The New York Times published an interesting article with some powerful photographs talking about the hot, dry conditions and resulting fires that are happening this year in California in particular and the West in general. Check out the article here.
Should we have a fire which is actually on the ground; there are a few things to think about to protect your property, yourself, family, friends and neighbors.
1. Know your escape route. Plan your route and know that you can make it out ahead of danger.
2. In the event you or family members have health problems get out early. Do not wait until the last minute to leave. The smoke can be more deadly to someone with breathing or other health issues than the actual fire.
3. Have your most valuable personal items packed and do not plan on having some of your friends come from the valley if the fire is threatening your home.
4. Have your roof clear of debris, i.e. branches, needles, leaves and any other items that you have neglected to remove.
5. If you store firewood around your building, move it away from the building into an open area. You can always move it back in the fall. Firewood gathers fire embers and will burn as easily in a pile on your deck or under you porch as it would in the stove and it will burn your home down.
6. Have your water on and keep your yard as green as possible. If your lawn has already turned brown you can mow it off close to the ground. Fire needs fuel to burn. You can put rain bird sprinklers on your deck, porch and or roof.
7. Let’s say that the road to your home is 10 feet wide, you need to clear the brush and trees back ten feet on either side. If a pickup or other larger vehicle cannot get to your home without rubbing branches or brush, you cannot expect fire personnel to go into your home to protect it.
8. You need to have your fire resistant clothing ready and in a place that you can get into it easily. Your clothing needs to consist of the following:
A. 100% cotton clothing, unless you have fire resistant clothing, i.e. Jeans, black or blue.
B. You need to have lace up boots. Fighting fire in clogs, flip-flops’, tennis shoes, boat-shoes etc. is a dangerous thing to do.
C. If you are wearing clothing that is Spandex or other lightweight flammable materials, you are making yourself into a medical problem. The new lightweight materials are usually very flammable and you can be shrink-wrapped in an instant if you are close to the fire.
D. Have a good pair of leather gloves. The gloves should be the kind that you wear and are somewhat broken in. Do not use gloves that have no fingers or are full of holes in them.
E. Have all of your shovels, saws and fuels away from your home or garage or other out building. Note, shovel, rake and other tools handles burn. The middle of your lawn is good, or if you have a large open space. Mow the area and rake all of the grasses and other debris away from your fuel area. Then cover with a good heavy canvas tarp, NOT a plastic blue, green, silver or any other color you might have as they are usually made from a petroleum produce and burn readily.
F. MAKE SURE THAT YOU TURN OFF YOU PROPANE TANKS AT THE TANK.
In the event of a major fire, the incident management team may have a team of structure protection people come around and triage your home and or property. If you have not made your home fire-wise, or you have a drive that is not safe to put fire personnel in on, you should be aware that your home will NOT be protected.
Plan ahead, live longer and be safe.
Lynn P Ogle, Fire Chief
Trail Creek Fire Service Company
(Aka; The Trail Creek Irregulars)
The North Fork’s annual Firewise Day will be held on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 from 9:30 – noon in Sondreson Community Hall. The Firewise workshop will precede the Summer Interlocal meeting. The program is timely and tailored to what is expected to be a very active fire season in Western Montana, given the record-setting warm and dry conditions this summer. If you have any questions, please contact Molly Shepherd or Allen Chrisman. We hope to see you at the workshop.
Download the Final 2015 Firewise Day Agenda from this link.
OK – here is the grim news with no relief in sight. It doesn’t get much starker than this:
http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
Dead fuel moisture levels in North Idaho and Western Montana are below normal for this time of year in several PSAs, and will continue to be very dry through the summer. Fine fuel and live fuel moisture values in these areas are curing out rapidly with hot dry weather and will be at peak summer dryness levels in early July.
North Idaho and Western Montana are four to five weeks earlier than normal fire season development, and ERCs and 1000hr fuel moistures will be extreme by mid-July and continue through September while returning to normal is anticipated by October.
They are actually understating the fuel models – our ERC’s are higher now than they ever get in the “Normal” Fire Season, and they are two to three weeks ahead of the previous Max ERC’s:
So you know why it feels like August out there – because it is. We are going to have at least two months of August, then probably a warm September and a mild winter. While we will still not be as bad off as Oregon and Washington, it will be small consolation because given this forecast we will see a very active and long duration fire season.
We’ll just hope that they are wrong and our fall rains will start on the 4th of July…. That’s my wish!
Keep your fire tools sharp and handy, and watch for smoke.
Thanks. Allen
Here is the official announcement of the Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year – with Duke and Naomi and the Hoiland Family representing the Western Region. That is quite an honor. They are one of four finalists for the National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. Read more in the official news release.
The Flathead Beacon reports that Western Montana is in the clutches of an historic dry spell with triple-digit temperatures on the horizon, worsening the threat of fire danger and severely lowering stream flows. Open burning season is being closed a week early due to heightened fire conditions, according to state officials. The last day to burn debris in Flathead County is June 23. Read the full story here.
The North Fork’s annual Firewise Day will be held on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 from 9:30 – noon in Sondreson Community Hall. The Firewise workshop will precede the Summer Interlocal meeting.
