Efforts under way to help Central Texans prepare for fire season

Friday, February 10, 2012 / Special to the View

FIRE WATCH
By JAMES LINARDOS
Lake Travis Fire Rescue chief

During the devastating Labor Day wildfires, Precinct 3 Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber saw first-hand the multi-agency, collaborative efforts in containing and extinguishing the Central Texas fire storms.

After reflecting on the devastating fires, Huber immediately put into place the Travis County Wildland Task Force Committee and appointed me to run with her idea of a collaboration of experts gathering together and brainstorming on ways to help Travis County communities mitigate future wildland urban interface fires.

The first meeting was Oct. 14, 2011. Task Force members include Emergency Services Districts, Austin Fire Department, Travis County Natural Resources, Emergency Management and other county staff, including Commissioner Huber and her office staff.

We have been meeting every two weeks at the Oak Hill Fire Station since the launch of the group.

The Task Force’s first product, which is ready for distribution, is the Travis County/City of Austin version of the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Ready, Set Go! booklet.

The booklet walks you through creating your own wildfire action guide:

Ready – prepare for the fire threat;
Set – have situational awareness when a fire starts; and,
Go – leave early.

Our next product for communities will be the Travis County Wildfire Protection Plan.

The protection plan helps communities clarify and refine their priorities for the protection of life, property and critical infrastructure in the wildland urban interface.

At the Task Force’s Jan. 27 meeting, I ran a needs assessment exercise and the members prioritized what the group needs to focus on next.

The group targeted some county needs such as grant funding assistance, a bulldozer program for combating wildfires, a dedicated aerial wildfire program, multi-jurisdictional partnerships, unified messaging to media and community during a wildfire incident and efforts to work toward developing fire resilient communities, just to name a few.

The National Interagency Fire Center Predictive Services has published its Wildland Fire Outlook for February through May 2012.

Evidence is building that the wildfires in Texas are doomed to repeat themselves and possibly could be more tenacious and catastrophic.

Severe to exceptional droughts are prevalent, and tree mortality from the drought will continue to be problematic.

Significant fires will be possible with the combination of ignitions and windy conditions.

Mild seasonal temperatures will continue and cold fronts will remain problematic for drought-stricken areas as the drier air will reduce minimum humidity into the teens and low 20s creating a volatile environment for fine fuel ignition.

So the Wildland Task Force will continue to meet, collaborate and find ways to educate and protect the community, especially during the wildland fire danger season.

Texas’ population continues to grow along with the rapid wildland urban interface development. Travis County, especially western Travis County into the Hill Country, has exploded with developments of million-dollar homes nestled on cliff edges and ridge lines.

Yes, these property owners have majestic views of the Hill Country vista and possibly the lake, but their homes and properties are hard to protect, especially when they are surrounded by wildlands available to wildfires.

This is just something for homeowners to reflect upon, or hopefully it will prompt them to take action.

Since the historical Texas wildfire season began on Nov. 15, 2010, emergency services districts, metro and volunteer fire departments and the Texas Forest Service have responded to 31,013 fires for nearly 4 million acres.

So, please carefully study and follow the Ready, Set, Go! booklet’s guidelines and encourage your neighbors and their neighbors do the same.

It could help save your family, property and pets when the next fire storm knocks on Travis County’s door.

James Linardos is fire chief of Lake Travis Fire Rescue, which is also known as Emergency Services District No. 6.

Link to article online