Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan FOR THE COUNTIES OF CHASE , DUNDY, HAYES, HITCHCOCK, KEITH, PERKINS, RED WILLOW, AND PARTS OF FRONTIER AND LINCOLN Photo courtesy of Ralph Moul J U LY, 2019 Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan ii Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan JULY, 2019 Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan FACILITATED BY THE Nebraska Forest Service IN COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION WITH CHASE, DUNDY, FRONTIER, HAYES, HITCHCOCK, KEITH, LINCOLN, PERKINS, AND RED WILLOW COUNTIES LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DISTRICTS REGION 17, REGION 51, KEITH/GRANT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AREAS AND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA CWPP STEERING COMMITTEE LOCAL MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCIES AREA LANDOWNERS Prepared by Sandy Benson, Forest Fuels Management Specialist Nebraska Forest Service Phone 402-684-2290 • [email protected] http://nfs.unl.edu Special thanks to: Joseph Stansberry Kyle Martens Ben Bohall Ralph Moul Billie Cole Photo courtesy of Ralph Moul It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate based upon age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, religion or political affiliation. Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan JULY, 2019 iii Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Approved By: Chase County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Dundy County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Frontier County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Hayes County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Hitchcock County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Keith County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Lincoln County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ___________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ iv Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan JULY, 2019 Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Perkins County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Red Willow County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Nebraska Forest Service Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan JULY, 2019 v Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Acronyms Acronym Meaning BLM Bureau of Land Management BUL Biologically Unique Landscape CNPPID Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District CWPP; CPCWPP Community Wildfire Protection Plan; Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan FAP Forest Action Plan FEPP; FFP Federal Excess Property Program; Firefighter Property GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System H&RW Hitchcock & Red Willow ID Identification LEOP Local Emergency Operations Plan MA or MAD Mutual Aid District MOU Memorandum of Understanding NE Nebraska NEMA Nebraska Emergency Management Agency NFS Nebraska Forest Service NGO Non-Government Organization NGPC Nebraska Game and Parks Commission NNLP Nebraska Natural Legacy Project NPPD Nebraska Public Power District NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NRD Natural Resource District NWS National Weather Service PPID Public Power and Irrigation District RA Risk Assessment RH Relative Humidity RPPD Rural Public Power District RPPID Rural Public Power and Irrigation District RR Risk Reduction SEAT Single Engine Air Tanker SHP State Historical Park SRA State Recreation Area SRIA Structural Risk & Ignitability Analysis USFS US Forest Service USFWS US Fish and Wildlife Service VFD; RFD; FD Volunteer Fire Department; Rural Fire District/Dept.; Fire District/Dept. WMA Wildlife Management Area WUI Wildland Urban Interface vi Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan JULY, 2019 Southwest Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Table of Contents Overview Map ............................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii Signature Pages ............................................................................................................................................ iv List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction and Legislative Background ..................................................................................................... 1 Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Priority Landscapes ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Process ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Wildfire Hazard: History and Impacts ........................................................................................................... 8 Emergency Operations ................................................................................................................................ 10 Community Specific Considerations Chase County .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Dundy County ............................................................................................................................................. 15 Frontier County ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Hayes County .............................................................................................................................................. 19 Hitchcock County ........................................................................................................................................ 21 Keith County ................................................................................................................................................ 23 Lincoln County ............................................................................................................................................ 25 Perkins County ............................................................................................................................................ 27 Red Willow County ...................................................................................................................................... 29 Action Plan .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Wildfire Risk Assessment ............................................................................................................................ 31 Wildfire Risk Reduction ............................................................................................................................... 32 Recommendations for Increasing Emergency Preparedness ..................................................................... 33 Training and Education ............................................................................................................................... 35 Fuels Mitigation Strategies ......................................................................................................................... 35 Five-Year Action Plan .................................................................................................................................