1. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 New Mexico WUI Summit, Concurrent Session #1, Incident Response Tract. Question: Does Defensible Space Improve the Likelihood of Home Survival? Dennis J Fiore April 1, 2016 1/23

2. Dennis Fiore Cooperative Fire Specialist USFS, Southwestern Regional Office Albuquerque, New Mexico Fire Qualifications DIVS, RXB2 and ICT4 Presenter New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 2/23

3. Presentation Topics  The Science of Defensible Space -- Jack Cohn  The Reality of Defensible Space – Case study from Texas  Story Sharing – Canyon Creek Fire, Oregon New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 3/23

4. Presentation Objectives  Create a learning atmosphere where we exchange ideas and lessons learned.  Answer this question: Does creating defensible space increase the likelihood of home survival of a wildfire?  Challenge ourselves about how we manages fires in the WUI and learn something new today! New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 4/23

5. Why Do We Care About Saving Homes? New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 5/23

6. Jack Cohen – April 4, 2014  “This problem falls in the no-man's land between structure-fire tactics and wildland fire tactics, so they're both ineffective. An inundation approach, which works with structure fires, with lots of water squirting capability, that doesn't help with small ignitions. As soon as crews start inundating houses, they run out of water. Instead, we need to distribute a small amount of water in many different directions. So rather than having a big Type-One engine that can squirt 1,000 gallons a minute, we have a homeowner with a bucket and a mop and some water.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6wy_tffpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6wy_tffpg New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 6/23

7. What We Do… New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 7/23

8. CASE STUDY – TEXAS 2011 New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 8/23

9. Combustible soffits can melt or ignite, giving embers access to an attic. Once inside, the embers can go undetected until it is too late to save the home. 38 Open or unscreened foundation vents provided embers access to a vulnerable pier and beam foundation. Common Denominators of Home Destruction New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 9/23

10. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 Patio furniture can provide a wildfire enough fuel to ignite a home. Note the green trees on each side of the home did not catch fire, which means they were not contributing factors. 10/23

11. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 Embers from a nearby fire gained access to this home’s interior, igniting it and causing significant damage. 40 11/23

12. TEXAS A & M FOREST SERVICE LESSONS LEARNED Knowing why homes ignite during a wildfire gives you a better chance of defending those homes. It also helps you teach residents how to make their homes more fire-resistant. Many homes are destroyed after the main fire has passed and in areas with lower fire intensity. Typically, these areas have fewer suppression resources assigned to them than the more active parts of the fire. Keeping resources available to patrol these areas can help prevent additional home losses. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 12/23

13. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 If you can see embers landing on or around homes, assume there also are embers landing in areas and in spaces you can’t see. Good examples of areas where embers can go unnoticed are in gutters and attics and underneath decks and pier and beam foundations. This requires checking structures frequently. Using water to extinguish fires and hot spots around homes is an effective first step in structure protection but fine fuels such as grass, leaf litter and pine straw can reignite easily. Taking time to clear even a small fuel break using hand tools can help a home survive if the fire rekindles. 13/23

14. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 Allocate some firefighting resources to evaluate threatened structures and triage which homes have the best chance of surviving. This allows for the most efficient use of limited resources and provides situational awareness for crews. This can be accomplished well ahead of the wildfire season or on the spot, if time and resources allow. While it may be a difficult decision for firefighters to make, committing resources to homes that can’t be saved could end up costing some additional homes that could have been saved. Skilled professionals with specialized equipment may be needed to remove combustible attachments like fences and decks during a wildfire. If faced with the decision of removing one of these elements to save a structure, ensure that you have the tools and training to do so. Chainsaws and other tools can be effective but also dangerous. No home is worth risking the safety of a firefighter. 14/23

15.  Started August 12 th – two small fire converged and blew down hwy 395 into the canyon.  Destroyed 43 homes and damaged 50 structures. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 STORY TIME: CANYON CREEK FIRE 2015 15/23

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18. Google Maps Tour New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 18/23 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2961964,- 118.9629499,5028m/data=!3m1!1e3

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21. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 Time to Share Your Stories 21/23

22. THE FORMULA TO INCREASE THE LIKELHOOD OF HOME SURVIVAL IN A WILDFIRE? Prevention + mitigation + suppression tactics after the fire = increased survivability New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 22/23

23. Best Management Practices by the Collective. New Mexico WUI Summit 2016 23/23