fire as a natural hazard

Fire as a Natural Hazard

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Topics

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

• NFPA• Wildland Fire Basics• Call For Action• Wildland Urban/Interface• Challenges/Strategies• Firewise® Program

National Fire Protection Association

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

• Non-profit life safety codes and

standards organization - 501(c)3

• Founded 115 years ago

• 70,000+ members worldwide

• 300+ consensus codes and standards documents

Wildland Fire Basics

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

WEA

THER

TOPOGRAPHY

FUEL

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Peak Fire Seasons

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

1985 Wildfires – A Call to Action

400 in ONE day!

1,400 homes lost!

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

National Wildland Fire Facts• 44 million homes

wildland-urban interface

• $308 million in losses each year municipal jurisdictions

• 356,800 fire/year

• 23% of all fires reported by local F.D.

• Frequency of fire incidents greater in the east versus the west

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI)

• Not a place or a zone• A set of conditions under which a wildland fire reaches beyond trees, brush, and other natural fuels to ignite homes and their immediate surroundings.

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI)• We may not recognize it, but many of us live in

it!

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

NFPA & WUI

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

• Wildfire safety standards date back to the 1920s

• Modern involvement in “the WUI” came 25 years ago

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Inferno by the sea:

Residents still recall 1941’s Great Fire that wiped out a Marshfield neighborhood

By SARAH COFFEYThe Patriot Ledger

MARSHFIELD – To one young child, “It looked like the whole world was on fire.”

Other Marshfield residents vividly recall narrow escapes, exploding beer cans, burned firetrucks and a massive casino consumed in a fireball.

Marshfield’s Great Fire of 1941 wiped out the entire Ocean Bluff section of town on April 21.

Within four hours, it burned 446 homes, 96 garages, 12 stores, two hotels, a post office, a church and the casino, leaving behind just brick chimneys and concrete steps. Damage was estimated at $1.5 million, more than a fifth of the town’s assessed value.

Thirty families were left homeless, escaping only with the clothes on their backs. No one died.

Hundreds of firefighters from dozens of area departments fought the fire, but only a few were injured.

Boston?

Well maybe not, but pretty close.

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Challenges

• Climate Change

• Fire is a part of the ecosystem

• Open Spaces

• Multiple Jurisdictions

• Smoke

• Access

• Mulch

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Strategies

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

• Firewise® Program

• Ready, Set, Go Program

• CERT Program

• Community Wildland Protection Plan

• Fire Adapted Communities®

• WUI Regulation

What is Firewise?

• A cooperative program (NFPA, USFS, DOI, NASF)

• Specifically focused on WUI residents

• Community based voluntary action• Promotes science-based fire

safety principles

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Firewise Strategies: Home Ignition Zone• The Home Ignition Zone includes

the home, in addition to its immediate surroundings up to 200 feet.

If it’s attached to the house, it’s part of the house.

If it’s attached to the house, it’s part of the house.

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Mulch• Mass. DFS press release says Massachusetts had

— 184 fires in past five years that spread to buildings— $5 million loss in a sprinklered apartment building

• In homes outside of high-risk areas, keep at least 18 inches between mulch beds and building materials• Plant growth requirements depth 1” versus 3-4”

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Hylton Haynes, CF | Pala, CA – March 21, 2012

Firewise Products/ ResourcesFree Firewise Materials on NFPA Catalog: with

FREE shipping!

Local Contact

David Celino, Chief, Bureau of Forest Fire Control Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation251 Causeway Street, Suite 600 Boston, MA 02114Phone: 508-326-2403 david.celino@state.ma.us

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012

Michele Steinberg – msteinberg@nfpa.org Hylton Haynes – hhaynes@nfpa.org

Heidi Wagner – firewiseheidi@nfpa.orgwww.firewise.org | www.nfpa.org

THANK YOU!

Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012