By Chief William Farhat EBS CONTRIBUTOR
On May 4, the Big Sky Fire Department hosted
the Big Sky Community Wildfire Preparedness Day in the loft of Lone Peak
Brewery, featuring wildfire experts from various state and county organizations
speaking about how wildfires are changing and the importance of maintaining
fire-resilient homes and properties in Big Sky.
After all, in our North American forests
that are adapted to wildfire, it’s not a question of if a wildfire will occur,
but when.
In light of this event, EBS decided to call
up the words of Fire Chief William Farhat to remind residents about some of the
important steps that can protect your home from wildfire.
No matter
the season, wildland fires are always a serious concern in the Big Sky area.
There is much that we can do to minimize their threat in our community and
together we can reduce the inherent risks.
Enjoying the
beauty of our mountains and the activities they offer is what brought most of
us here, but that also puts us in very close proximity to the national forests
that surround us, in the zone known as the Wildland-Urban Interface. Fires are
also a natural and necessary part of the forest’s ecology, so it’s not a matter
of if a wildland fire will occur, but more a question of when.
Fires in the
WUI are always a challenge for fire departments as they can quickly become
large events, and easily overwhelm local resources. For this reason, the
preparations that citizens take before a fire are the best way to protect
themselves and their property.
Stay informed. The best way to get
official information on community-wide emergencies is by registering your cell
phone with Gallatin County’s Community Notification System. All Big Sky
residents, no matter which county you live in, can do so at readygallatin.com.
If a fire is
near, warnings will be automatically sent to all landlines and registered cell
phones, giving you time to prepare. If an evacuation notice is given, you will
receive specific information regarding the threat and the best evacuation
routes.
Understand how a wildland fire can affect
your home and neighborhood. This is key to keeping both house and
community safe in case you’ve had to leave the area. The California firestorm
videos on the news during the past few years give the impression that nothing
can be done to stop the spread of a fire, but this is not the case. The trees,
grasses and plants in Big Sky can certainly burn during our hot, dry summers,
and during the years with extremely hot and dry conditions, local fires have
become explosive in nature, but they are more the exception than the rule.
Wildland
fires aren’t a wall of flames that obliterate everything in their path. In
fact, fire-behavior studies have shown that how we prepare our properties
dictates the severity of the impact. Wildland fires normally advance with hot
embers being blown ahead of the main part of the fire, starting their own
fires. If a home has not been prepared properly, it can start to burn,
intensifying a fire in a neighborhood. If a home has been prepared well, the
chances of it withstanding a fire passing through the area improve greatly.
Simple steps you can take. Actions
such as cleaning your gutters, removing dead vegetation and debris from under
decks, not stacking firewood near your home, storing all outdoor furniture
indoors and keeping the lawn around your home mowed and irrigated at least 30
feet in all directions, are all helpful.
Proper landscaping is also important.
There should not be vegetation leading to the foundation of your home; there
should be a 3-foot border of non-combustible crushed rock around the base of
your home.
Remember
that woodchips are a hazard. A common issue I see is the use of woodchips
for landscaping. This a dangerous practice as one ember can ignite the
woodchips, fueling a fire in and around your home.
To avoid promoting
the spread of a fire, explore non-combustible options, as well as
fire-resistant vegetation. In addition, all low-hanging branches should be
pruned, to at least 6 feet above the ground so a fire does not have the ability
to climb up the branches into the tree.
These are
just a few ideas as much can be done to prepare an existing residence or
construct a more “fire safe” home. The National Fire Protection Association has
produced an excellent website, firewise.org, to provide in-depth
information on how to minimize the damage caused by a fire.
The Big Sky
Fire Department is also always available to come to a property and consult with
homeowners. Working together, we can all help keep our community safe and
resilient.
A version of this article was first
published in the Aug. 31, 2018 edition of EBS.
William Farhat has been the Big Sky Fire
Department fire chief since 2011 and has been fighting fires across the country
for nearly 30 years.