We anticipate another excellent program. We’ll begin with a video about wildfires in Washington and Oregon in 2014. The video depicts extreme fire behavior. Then Lincoln Chute, Flathead County Fire Service Area Manager, will give a presentation about evacuation planning, structure triage, and county responsibilities during a wildfire. U.S Forest Service personnel will inform us about fire season projections and staffing levels. DNRC foresters will explain their role and the services that they provide on the North Fork. Finally, we’ll have a display and demonstration of common tools for fire suppression and information about sources for the tools.
The program is timely and tailored to what is expected to be a very active fire season in Western Montana, given the record-setting warm and dry conditions this Spring. We hope to see you at the workshop.
The North Fork recently was honored for having been a Firewise Community for ten years. The two basic requirements are to hold an annual Firewise Day event and make a minimum per capita expenditure on Firewise activities. We received a trophy commemorating our long-time membership. It will be displayed in the Hall.
Landowners along Trail Creek Road have received a letter informing them about potential grant assistance for removing hazardous fuels on their properties adjoining the road. The project is a priority for our fourth hazardous fuels grant. Treating fuels along the road will improve landowners and firefighter ingress and egress. It also will afford an escape route over the Whitefish Divide for the north end of the valley.
January, no snow, some rain, February not much snow and some rain, lots of ICE. March little snow and rain. April clear skies, no snow or rain. May, however was another thing. Sunshine, wind and rain. It appears that there was lots of rain and that we will have no, or not a great fire season.
While I am not a doomsday sayer, I must remind everyone that You have to have a burn permit this month. You should have the proper tools to maintain your fire in a safe manner. As an example, shovel, rake (Not Plastic), hoe, garden hose that is charged and ready to use. If you have a tank with water, have it full and the pump ready to use. When you are finished, Make sure your fire is out! Drowned it out if possible.
For more information: www.firesafekalispell.com. For questions 406-751-8730. Also check out http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
There is NO burning of household items such as covered chairs and or couches. No plumbing waste or electrical wires. Burning plastics is an environmental problem. Take your plastic water bottles to the landfill. (There have been enough water bottles manufactured in the world to circle the world at the equator 9 times to date.)
Again this year we will have a Firesafe Workshop at the Community Hall the day of the Interlocal, July 15, 2015. We will have interesting speakers and or presenters. We will start around 0900 AM. Lunch at about noon, with the Interlocal after. Please plan on attending.
Fire Season, begins July 1 through September 31, 2015
Lynn P. Ogle
Trail Creek Fire Company, Chief
lpogle@lazys-o.com
Andy Huntsberger, Assistant Fire Management Officer – Operations, Flathead National Forest sent in an update on work they have been doing at the Coal Ridge Cabin. Here is a timeline:
Andy goes on to say… When I was at the Cabin last summer I read the entries in the visitor log and it was all very positive and informative. The Cabin is currently being used as a day shelter for hikers and at this time we do not plan on changing this. We could and would post someone at this cabin, if needed, during a wildfire event. However, on a regular and reoccurring basis we plan on leaving it open to the public. It is 3.5 mile hike and a decent pull to the site, ideally this will deter any vandalism. We encourage the public to visit and enjoy this site.
Finally, Andy sent some photographs of the Coal Ridge Cabin, before and after work. Here they are:
The North Fork has been recognized as a Firewise Community for ten years. One of the requirements for continuing recognition is holding an annual Firewise Day event. The North Fork’s annual Firewise workshops have been informative and well-attended, covering a range of wildfire and stewardship topics.
This year, the NFLA’s Fire Mitigation Committee will sponsor its Firewise workshop on Wednesday, July 15 2015 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, immediately preceding the Summer Interlocal meeting. Although plans for the event are not yet complete, the committee expects to show a video of fire behavior during the 2014 Pacific Northwest fire season. Tentatively, presenters will include Lincoln Chute, Flathead County Fire Service Area Manager, and committee co-chair Allen Chrisman. We’ll probably also hear updates from the agency representatives with whom we work. More information about the program will be posted on the NFLA website when the agenda is final.
Since the fires of 2003, the Fire Mitigation Committee has helped numerous private landowners treat hazardous forest fuels on their properties by obtaining cost-share grants. The grants have paid 75% of the cost of an eligible project and the landowner has contributed the remaining 25%.
We are currently working on our fourth grant, this one in the amount of $91,000. One of our priorities for the grant is to reduce fuel accumulations along the lower stretch of Trail Creek Road, where it passes through private property. Treating fuels there will improve ingress and egress for landowners, allow safer access for firefighters, and afford an escape route over the Whitefish Divide. Committee members are contacting landowners to discuss the program and to determine their interest in participation.
Lincoln Chute has obtained approval from the Flathead County commissioners to use a county chipper to help dispose of slash generated along Trail Creek Road. We’ll need to show substantial, wide-spread benefit to warrant use of the equipment. Landowners also will need to cut slash material to size and align it along the roadside to facilitate handling.
More information about participation in the grant program is available from Bill Swope, who may be reached at 406-250-9812 or at bhswope@gmail.com.
