Pretty well written, but Chernobyl is a ghost town. Abandoned, not burned. ;o)
What he didn't mention (at all surprisingly) is the WUI; Wildland Urban Interface. The term more often used today is "Defensible Space"; how homes are blended into wild areas.
On a fire earlier this week, a quick thinking firefighter gave exactly the correct response when asked why no homes were lost (though 20k were evacuated and hundreds of acres burned). He said "Defensible space. It gave us the chance to save neighborhoods." That's often just barely enough of a chance.
When the author mentioned triage (French; to sort; to prioritize), he almost grazed this area of discussion. It isn't a single process; it's ALWAYS going on; everything is re-evaluated constantly in the fire world.
If a homeowner has taken the time and effort to produce defensible space, the home may be scored as a winner in triage (salvageable). If the homeowner has done a poor job (or none), the house is written off regardless of available resources.
This sounds harsh but when you don't have unlimited resources (staffing, equipment, water, aircraft, dozers) a choice must be made in how to do the most with what is available. That's what a fire department does EVERY SINGLE DAY in every task they do; it's a core function. There are NEVER enough resources to make it easy.
You don't go all in on a poor hand; you don't spend resources on losers. If it's a bad bet, walk away.
So if your property doesn't have defensible space, it's your loss and potentially that of your neighbor (I smell civil lawsuit). This is not a total panacea, even with defensible space, neighborhoods can be lost. It's simply to create a chance of salvaging a bad situation.
For advice on how to create or manage your defensible space, contact your local fire agency. I'm positive that they will be eager to step in and show you what to do. It's a FREE service (the advice, not the work). It's better to prepare than rebuild. Most agencies will be able to give you a short term plan (immediate needs) and a long term goal (make it look nice while being safer).
Failure to create defensible space not only puts your property at risk, the property owner can be cited, fined and spend time in front of a judge (rarely a good thing). Jail time is possible. In the worst cases, the agency can be authorized (ordered by the court or governing body) to make the area defensible. That tends to be clearcut everything, to the dirt and not attractive. The property owner is then billed for that work (it won't be low bid) in addition to a fine and/or jail time and a lien can be placed on the property (can't sell it, transfer it or give it away until the lien is cleared). The CA Public Resources Code section 4291 has BIG teeth, don't poke that bear.
Landscaping doesn't have to be a moonscape. There are plants that can resist fire but even succulents burn given enough heat energy. The goal is to give the firefighters a chance at saving the property. It may suffer losses in landscape but save the home.
What is often missed by homeowners is access. If the road/driveway to the home is narrow, has poor visibility, is overgrown or otherwise unsafe, that area will be written off. Backing in the engine(s) is possible (don't assume a turn around is available), but if there is no safe escape route (for anyone) it does not bode well for that area. Good hydrants are a bonus, but no connections will not be made during operations so firefighters can escape if need be (they'll wait until there is no chance, the last moment and don't need an anchor).
It up to the homeowner. If they care about the property, they take care of it and firefighters will do all they can to save it (because THEY care too and don't want to see homes burn). If the homeowner has not taken care of the (legally required) defensible space; the firefighters shrug and move on; it isn't worth their lives. They're not happy about it, but they don't spend time on losing bets (with their lives, resources or the homes).
It's about surviving the nearly unthinkable. It isn't a matter of 'if', it's a matter of when it happens no matter where you live and it isn't just near wild lands. Look at Oakland hills, a dense collection of neighborhoods; wildland fire conditions in a residential area; numerous homes lost with little to no wildland involved (except at the beginning of the fire).
It's up to you. Do you have (are you) a winner or loser?
Rick, WA6NHC
Rick, WA6NHC
iPad = small keypad = typos = sorry ;-)
On May 16, 2014, at 9:32 AM, "Kim Noyes kimnoyes@gmail.com [californiadisasters]" <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
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