Fire Management today Volume 63 • No. 1 • Winter 2003 WWHAT’’SS AT RISKISK? United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire Management Today is published by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the transaction of the public business required by law of this Department. Fire Management Today is for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, at: Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: 202-512-1800 Fax: 202-512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 Fire Management Today is available on the World Wide Web at <http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fire_new/fmt/>. Ann M. Veneman, Secretary April J. Baily U.S. Department of Agriculture General Manager Dale Bosworth, Chief Robert H. “Hutch” Brown, Ph.D. Forest Service Managing Editor Jerry Williams, Director Madelyn Dillon Fire and Aviation Management Editor The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Disclaimer: The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement of any product or service by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Individual authors are responsible for the technical accuracy of the material presented in Fire Management Today. 2 Fire Management Today Fire today Management Volume 63 • No. 1 • Winter 2003 CONTENTS On the Cover: The Wildland/Urban Interface: What’s Really at Risk? ........................................................... 4 Paul Summerfelt Historical Fire Regime in Southern California .............. 8 Jon E. Keeley and C.J. Fotheringham Trigger Points and the Rules of Disengagement ........ 10 Jason Greenlee and Dawn Greenlee Melted newspaper boxes bear testimony to the heat of the A Cooperative Fire Prevention Adventure ................. 14 1996 Skeleton Fire after it Sara Patterson made a run through the Sundance subdivision of Dome Peak Fire: Witnessing the Extreme ................ 16 Bend, OR, near the Deschutes Mike Cornwall National Forest. The photo won first place for wildland/ Big Ed Pulaski and the Big Blowup........................... 19 urban interface fire in the Gerald W. Williams Fire Management Today photo contest for 2001 (see Inventing the Pulaski ............................................. 22 page 24). Photo: Thomas Gerald W. Williams Iraci, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, OR, 1996. Photo Contest 2001 ............................................. 24 Hutch Brown Author Index—Volume 62 ...................................... 33 The FIRE 21 symbol (shown below and on the cover) stands for the safe and effective use of wildland fire, now and throughout the 21st century. Its shape represents the fire triangle Subject Index—Volume 62 ...................................... 34 (oxygen, heat, and fuel). The three outer red triangles represent the basic functions of wildland fire organizations (planning, operations, and aviation management), and the three critical SHORT FEATURES aspects of wildland fire management (prevention, suppression, and prescription). The black interior “It Is Not Understood Why Forest Fires Should represents land affected by fire; the emerging green points symbolize the growth, restoration, Get Away” ...................................................... 37 and sustainability associated with fire-adapted General Land Office ecosystems. The flame represents fire itself as an ever-present force in nature. For more informa­ tion on FIRE 21 and the science, research, and innovative thinking behind it, contact Mike Websites on Fire..................................................... 9 Apicello, National Interagency Fire Center, 208-387-5460. National Fire Plan at Work ..................................... 23 Guidelines for Contributors..................................... 38 Annual Photo Contest ............................................ 39 Firefighter and public safety is our first priority. Volume 63 • No. 1 • Winter 2003 3 THE WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE: WHAT’S REALLY AT RISK? Paul Summerfelt and managers and wildland fire professionals have long debated A new definition of the L fire protection in the wildland/ wildland/urban interface is needed, urban interface (W/UI). After the along with a commitment to protect and preserve release of the National Fire Plan in the fall of 2000 and subsequent all neighborhood and community at-risk values. congressional appropriations designed to treat hazardous fuels, new contingents have added their how structures ignite during a voices to the W/UI discussion. The wildland fire.* Some people point to W/UI, which is bigger than most the results of Cohen’s work to people realize, can easily encompass justify their position that hazardous several jurisdictions and owner­ fuel mitigation work should be ships. limited to areas that are close to structures. Others believe that Current Understanding taxpayer dollars should not be spent to protect those who choose to live Various definitions and perceptions in areas that have a high wildland exist about what the W/UI is and fire risk. Still others are opposed to where it is located.* A common tree cutting for any purpose. belief is that the W/UI is a geo­ graphic area where structures, However, most people agree that primarily homes, are next to Plume from the 1994 Star Gulch Fire in landowners must build wisely and naturally occurring flammable Idaho, viewed from the Oregon border implement vegetative treatments fuels. Some people explain that (above) and the wildland/urban interface (below). Such enormous fires can easily adjacent to their structures. Addi­ W/UI is within a “dog’s walk” of a blow from the backcountry into the tionally, to be truly effective, vege­ structure. Others think that the wildland/urban interface, threatening tative treatments must occur on W/UI starts at the point where a golf homes and communities—and making the interface bigger than most people realize. both sides of the boundary line. ball hit from the porch of a struc­ Photos: USDA Forest Service, 1994. Work done close to a structure can ture lands. Although these percep­ prevent its loss, whereas work done tions about the W/UI are diverse, at a distance can prevent or miti­ they all describe the W/UI as an area gate the other damaging effects of a from 30 to 600 feet (9 to 91 m) severe fire. around a structure or within sight of a structure. Structure damage or loss is not the only risk from wildland fire. Public Jack Cohen, a scientist with the safety is an even more important Forest Service’s Fire Sciences concern. The threats from a wild- Laboratory in Missoula, MT, directs land fire might endanger public a research project that focuses on safety during the incident and for many years thereafter. Other Paul Summerfelt is the fuel management officer for the Flagstaff Fire Department, immediate and secondary fire Flagstaff, AZ. threats help illustrate the need for revising the definition of the W/UI. * For a set of definitions used in the West, see Brian F. Weatherford, “Types of Wildland–Urban Inter-face,” Fire * For information about Cohen’s research project, see Management Today 62(1) [Winter 2002]: 11. <http://www.firelab.org>. 4 Fire Management Today Immediate Fire Threats number of doctor visits and hospital the result might be catastrophic. Fires can be dramatic and frighten­ admissions rose dramatically during Chambers of commerce, tourism ing for neighborhoods and commu­ and immediately after the fires. bureaus, and merchant associations nities. The immediate threats go Many of those affected lived a often spend considerable time and well beyond the palpable danger to considerable distance away from the money to bring visitors back follow­ homes. fires. ing a fire. Structures/Infrastructure. Many Firefighter Safety. In 1997, the Depending on a fire’s severity, State wildland fires threaten not only TriData Study: Wildland Firefighter and Federal money might be structures, but also fences, Safety Awareness Study was com­ available to help offset recovery powerlines, communication sites, missioned to find ways to improve costs. However, the amount of staff or other infrastructure. Because the firefighter safety.** Of the 114 time needed to document losses and threat to homes is often the most recommendations, the need to meet accounting requirements is dramatic and compelling part of a “implement a large-scale, long- often extensive, and it might be news story from a wildland fire range fuel management program” years before a settlement is reached incident, reports often lead with was the most important. Fire and and payouts are made. “structures threatened,” with land managers must conduct accompanying graphic photo­ hazardous