Hello,
We are all in this together and it is more important than ever that encourage those around us (from a distance) to prepare for wildfires. Although things are fluctuating quickly and a lot is unknown, we can be sure that fire season on its way.
Creative approaches to wildfire preparedness during social distancing are all the rage this year and we’ve got the tools you need to lead the way for your friends and neighbors. With that in mind, please share these resources and feel free to use any part of the newsletter to post or send!
This week in the blog:
a profile of Pam Ryan, a community Fireshed Ambassador,
Planning tips to prepare your home for wildfire,
Upcoming webinars, and
“This Old House” episodes where they visit Paradise, California after the Camp fire.
Campfire Ban on US Forest Service lands.
From my kitchen table to yours,
Gabe
Pam Ryan - Profile of a Fireshed Ambassador
We’re beginning a series of profiles of people that inspire us in their creativity and determination in their wildfire adaptation work and we hope they inspire you too!
Today we’d like to introduce Pam Ryan, one of our Fireshed ambassadors. The Fireshed Ambassador Program is a sister effort of our FACNM Leader program in the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed area.
Pam finds being an ambassador rewarding in the simple ways she can open people’s eyes and get them thinking about fire mitigation, from her roadside chats with shears in hand, or during conversations with friends and acquaintances.
“You want to put the welcome mat out for firefighters not the wildfire, and that welcome mat is the 30 foot perimeter. People respond to that idea and it’s rewarding to be able to open their eyes.” - Pam
Flammable debris under a canale.
Pam’s spring wildfire cleaning tip
“We adapt to changes around our homes pretty quickly. With cleaning for fire season you have to get small and zoom in to notice where there could be problems, it’s easy to overlook these areas but they could be a big deal if an ember ignites them.
For example, under the canales on my house there are rocks to break up the water hitting the ground. These become a trap for needles and leaves that get wedged in the rocks right next to your house. If you have one tree on your property you’ll find similar places around your house. It’s important to take a walk around your home and take notice of where the remnants of Fall have stuck, such as in corners or where stairs meet a portal.” - Pam
Home Hazard Assessment
The prospect of preparing your home for fire season can seem overwhelming, since planning for any disaster means imaging the worst. So, to get started the best thing to do is to create a plan and then begin with the easiest tasks, and luckily some of the simplest things can make the biggest difference! Check out these 7 things to get you started. (Click the image to make it larger)
To assist in making a plan we’d like to present the Home Hazard Assessment Guide. With this guide and the accompanying worksheet you can assess the areas of your home that could use improvement and then keep track as you work to improve them. This short guide covers all the areas that you might be concerned about that might cause your home to ignite.
Many organizations such as fire departments offer more in-depth assessments of your house, although these services may be limited this season.
Are you interested in setting up a webinar about how to prepare your home for wildfire for your community? Contact Gabe@forestguild.org for details.
This Old House - Rebuilding Paradise
What better time to catch up on some television than during social distancing. Pop some popcorn and enjoy these episodes of “This Old House” that show the determination of the community of Paradise, CA to rebuild following the 2018 Paradise wildfire.
Seeing how the people of Paradise work together to rebuild their town is an inspiring example of the power of community connections and may boost your spirits during these unprecedented times. Share these episodes with your friends , family, and neighbors as an inspiring example of how communities can work together in the face of challenging times.
Upcoming Webinars
Join us virtually!
Southwest Fire Science Consortium: Fireseason review for 2019 and 2020 outlook
Apr 29, 2020 01:00 PM Mountain Time
The purpose of this webinar is to review 2019 fires and look ahead toward conditions for 2020. Dr. Zander Evans presented an overview of the largest fires in the Southwest during 2019. He will share summaries of forest types and burn severities for each of the fires. In addition, Rich Naden, Fire Weather Meteorologist with the Southwest Coordination Center, will discuss the fire season outlook for 2020 in the Southwest, and Terrance Gallegos and Brent Davidson of the US Forest Service will discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the upcoming fire season.
Forest Service Takes Steps to Reduce Human-Caused Wildfire during Global Pandemic
April 15, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, Southwestern Region today enacted a campfire restriction to protect the health and safety of employees and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. From April 15 through June 30, campfires are prohibited on all five national forests in New Mexico and national grasslands on the Cibola in Oklahoma and Texas. Forest Service officials are taking necessary steps to ensure first responders are available to safely respond to and manage incidents. This campfire restriction will prevent the drawdown of fire and medical resources to human-caused wildfires and reduce firefighter exposure to COVID-19 during the current pandemic. Read more about the bans here and here.