Integrating Wildfire Mitigation Into Your Community Risk

Reduction ProcessBruce Woods

Logan Scherschel

Texas A&M Forest Service

2019 Texas Emergency Management Conference

Learning Objectives

• Define Wildland Urban Interface and outline the Wildfire Challenges facing Texas. Provide brief overview of what a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is.

• Introduce attendees of what the Community Risk Reduction (CRR)Planning Process is, the importance of a CRR and how a CWPP fits into the CRR Plan

• The capabilities and use of TxWRAP, TxWRAP app and SimTable will be presented

• The five Es of a CRR/CWPP will be explained related to wildfire mitigation and examples will be provided

• Provide elements of creating a wildfire strategy for a CRR & CWPP

What is the Wildland Urban Interface?

Where humans and their development meet or intermix with wildland fuel

Factors Driving the Increase of Wildfire Risk

• Change in land use

• Drought

• Prolong fire seasons

• Lack of forest/range management and RX fire

• Expansion of people into the WUI

• Lack of codes & development standards within WUI

Wildfire Activity is Statewide

Majority of all Wildfires in Texas are within 2 Miles of a Community

Airborne embers can travel more than a mile, jumping wildfirecontainment lines, highways and rivers to start new spot fires amongtrees and homes

Depending solely on wildfire suppression is costly and not effective

• Suppressing Wildfires is complex and suppression the costs are high – 2018 wildfire season $40 million

• Developing Fire-Adapted Communities through proactive approaches is the only way to foster self-reliance and increase resiliency

• Community Wildfire Protection Plan is the foundation of a Fire-Adapted Community

Community Wildfire Protection Plan

• What is a CWPP?• Proven method for reducing

wildfire risk

• A strategic plan approved by a political subdivision to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover

• Proven to reduce wildfire risk, and protect lives and property

• Provides for safety of residents and emergency personnel

Community Wildfire Protection Plan is the foundation of a Fire-Adapted Community

Community Wildfire Protection PlanMinimum Requirements of CWPP

• Collaboration

• A CWPP is a collaborative approach to create a safer community for everyone.

• Fire Department/Emergency Management

• Texas A&M Forest Service

• Parks Department

• County/City Officials

• Special Interest Groups or Cooperators

• Contains Prioritized Fuels Reduction

• Identifies treatment of structure ignitability

• Risk Assessments are Completed

• Justification for fuels reduction projects

• Hazard-specific plan that details your fire history, fire environment and specific mitigation strategies.

Community Wildfire Protection Plan is the foundation of a Fire-Adapted Community

7 Steps of CWPP

1. Convene decision-makers/ Governing Body approves proclamation or resolution

2. Engage the community

3. Develop community base map(s)

4. Conduct a community assessment

5. Identify overall community priorities

6. Identify community hazard-reduction priorities & potential mitigation strategies

7. Develop an action plan /Finalize CWPP with Governing Body approval

What is Community Risk Reduction (CRR)

An approach that helps Fire & Emergency Services to:

1. Identify and prioritize all fire and life safety risks

2. Determine how to prevent or mitigate risks

3. Focus efforts and resources

4. Engage stakeholders

5. Benefits the community, citizens and emergency responders

Community Risk Reduction Process Why is it Important?

Texas is a Disaster State Texas is #1 State Most at Risk for Flooding & Tornadoes

Texas #2 State Most at Risk for Wildfires

Texas #4 State Most at Risk for Hurricanes

Since 1953 Texas has have 263 Disaster declarations

Texas is Rapidly Growing & Changing Current estimated population is 29.10 million up from 25.1 million in 2010

Approximately ½ million new residents annually

87% of the population increase occurred within the 25 highest growth counties

Sound economy & rapid growth impacting land use

Texas Fire & Emergency Services directly impacted by rapid growth & change: calls for service increasing, high risk residents increasing, change creating new hazards

Characteristics of CRR?• Proactive• Integrated – balances

emergency response & prevention

• Community-based • Data driven • Involves community partners• Effective – reduces risk• Efficient - responsive to

resource constraints

Six-Steps of a CRR

Step 1: Identify Risks

Step 2: Prioritize Risks

Step 3: Develop Strategies & Tactics

to Mitigate Risks

Step 4: Prepare the CRR Plan

Step 5: Implement the CRR Plan

Step 6: Monitor, Evaluate and Modify Plan

Step 1: Identify Risks

Step 2: Prioritize Risks

Step 3: Develop Strategies & Tactics

to Mitigate Risks

Step 4: Prepare the CRR Plan

Step 5: Implement the CRR Plan

Step 6: Monitor, Evaluate and Modify

Plan

Community Risk Assessment a Guide for Conducting a Community Risk Assessment

Step One: Identify Risks

• Acquire data

• Develop a community profile

• Identify causal factors

• Identify target hazards

Step 2: Prioritize Risks

• Describe risk attributes & vulnerability

• Scoring target hazards

CRR: A Guide for Conducting a Community Risk Assessmenthttps://strategicfire.org/crr

Step 3: Develop Strategies & Tactics

to Mitigate Risks

Step 4: Prepare the CRR Plan

Step 5: Implement the CRR Plan

Step 6: Monitor, Evaluate and Modify Plan

Community Risk Reduction Planning A Guide for Developing a CRR Plan

Consider the feasibility, implications and creation of planning coalition with key stakeholders

The Five E’s:

Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Economic Incentives and Emergency Response

CRR plan need not be complex

• Identify and allocate needed resources

• Prepare a timeline with milestones

• Assign tasks & responsibilities

• Communicate goals & expectations

• Monitor progress

• Make adjustments as needed

Critical to collect data, in which can determine if the plan needs to be modified

