TEXAS FIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE. 93 rd Annual County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas Conference October 6 th, 2015

Transcription

1 TEXAS FIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE 93 rd Annual County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas Conference October 6 th, 2015

2 FAMILY BUSINESS

3 TEST TIME 1. Have you dealt with wildfires this year in your county? 2. Have you encouraged the construction of fire guards this year? 3. Has your county implemented prescribed burns this year?

4 WHICH TYPE OF FIRE DO YOU WANT? VS.

5 A FEW THOUGHTS TFS has responded to 40,000 ± acres of wildfire in the last month Mostly in west-central Texas CPBM s and PBA s have successfully burned close to 15,000 acres this month Mostly in west-central Texas It s going to feel like a long time until the predicted cool and wet fall (el Niño season)

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7 2015 fire season Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Texas Fire Information Exchange ROADMAP

8 2015 WILDFIRE STATISTICS VFD s responded to 43,163 acres 5,688 wildfires Texas Forest Service responded to 88,349 acres 609 wildfires

9 2015 PRESCRIBED BURNING CPBM s have burned 20,000 acres PBA s have burned 15,000 acres NRCS 30,300 acres TPWD 296,968 acres STATISTICS

10 BEFORE WE GET STARTED We should never assume trustworthy relations is the starting place that a community will trust us just because we show up TFS

11 Fort McKavett Fire 8,500 acres Junction, August 2, 2015

12 Head of the River Ranch Fire 5,500 acres ~ Christoval, August 16, 2015

13 Treadwell Lane Fire 700 acres Menard, August 21, 2015

14 Treadwell Lane Fire 700 acres Menard, August 21, 2015

15 Treadwell Lane Fire 700 acres Menard, August 21, 2015

16 Log Cabin Fire 1500 acres San Saba, August 23, 2015

17 Rocking Chair Fire 425 acres San Angelo, August 28, 2015

18 Buckholt Fire 1,000 acres Ozona, August 28, 2015

19 Eaton Cemetery Fire 8,000 acres Mason, August 30, 2015

20 2015 CONCERNS Producers are hesitant to work with Texas Forest Service Operations Resources Communication Lots of fuel, under stocked Relationships between VFD and producers are excellent Many VFD s assist on prescribed burns

21 NATIONAL COHESIVE WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY As a nation, we must: "Safely and effectively extinguish fire, when needed; use fire where allowable; manage our natural resources; and as a nation, live with wildland fire. ALL HANDS, ALL LANDS Resilient landscapes Fire adapted communities Safe and effective wildfire response

22 NATIONAL COHESIVE WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

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25 Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy

26 Extinguish when needed, use when allowable

27 Extinguish when needed, use when allowable

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29 TEXAS FIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE PROJECT V.G. Young County Improvement Fellowship National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy As a nation, we must: "Safely and effectively extinguish fire, when needed; use fire where allowable; manage our natural resources; and as a nation, live with wildland fire. ALL HANDS, ALL LANDS Trust has to be built before the fire arrives proven through the fire event with actions that are consistent, responsible, and in the community s best interest and reinforced after the fire by assistance and support to communities VFD

30 TEXAS FIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE Amarillo, Dallas, Temple, Uvalde, San Angelo County commissioners County judges Fire marshals Volunteer fire departments Prescribed burn associations County extension agents NRCS Texas Forest Service Texas Parks and Wildlife Prescribed Burn Alliance Texas Commercial prescribed burn managers

31 TRUST Planning and trust-building absolutely have to happen together. If there is a disconnect between expectation and what people see, trust erodes CPBM I don t think trust happens accidently. You have to plan to develop trust. There is a process involved - VFD

32 SOLUTIONS Define a clear list of priority issues for each stakeholder Provide a forum where Texas managers can identify technical needs with respect to fire, fuels, and post-fire vegetation management Develop/synthesize necessary information and technical tools to meet needs Provide the necessary information and tools through venues most preferred by county officials and agency personnel Develop direct lines of communication among county officials, producers, and state agencies

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34 SOLUTIONS Define a clear list of priority issues for each stakeholder Provide a forum where Texas managers can identify technical needs with respect to fire, fuels, and post-fire vegetation management Develop/synthesize necessary information and technical tools to meet needs Provide the necessary information and tools through venues most preferred by county officials and agency personnel Develop direct lines of communication among county officials, producers, and state agencies

35 RESULTS What is the biggest challenge when implementing a prescribed burn? (MULTIPLE ANSWERS) Weather County Burn Bans Lack of Support Other

36 RESULTS Do you feel supported as a prescribed burning practitioner by your County Officials? YES NO SOMEWHAT

37 RESULTS Do you feel County Officials understand the role of fire on rangelands? YES NO SOMEWHAT

38 RESULTS Do you feel County Burn Bans are implemented on a daily basis? YES NO SOMEWHAT

39 RESULTS Where should the emphasis be placed in order to improve the relationship between PBA s and County Officials? (MULTIPLE ANSWERS)

40 RESULTS Do you contact the County Judge or County Commissioners or both? Judge Commssioners Both

41 RESULTS 100 Percent of spot fires and escaped fires across respondents Spot Fire Escaped Fire

42 RESULTS 100 How are PBA members notified of a burn? Phone/Call List Website

43 RESULTS 100 What type of firebreaks do you use? Roads Mowed Lines Creeks/Rivers Dozer Lines

44 RESULTS 100 What months do you conduct prescribed burns? Jan. - Feb. Mar. - May June - Aug Sept. - Dec.

45 Hours BURN CONSIDERATIONS Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. Jun. July. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

46 Burn Days by Wind Direction BURN CONSIDERATIONS North Total Burn Days/Year by Direction North East East South East South South West West North West

47 Burn Days by Wind Direction BURN CONSIDERATIONS JULY North North East East South East South East South West West North West

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49 Number of Wildfires WILDFIRE J F M A M J J A S O N D

50 Area Burned (ACRES) WILDFIRE J F M A M J J A S O N D

51 BURN CONSIDERATIONS Why burn in different seasons of the year? Safety! Dormant season burns Tall flame lengths Rapid rates of spread Growing season burns Shorter flame lengths Slower rates of spread Just as effective

52 COMMENTS, CONCERNS Once they set a burn ban, it is for too long Afraid of fire TFS plays scare tactics If the County is not in a burn ban and a wildfire starts, the County is not eligible for emergency funding and/or federal assistance Very supportive of prescribed burning

53 BUILDING TRUST Trust is often unintentional. Sometimes we do things that aren t designed to build trust, but they do build trust. Trust is money in the bank that is built up in peacetime and pays dividends in the response and recovery phase. - TFS

54 PARADIGM SHIFT

55 WHICH TYPE OF FIRE DO YOU WANT? VS.

56 Questions? WEBSITES: - Facebook West Texas Rangelands Texas A&M AgriLife Extension - CONTACT INFORMATION: Morgan Russell morgan.russell@ag.tamu.edu Office: