In the wake of the La Brea Fire and the raging Station Fire near Los Angeles, county fire officials are urging residents to take steps to help prevent the next blaze from becoming a monster.
About a quarter of the Los Padres National Forest’s 2 million acres has burned in the past several years, due in large part to man-made causes. While fuel models can determine potential hotspots for a future wildfire, pinpointing where the next big one might flare up is anyone’s guess, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman David Sedecki.
“It could be anywhere in the county,” he said. “We’re in a three-year drought right now, so we’re really critical in most areas of the county.”
Some areas are more critical than others. The longer an area has gone without being burned, according to Los Padres Forest Fire Management Officer Anthony Escobar, the greater its susceptibility to a large-scale wildfire. Especially vulnerable are those regions with 30 to 40 years of built-up vegetation growth since the last major fire.
That includes areas hit by the Refugio fire in 1955, the Coyoto fire in 1964, the Romero fire in 1971, the Wheeler fire of 1985, and some isolated pockets throughout the county that have never burned.
But that doesn’t mean residents in other areas can rest easy. Aged brush, windy weather conditions, and the extended drought have combined to put the entire county at risk this fire season, Escobar said. True wildfire prevention, he added, takes long-term planning.
Prescribed burns are one method fire crews can employ to get rid of dry brush and other hazardous fuels. While effective, the burns aren’t a cure-all, and there are a number of barriers to the method from residents and environmental groups worried about smoke and ash, especially near urban areas. The county’s Air Pollution Control District also limits days when burns can occur, depending on air quality conditions.
The burns are pricey as well, and fire crews have to be cautious to keep sensitive habitats intact and make sure they don’t harm endangered plants or wildlife, according to Sedecki.
“You can’t just go out there and burn a bunch of bushes,” he said. “You could actually be causing a bigger problem than it’s worth.”
Besides the risk of the fire getting out of control, prescribed burns affect the watershed and can trigger future floods and erosion.
“It’s not as easy as people think it is,” Sedecki said. “It’s one thing if a fire burns through there and it’s a natural occurrence, but if it’s something that we do, we have to really make sure that we’re doing the right thing because we don’t want to destroy the environment.”
There are alternatives to burns. The Forest Service periodically cuts and stacks brush to maintain fuel lines and fires up brush-eating machines, called masticators, which are highly efficient but expensive to run.
The challenges and costs associated with many preventive measures have resulted in the county leaning more on individuals to do their part to reduce the potential for wildfires, especially around the “wildland-urban interface,” where development meets wilderness.
The county’s Fire Safe Council is the public liaison responsible for educating homeowners on proper brush-clearing methods. According to the council’s chairman, Ted Adams, the key to good wildfire prevention starts at home.
“The thing that people need to wrap their minds around is the fact that they need to be responsible for their own preparation and not expect emergency agency assistance,” Adams said. “People just need to take that responsibility for themselves, protect their families, and realize that with the economic crisis we’re in, the more we have to get ready ourselves and not expect the government to take care of us.”
Adams said all ranchers and homeowners should clear a “defensible space.” That’s a 100-foot area around all structures free from dry brush. He recommends residents keep house numbers well marked and driveways clear so emergency vehicles can access properties safely in the event of a fire.
To help mitigate the effects of wildfire on homes, the council urges residents to remove firewood stacked against structures, and to eliminate plastic lawn furniture and garbage cans that can spread flammable trash and ignite a house fire. Also, mesh screens placed over vents can reduce the possibility of stray embers getting into the house.
Ranchers can limit their risk by performing their own controlled burns—with a permit—and increase cattle grazing on their lands to reduce tall grasses. Adams also advises ranchers to get an inspection of their property from the local fire department, who can advise on the best brush-clearing plan.
In addition to reducing fuel, a suitable defensible area provides a buffer for fire crews battling blazes, according to Sedecki.
“It makes it easier to get there and make a stand, should a fire come to a certain area,” Sedecki said. “If each property owner has a defensible space around their house in a series, they would create a natural fire break around their whole area.”
Attention paid to clearing defensible space may have saved residents of Tepusquet Canyon from severe structural damage during the La Brea fire, Sedecki said.
“Those people have taken a real proactive approach to their land and properties and neighborhood,” Sedecki explained. “They were ready for that fire when it came through, and it actually didn’t burn any of those homes down there.”
While Sedecki said the work done in Tepusquet improved the chances of avoiding a future wildfire there, he warned that nobody is completely out of the danger zone.
“It’s only September,” he cautioned. “We’ve got a long way to go yet.” m
Contact Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 10-17, 2009.