BRUSH, GRASS, AND FOREST FIRES Marty Ahrens August 2010 National Fire Protection Association Fire Analysis and Research Division BRUSH, GRASS, AND FOREST FIRES Marty Ahrens August 2010 National Fire Protection Association Fire Analysis and Research Division Abstract Based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department experience survey, NFPA estimates that during 2004-2008, local fire departments responded to an average of 356,800 natural vegetation fires per year. In most, less than one acre burned. These incidents accounted for 23% of all fires reported to local fire departments. This study examines the circumstances and causal factors of: a) brush or brush and grass mixture fires; b) grass fires; c) forest, woods, or wildland fires; and d) total brush, grass, and forest fires, including unclassified natural vegetation fires. One in five was intentionally set. The most common heat source was a hot ember or ashes. Smoking materials, open burning and high winds were also frequent factors. Lightning was a more common factor in forest, woods, or wildland fires than the other types of fires. Keywords: fire statistics, natural vegetation fires; brush fires, grass fires, wildland fires; forest fires; mulch fires, railroad. Acknowledgements The National Fire Protection Association thanks all the fire departments and state fire authorities who participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the annual NFPA fire experience survey. These firefighters are the original sources of the detailed data that make this analysis possible. Their contributions allow us to estimate the size of the fire problem. We are grateful to the U.S. Fire Administration for its work in developing, coordinating, and maintaining NFIRS. We would also like to thank the National Interagency Fire Center for providing so much information about wildland fires handled by state and federal agencies. For more information about the National Fire Protection Association, visit www.nfpa.org or call 617-770-3000. To learn more about the One-Stop Data Shop go to www.nfpa.org/osds or call 617-984-7443. Copies of this analysis are available from: National Fire Protection Association One-Stop Data Shop 1 Batterymarch Park Quincy, MA 02169-7471 www.nfpa.org e-mail: [email protected] phone: 617-984-7443 NFPA No. USS89 Copyright © 2010, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA Table of Contents Table of Contents i List of Figures and Tables ii Executive Summary iv Safety Tips vi Local Fire Department Responses to Brush, Grass or Forest Fires Fact Sheet vii Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires 1 Fires Reported to Local Fire Departments 1 Wildland Fire Statistics from the National Interagency Fire Center 15 Firefighter Fatalities at Forest, Brush, or Grass Fires 18 Appendix A. How National Estimates Statistics are Calculated 48 Appendix B Local Fire Department Responses to Incidents of Controlled Burning with Permit and Unauthorized Burning in 2005 by Month and by Alarm Time 51 Appendix C. How National Estimates Statistics Are Calculated 52 Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, 8/10 i NFPA Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA List of Figures and Tables Figure or Table Page Figure 1. Brush, Grass and Forest Fires by Incident Type 2004-2008 1 Figure 2. By Month of Alarm and Type of Fire 3 Figure 3. By Alarm Time and Type of Fire Table A. Peak Days for Local Fire Department Responses 4 Figure 4. By Property Use and Type of Fire 5 Figure 5 By Major Cause and Type of Fire 6 Figure 6. By Item First Ignited and Type of Fire 7 Figure 7. By Type of Material and Type of Fire 8 Figure 8. That Began with Wood chips, Sawdust, or Shavings Compared to Fires that Began with Hay or Straw 10 Figure 9. By Acres Burned and Type of Fire 11 Figure 10. By Response Time and Type of Fire 12 Figure 11. By Census Region and Type of Fire 13 Figure 12. Census Regions 13 Figure 13. Per 1,000 Square Miles by Census Region and Type of Fire 14 Table B. Forest Land Area in the US in 2007, by Census Region and Ownership 15 Figure 14. Wildland Fires Handled by Wildland Fire Agencies, by Year 1985-2009 16 Figure 15. Acres Burned in Wildland Fires Handled by Wildland Fire Agencies, 16 Figure 16. Average Number of Acres Burned in 17 Figure 17. Human Caused vs. Lightning-Caused 2005-2009 17 Table 1. Local Fire Department Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires by Month and type of Fire 2004-2008 20 Table 2. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Day of Week and type of Fire 21 Table 3. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Alarm Time and type of Fire 21 Table 4A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Property Use 22 Table 4B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Property Use 21 Table 4C. Responses to Grass Fires, by Property Use 24 Table 4D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, by Property Use 25 Table 5A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Cause of Ignition 26 Table 5B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Cause of Ignition 26 Table 5C. Responses to Grass Fires, by Cause of Ignition 27 Table 5D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, by Cause of Ignition 27 Table 6A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Factor Contributing to Ignition 28 Table 6B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Factor Contributing to Ignition 29 Table 6C. Responses to Grass Fires, by Factor Contributing to Ignition 30 Table 6D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, by Factor Contributing to Ignition 31 Table 7A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Heat Source 32 Table 7B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Heat Source 33 Table 7C Responses to Grass Fires, by Heat Source 34 Table 7D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, by Heat Source 35 Table 8A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Equipment Involved In Ignition 36 Table 8B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Equipment Involved in Ignition 36 Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, 8/10 ii NFPA Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA List of Figures and Tables Figure or Table Page Table 8C. Responses to Grass Fires, by Equipment Involved in Ignition 37 Table 8D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, by Equipment Involved in Ignition 37 Table 9A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Item First Ignited 38 Table 9B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Item First Ignited 38 Table 9C. Responses to Grass Fires, by Item First Ignited 39 Table 9D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, by Item First Ignited 39 Table 10A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Type of Material First Ignited 40 Table 10B. Responses to Brush or Brush and Grass Mixture Fires, by Type of Material First Ignited 41 Table 10C. Responses to Grass Fires, by Type of Material First Ignited 42 Table 10D. Responses to Forest, Woods, or Wildland Fires, By Type of Material First Ignited 43 Table 11A. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires Beginning with Hay or Straw, by Heat Source 44 Table 11B. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires Beginning with Wood Chips, Sawdust, or Shavings, by Heat Source 45 Table 12. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by Acres Burned and Type of Fire 46 Table 13. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, by U.S. Census Region and Type of Fire 46 Table 14. Responses to Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires Per 1,000 Square Miles, by Census Region and Type of Fire 47 Brush, Grass, and Forest Fires, 8/10 iii NFPA Fire Analysis and Research, Quincy, MA Executive Summary Fires in the wildland/urban interface have often been in the news in recent years. Nine of the 25 costliest fires in the U.S. were described as either wildland or wildland/urban interface fires. The eight costliest fires were in the last two decades. Federal or state agencies are typically involved in these massive fires. The term wildland/urban interface (WUI) is typically used to describe areas where extensive vegetation mixes with numerous structures and their inhabitants. WUI fires of note often begin and grow large in the vegetated areas before spreading to structures. What many people don’t realize is how often local fire departments around the country are called to much smaller brush, grass and forest fires. During 2004-2008, local fire departments responded to an estimated average of 356,800 brush, grass, and forest fires per year. This translates to 976 such fires every day. • Only 10% of these fires were coded as forest, woods, or wildland fires. • Two of every five (41%) were brush or brush and grass mixtures; • more than one-third (37%) were grass fires; and • 12% were unclassified forest, brush or grass fires. In three-quarters (74%) of the brush, These statistics are derived from the U.S. Fire grass, and forest fires handled by local Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting fire departments, less than an acre System (NFIRS) and the National Fire Protection burned. Only 4% burned more than ten Association’s (NFPA’s) annual fire department acres. Fires in forests tended to be experience survey. Fires handled by federal and larger than other vegetation fires. Only state wildland fire agencies are generally not three-fifths (57%) of the forest fires included in these statistics unless they were also were less than an acre while 9% reported to a local fire department.