firewise a key operational component of the community. Actions to be taken by individual home owners and the community as a whole can be adapted to reflect the overall community environment. Communities that have multiple needs for action (e.g. wildfire, floods, protection of wildlife habit, and various governmental environmental regulations) can use an integrated approach to satisfy these needs. Resident education and participation in the program validates the program success.
SA07 The U in Wildland/Urban Interface: Tackling Wildfire Mitigation 1/10 of an Acre at a Time
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenter(s): Ali True, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Oregon
Description: Ashland, Oregon is a small western city with big wildfire potential. This presentation will discuss the challenges of wildfire mitigation when one Home Ignition Zone includes several homes. Learn how the City of Ashland has addressed its wildfire potential through a variety of methods, including a neighborhood-based Firewise Communities® program, a volunteer City Commission, collaborative watershed management, a limited regulatory environment, community education, grants and more.
SA08 Citizen Fire Academy: Increasing the Outreach Capacity of Wildland Fire Agencies through Education and Volunteer Service
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenters: Rhianna Simes, Stephen A. Fitzgerald and Max Bennett, Oregon State University Extension Service
Description: Citizen Fire Academy (CFA) is a collaborative, education and service program designed to increase the outreach capacity of residential and wildland fire agencies, and ultimately to maintain and enhance fire-adapted communities in Oregon and beyond. The goal is to increase implementation of defensible space and other Firewise® practices, and build human capacity (in a cost effective way) in order to address the threat of wildfire. This session will share how collaboration between fire professionals, educators, and partnering agencies can train a knowledgeable volunteer cadre who are able to assist in activities ranging from community education to coordination of neighborhood fire planning activities. With the outreach and education budgets of many agencies dwindling, CFA is an innovative model that can be replicated in other areas.
SA09 The Pine Barren Connection: Living Compatibly with a Common Fire-Adapted Ecosystem
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenter(s): Heidi Wagner, NFPA Firewise Advisor
Description: Extensive undeveloped tracts of pitch pines are located in New York, Massachusetts, Long Island and New Jersey. These fire-prone environments are adapted to and require periodic fire to maintain forest health. As development into these areas continues, firefighters have been forced to quickly contain any fires that ignite to protect surrounding communities. Due to the lack of fire, high fuel loads exist in these natural areas. Dry conditions have the potential to produce fires that burn with greater intensity than fires would have historically. This presentation will review Firewise® strategies being implemented by residents and communities to mitigate this common threat.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
SA10 Planning for Evacuation for Genesee, Colorado
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenter(s): Ryan Babcock, Genesee Foundation and Genesee Fire Rescue
Description: Evacuation has been listed as a challenge in many wildland fire reviews. Jefferson County Emergency Management has partnered with Genesee to perform an evacuation drill to gather data, engage citizens and help prepare all who may be involved if the need to evacuate occurs. This presentation takes you from the planning to final outcomes of this drill.
SA11 Wildfire and Your Deck: Exposures and Mitigation Options
Track: Home Construction & Landscape Design
Presenter(s): Steve Quarles, IBHS
Description: Decks are a vulnerable component on a home because, if ignited, a burning deck will result in an extended radiant and direct flame contact exposure to the adjacent siding, windows, doors and under-eave areas of the home, potentially resulting in the ignition and loss of the home. Codes, standards and educational organizations provide guidance on how to build new decks and retrofit existing decks to resist wildfire exposures. The objective of this presentation will be to review common wildfire exposures scenarios to decks, summarize information provided in codes and standards and examine effective ways to reduce the vulnerability of your deck. Discussion by participants will be encouraged.
SA12 Fun, But Effective Wildfire Protection Education
Track: Community Safety Approaches/Strategies
Presenters: Patrick Mahoney and Melissa A. Yunas, Florida Forest Service
Description: Wildfire scare tactics and close calls are a good motivation for educating certain communities. But, most communities believe it will not happen to them, so how do you overcome that mindset? This presentation will show festivals and other promotional events can be a fun and effective approach to wildfire protection education. Awareness and community support all can be yours without alarming campaigns.