Public Concerns About Fire

Fear of Fire

• 1937: President Roosevelt campaigns to reduce human-caused fires.

• Uncle Sam forest ranger.

“Your Forests – Your Fault – Your Loss”

WWII Era

• Americans feared that a fire could destroy forest resources when wood products were greatly needed for the war effort.

• Few firefighters in US because so many men in the military.

• Wartime Advertising Council slogans: "Forest Fires Aid the Enemy," and “Careless Matches Aid the Axis.”

Post WWII

Bambi

• In 1944, Walt Disney released the movie “Bambi,” and allowed the Forest Service to use the deer on their campaign posters for one year.

• The Forest Service decided to continue using an animal and chose a bear for their fire safety mascot.

Smokey the Bear• Created August 9, 1944• Longest running campaign in

U.S. history.

Today’s Smokey“Only You Can Prevent WILDfires.”

Geographics & Demographics

• Where you grew up, how is fire thought of? Is prescribed fire used? • Are fire perceptions different in forest communities vs. urban?

– Forest: fire may interfere with revenue, will it be effective in forest matrix

– Urban: disconnected from ecosystem around them

• Vacation home owner vs. permanent resident?– Vacation: aesthetics and recreation important

– Permanent: fire protection

• Lake Tahoe, Malibu, Oakland Hills vs. east Arizona, San Bernardino– Wealthier: property is more replaceable, but also more money for fuel

reduction around homes

• Exposed to previous wildfire vs. never exposed• Retired vs babyboomer community

– Retired: Aren’t physically able to clear vegetation around homes, less $

• Remote vs. proximate prescribed fires

What don’t people like about prescribed fire?

Prescribed Burning “Excuses” From Biswell

• All fires are bad• Prescribed fire confused with wildfires• Too much danger of escaping control• Dislike of smoke• Prescribed burning is too costly• Let it be an act of God.

• Too much responsibility• We can lose our jobs• There is no money for prescribed burning• Public won’t let us burn• There aren’t enough burn days• Negative influence of powerful people• We need more research

Citizen response

Manager response

Objective: Develop a campaign to encourage public approval of prescribed fire

5 Phases• Preplanning

– Notice,editorial, scoping– Public meeting

• Planning– Notice,editorial, scoping

• Implementation– Signs on road, media

• Post Fire Monitoring – Field trips, speaking engagements

• Refining the plan– Public meeting

Recommendations from Weldon

Talk to the public about fire in ecosystems

• Ecological Facts• Develop simple ways to present ecological processes

– Field trips, media, demonstrations, publications

• Benefits– Biological diversity, forest sustainability, wildlife habitat

• Consequences– Tradeoffs between prescribed fire and suppression– Personal interactions through field trips– Proactive management

• Risks– Honest about technical abilities, limits, and potential for escapes– Explain goals, design and implementation of prescribed burns

Recommendations from Weldon

Listen to public concerns

– Use to establish the rate of fire restoration– Get support early on small projects– Answer questions related to the technical aspects

• Fire behavior, desirable burning conditions

Be responsive to public concerns

– Wood fiber use• Consider alternatives, complements (thinning)

– Smoke• Choose good smoke dispersal conditions• Plan size, duration and location to minimize smoke

Tough Issues

• How much public input is ideal?– Delays process

• SNEF allowed any organization to write alternative management strategies, but this extended the process 1-2 years.

– Can be overruled by politics• USFS Region Forester or NPS Park Superintendent makes final

decision.

• If public is not completely receptive to fire, what should managers do? – Go ahead with some burning and then promote the outcome?– Or do they need to get approval first, and then build a program?

Public Outreach Programs

• CDF VMP Program (1981)– Cost-sharing program between private landowners and CDF to reduce fire-prone vegetation.