CRR: Community Risk Reduction Planning Guide https://strategicfire.org/crr

How a CWPP fits into the CRR Plan

Step 1: Identify Risks

Step 2: Prioritize Risks

CRR Process

CWPP fits under the Umbrella of a CRR

Completing Step 1 & 2 will determine need to complete a CWPP

CWPP Implemented through formal resolution from Governing Body

CWPP Finalized and approved by Governing Body

Integrate CWPP into CRR Plan

Step 5: Implement the CRR Plan

Step 6: Monitor, Evaluate and Modify

Plan including the CWPP

CWPP Community Risk

Assessment goes beyond

CRR Steps 1 &2

CRR Steps 1- 4 mirror the 7

Steps of a CWPP

TFS CWPP Guide https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/protectyourcommunity/

TFS Tools to assist in the 7 Steps of CWPP

1. Convene decision-makers/ Governing Body approves proclamation or resolution

2. Engage the community

3. Develop community base map(s)

4. Conduct a community assessment

5. Identify overall community priorities

6. Identify community hazard-reduction priorities & potential mitigation strategies

7. Develop an action plan /Finalize CWPP with Governing Body approval

Community Risk Assessment Components

• Identify hazards

• Identify hazard attributes

• Identify values at risk

• Assess risk in four WUI environments (natural, built, social/human and response)

TxWRAP is main tool to assist you www.texaswildfirerisk.com

• Establish Community base map

• Validate Communities at Risk

• Foundation for Community Risk Assessments (Community Assessor App)

• Assist in establishing priorities and recommendations

TxWRAP is main tool to assist you www.texaswildfirerisk.com

TXWRAP COMMUNITY ASSESSOR APP

SimTable

• Demonstrates the effects of fuel mitigation

• Mitigation strategies can be simulated

• Escape routes can be determined

• Areas of concern can be simulated and used to revise tactics

Types of Prevention/Mitigation Strategies –The Five E’s

• Emergency Response

• Education

• Engineering

• Enforcement

• Economic incentive

Types of Prevention/Mitigation Strategies –The Five E’s

Effective Emergency Response can Mitigate Loss

• Appropriate equipment: Tankers, Type 6 engine, Wildfire PPE

• Trained responders: Elevated training for Company officers above basic wildland firefighter

• Timing of response: WUI areas often times are edge of response area consider automatic aid to decrease response time

• Appropriate staffing: Increase initial alarm assignments based on risk assessments

• Efficient use of resources: targeted to risk

Types of Prevention/Mitigation Strategies –The Five E’s

Education raises awareness and is the first step of producing desired behavior of preventing human caused fires and for citizens to take action to mitigate hazards on their land and to their home

Education is NOT just school programs!Social media, Videos, web-sites, RSG, Firewise programs

Types of Prevention/Mitigation Strategies –The Five E’s

Engineering leads to home hardening, which does not prevent ignition starts but does mitigate the impact of fire to homes

Connected to Enforcement & Economic Incentives: Examples 1/8 inch screens to prevent embers and alternative wood products fiber cement siding

Types of Prevention/Mitigation Strategies –The Five E’s

Enforcement

• Reduce risks (hazards) through legislation and its enforcement.

• ICC WUI Code

• Planning and Zoning Development within WUI

• Allow for RX fire

Types of Prevention/Mitigation Strategies –The Five E’s Economic Incentives

• Insurance discounts (Firewise)

• Construction trade-offs

• Encourage home hardening

Developing Wildfire Strategies for a CRR & CWPP

Collaborative process –essential to engage stakeholders

Priorities to treat wildland fuels –plan down to the neighborhood level

Priorities to reduce structural ignition risk at the community level

Utilize Wildland Fire Hazard Attribute Table

From the Wildland Fire Hazard Attribute Table complete a hazard –reduction priority matrix for each environment

Wildland Fire Hazard Attribute TableBuilt Environment Natural Environment Social Environment Response Environment

Access/Ingress/Egress Fire History Education Level WUI/Wildfire Suppression Capability

Structural Density Fuel Types/Density Income Class WUI/Wildland Fire Apparatus/Equipment

Defensible Space Topography Population Density Staffing

Combustible BuildingMaterials

Weather Patterns Absentee Owners Response Times

Address Visibility Defensible Space Rental Properties Training

Water Supply, Utilities WUI/Wildfire Awareness Prefire Planning

Building Codes Public Risk-Reduction Education programs

Mutual Aid/Automatic Aid

Hazard /Risk Strategies Priority

Accessibility /Egress(King Hill and Archway Hills)

Widen key access/egress roads to comply to current City development standard

1

Structural Ignition Adopt 2012 ICC WUI Code with City Amendments

4

Water System Flow and Storage Capacity

Additional storage capacity, larger water mains and additional fire hydrants for King Hill and Archway Hills

2

Water System Reliability Backup power supply for existing King Hill water tower

5

Loss of Electrical Power Clearance from combustible, vegetation, underground electrical utilities

3

Hazard –Reduction Priorities-Built Environment

Integrating Wildfire Mitigation Into Your Community Risk Reduction Process

CWPP fits under the Umbrella of a CRR

Both require a Collaborative process –essential to engage stakeholders

Use Publications. CRR Community Risk Assessment, Developing Community Risk Reduction Plan and TFS CWPP Guide.

TFS provides tools for you to develop community base map(s),conduct

a community assessments, identify overall community priorities and

identify community hazard-reduction priorities & potential mitigation

strategies

Integrating Wildfire Mitigation Into Your Community Risk Reduction Process

LScherschel@tfs.tamu.edu

Bwoods@tfs.tamu.edu

https://strategicfire.org/crr

https://tfsweb.tamu.edu

https://www.youtube.com/user/TexasForestService/videos