Many structures are lost to fire from fires that start off the property – here are ideas on how to get better prepared.
The summer 2020 Oregon wildfires were devastating.
The Lionshead, Beachie Creek, Holiday Farm, Riverside, Archie Creek, and Slater wildfires ravaged over 1.2 million acres in 2020. The fires killed 11 people and incinerated over 3000 buildings in Oregon. The cities of Phoenix, Talent, Detroit, Blue River and Detroit were substantially destroyed.
While it is fact that the largest fires most often occur in sparsely populated areas which have dense fuels to sustain such fires, 2020’s fires have changed our shared perspective about the threat wildfire puts upon us all. We know now that many of our cities and towns have areas where wildfire could threaten many persons and homes.
Consider Eugene, for example. Oregon’s third most populated city has many beautiful areas in which trees and undergrowth are dense – neighborhoods where residents take great pleasure inhabiting such a beautiful setting. But these wooded areas are very dense, and rainfall has been scant and is forecast to be below normal into the future. As a result, these neighborhoods are at an increasing risk for devastation. One lightning strike, or one bad actor setting a fire inside of these neighborhoods is all it takes.
It used to be conventional thinking that communities “at risk” for wildfire were in forest land or in rural areas. That squares with how many of us think about wildfires – that these beasts do their damage to forest lands outside of town, far away from the places we live.
But recent fires have demonstrated that each of us needs to rethink our actual risk for fire, while taking common-sense actions to better prepare for it.
Fortunately, there is good help to be had. Many communities across Oregon have worked or are already working with FIREWISE USA to create Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP). FIREWISE USA, a federal project, has cooperated widely, completing over 1300 such plans in the past 20 years. That is good for all of us, as such work has produced valuable information for property owners who want to ensure they are prepared for a fire.
What have you done for your own protection?
One way you can protect yourself from wildfire is to take a page or two out of your community’s FIREWISE plan (link below for Lane County). The plan report outlines actions you can take.
Look around your property and beyond. Take careful stock: is your house surrounded by trees? How much space is there between combustible materials and your home? What kind of roofing do you have? Siding? What kinds of fencing do you have?
These are important considerations. Take, for example, what fire management professionals are saying about wood fences: as they see it, fences act like a “wick” that catches embers then carries fire from your fence directly to your home.
Wildfire plans developed by communities are becoming increasingly prescriptive about what steps property owners should take to prepare for fire, and fire experts are telling us what building materials are best suited to withstand fire. These materials include metal roofing, concrete siding, and steel fencing and gates.
A recent Lane County survey showed that 74% of residents who live in the wildland/urban interface were somewhat likely to likely to use non-combustible materials on their homes, outbuildings and fencing to be better prepared for fire. Folks in town are now thinking the same way.
Join many other property owners and give DuraBond Steel Privacy Fencing a call for some peace of mind… our fencing should be part of your solution for fire preparedness.
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Helpful LINKS:
For your own planning, and for more information on preparing your home and property for wildfire, click HERE.
To look at Lane County’s CWPP click HERE.
For a Salem Statesman-Journal article on Oregon’s most fire-threatened towns, click HERE.
US Department of Health & Human Services -Year round help with disaster aftermath/crisis support, click HERE