• prescribed burns and mechanical removal – Approximately $3.5 million annual budget– Burned on average 27,000 acres/year in last 10 years

• California FireSafe Councils (1993)– 132 councils– Goals:

• Provide support and resources for grassroot organizations involved in fire safety • Distribute fire safe educational materials • Evaluate fire safe legislation

• FireWise– Similar goals to FireSafe, but a more national scope– Federal agency support

Defensible Space

Alberta Canada, Timberlines Forest Inventory Consultants Newsletter

What Can Be Improved?

• Promote prescribed fire successes– Where did they reduce wildfire

behavior? Protect communities?– What strategies made a difference?– Vs media coverage of escapes

• Adaptive management – What didn’t work? Why did an escape

occur and how can it be prevented?– Quantify the positive effects of fuel

reduction (wildfire prevention, reduced spead/intensity) vs. just saying that fuel reduction was done

What Can Be Improved?

• Promote prescribed fire successes– Where did they reduce wildfire

behavior? Protect communities?– What strategies made a difference?– Vs media coverage of escapes

• Adaptive management – What didn’t work? Why did an escape

occur and how can it be prevented?– Quantify the positive effects of fuel

reduction (wildfire prevention, reduced spead/intensity) vs. just saying that fuel reduction was done

What Can Be Improved?

• Promote prescribed fire successes– Where did they reduce wildfire

behavior? Protect communities?– What strategies made a difference?– Vs media coverage of escapes

• Adaptive management – What didn’t work? Why did an escape

occur and how can it be prevented?– Quantify the positive effects of fuel

reduction (wildfire prevention, reduced spead/intensity) vs. just saying that fuel reduction was done

What Can Be Improved?• More responsibility to individuals

– Defensible space around homes– Reduce accidental ignitions (Smokey idea)– Reduce expectations of local governments– Financial support from federal govt and

communities– Remove prescribed fire liability (ex. CDF VMP)

• Incentives in the wildland urban interface– Decrease WUI expansion

• Zoning, city planning, high insurance premiums

– Decrease fire susceptibility• Tax breaks, community recognition for fire-

smart landscaping and defensible space

New

Educational

Images?

History of Fire Perceptions and Policy

• 1905 Nationwide fire suppression USFS• 1911 Weeks Act – federal govt reimburses states for suppression costs• 1920s Depression large labor pool for suppression

Light burning controversy• 1924 CDF adopts fire suppression policy• 1929 USFS proposes firebreak along entire western Sierra Nevada to

protect timber• 1933 CCC created Ponderosa Way firebreak 650 mi long, 45-60 mi wide• 1935 10am policy USFS• 1937 Fire prevention ad campaign begins “Your Forests-Your Fault”• 1944 Smokey is born• 1945 CDF allows landowners to burn brushlands for livestock forage• 1947 Weather modification investigated (lightning suppression, rainmaking)• 1950s Biswell studies prescribed fire in CA, leads demonstration burns

WWII technology, labor and attitude transferred to fire suppression

• 1962 Tall Timbers Research Station established, annual fire conferences• 1964 Leopold Report/Wilderness Act – fire allowed to play a natural role

History of Fire Perceptions and Policy

• 1968 Sequoia National Park begins prescribed natural fire program• 1971 USFS begins to allow prescribed natural fires in some areas• 1972 Yosemite begins Prescribed Natural Fire Program• 1975 CA State Parks begin prescribed burning at Calaveras Big Trees• 1978 USFS 10am policy revoked, fire “management” replaces fire “control” • 1981 CDF Vegetation Management Program• 1988 Yellowstone Fires resulted in a fire policy review

(need for clearer management plans and more public education)• 1990s Wildland Urban Interface becomes an issue of concern

Fuel reduction and demonstrations, DFPZs are born• 1995 USFS Fire Policy Review

Public education paramount Natural resources should be equally valued as personal property Fuel reduction necessary to deal with hazardous fuel conditions

• 2000 Cerro Grande Fire placed fire moratorium on NPS and CA State Parks until contingency planning improved.

• 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act Encourages public to determine fuel reduction priorities in their communities

Streamline the fuel reduction process by bypassing some environmental analysis