WILDFIRE WEDNESDAYS #110: COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS DAY 2023

Wildfire Wednesdays #110: Community Wildfire Preparedness Day 2023

Happy Wednesday, Fireshed community!

This Saturday, May 6th is national Community Wildfire Preparedness Day! This is a great opportunity to reach out to your friends, family, and neighbors and engage them in conversation and action to reduce your wildfire risk. Wildfire does not stop at the fence lines and the more that we can work together with those in our communities, the more effective our wildfire risk reduction efforts will be.

This Wildfire Wednesdays includes:

• Information about Community Wildfire Preparedness Day

• Ideas for action for this Wildfire Preparedness Day

• An article about the Santa Fe Mountains Landscape Resiliency Project

• A webinar with New Mexico State Forestry Division with information about upcoming funding opportunities

Best,

Gabe

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national campaign that encourages people and organizations everywhere to come together on a single day to take action to raise awareness and reduce wildfire risks.

It is held in the United States and Canada on the first Saturday in May. Prep Day is focused on what residents can do on and around their home to help protect against the threat of wildfires.

Plan your Project

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day encourages people to come together to take action to reduce wildfire risks. This year, Preparedness Day is focused on what residents can do on and around their home to help protect against the threat of wildfires. The Prep Day toolkit provides a list of project ideas, safety tips, and more, to help guide you towards event day.

Click here to download the toolkit.

Ideas for Action on Wildfire Prep Day

Click here to download the action guide!

This “menu” describes different projects that FAC members have organized in tandem with the National Fire Protection Association’s National Community Wildfire Preparedness Day. In addition to project overviews, the menu provides information about costs, equipment, planning needs, etc.

For more information, click here.

Resiliency project — done right — can benefit the forest

“Many readers have opposed the Santa Fe Mountains Landscape Resiliency Project, stemming from their love of our mountain landscape and their fear our forests will be irreparably harmed by the burn prescriptions in the U.S. Forest Service plans.”

To read the full article, click here.

Upcoming Webinars

Webinar: State of the State - 2023 Forestry Division updates, Wildfire Defense Grants, and fire preparedness resources

Thursday, May 11, 2023 3:00 PM 4:00 PM

Click here to register!

On Thursday, May 11th, Jacob Pederson with NM Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department – Forestry Division will join FAC NM to discuss the role of Forestry Division before, during, and after fire.

To hear about the Prescribed Fire Act and certified burner training, Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) summer proposal preparation, and how the Forestry Division is innovating, leading, and staying involved with fire preparedness and recovery efforts, please register below or join us on Facebook Live. This webinar is presented in concert with EMNRD.

Job opportunity closing soon: Fire Adapted Communities Manager

Fire Adapted Communities Manager

Apply by April 30th!

The Forest Stewards Guild, a member of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition and FACNM, is hiring a full-time project manager to facilitate the implementation of a $1.3 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant award advancing Fire Adapted Communities in New Mexico. This Santa Fe-based position will support projects described in the 2020 Santa Fe County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Ideal candidate:

Should have strong project management skills, including experience coordinating collaborative partnerships, budget and match tracking, strong organizational and facilitated leadership skills, a demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, knowledge and experience in forestry or wildfire mitigation, and the ability to think strategically. As project needs are identified, the Project Manager will collaboratively develop solutions to move project outcomes forward.

Duties may include:

• Lead collaborative efforts to build and sustain the strength of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition;

• Support the Fireshed’s Neighborhood Ambassador program by recruiting ambassadors and interfacing with the Coalition;

• Expand wildfire mitigation efforts in the Wildland Urban Interface by working with and supporting landowners and contractors;

  • Conduct home hazard assessments, high priority fuel mitigation treatments, and public outreach;

• Support the Guild’s program of work, as needed.

Next steps:

Interested applicants should visit the job positing on Smart Recruiters and click “I’m Interested” to submit a one-page cover letter, resume, one-page writing sample, three professional references, and earliest available start date.

Read the full position description, review the compensation and benefits package, and apply online by midnight on Sunday, 4/30/23!

Wildfire Wednesdays #109b: Preparing for Fire Part II

Happy Wednesday, Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition readers!

After a busy week, we’re back with more information on getting ready for wildfires in Part II of our Preparing for Spring Ignitions Wildfire Wednesdays blog series. Part I can be found here. As the days get longer, warmer, and windier, we will continue discussing how to prepare and stay informed for ignitions, smoke, and flames in 2023.

Today’s Wildfire Wednesday features:

• Staying informed during a wildfire

• Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) awards

• Job announcement: Fire Adapted Communities Manager

• CWPP Assistance Program application information

• Upcoming events and opportunities for engagement

Take care,

Rachel

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During a Fire - Staying Informed

Be aware of active incidents

Notification systems can alert residents of risks and evacuation needs during emergencies. Emergency management agencies, counties, and even individual cities have developed local emergency alert systems which send notifications to cell phones and computers in the area based on a device’s location data.

CodeRED alert system allows state and local agencies to deliver geo-targeted, time-sensitive information to individuals who have registered to receive alerts. Notifications can be sent via email, SMS, voice, mobile app push notifications, Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS), and more depending on the severity of the situation.

Nixle is another alert system preferred by some local agencies to provide real-time text notifications of natural disasters, severe weather, missing persons, and more. You can opt in by texting your zip code to 888777.

Emergency management alert system used by each county in NM, courtesy of NMSU. Click to view PDF.

Ready.gov provides information on different types of emergency alerts, what purpose they serve, and how to sign up. Visit the website to learn more.

Local registration: certain counties around New Mexico have developed emergency notification systems which allow incident managers to alert residents to an emergency in their area. Below are links to sign up for some of the most heavily populated parts in the state, or you can search online by county to find information for your area.

• Bernalillo County

• Santa Fe (City)

• Los Alamos County

• Colfax County

• Grant County

• San Miguel County

• Taos County

• Torrance County

• Doña Ana County

• Sandoval County

Air quality and other important alerts

For all residents, especially those who are sensitive to or at-risk for respiratory hazards, summer wildfire smoke can present a serious nuisance and a health hazard. The first step toward protecting yourself and your family is to be in the know when the air in unhealthy to breathe.

AirNow is a collaborative effort of governmental and local air quality agencies to provide educational and real-time resources on air quality, wildfires, and more. The site provides interactive Air Quality Index (AQI) maps, Fire and Smoke maps, and information on using AirNow during wildfires.

IQAir AirVisual website and app provide real-time air quality information based on sensors close to your location. The app also provides air quality forecasts and health recommendations to reduce your risk during times of high-exposure to pollutants. This software may be linked to personal IQAir air quality monitors for best accuracy.

PurpleAir is another source of real-time local air quality information provided on a publicly available map. It pulls data from a network of air quality monitoring sensors to provide alerts of the density of PM2.5 pollutants in a given area.

Best practices for healthy lungs

Wildfire smoke effects on sensitive population:

• Lung or heart disease: individuals with heart disease, chest pains, lung disease, and asthma are at an increased risk from wildfire smoke. 

• The elderly: elderly individuals are also highly susceptible to wildfire smoke due to an increased risk of heat and lung diseases.

• Children and infants: children and infants have airways that are still developing and breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults. Children are more at risk since a majority of their time is spent engaging in activities and play. 

Take steps to reduce risks to your health:

• Check local Air Quality Index (AQI).

• View and download Clean Indoor Air info: informational sheets to guide you to clean air indoors during wildfire smoke events.

• Limit outdoor exposure: Staying indoors as much as possible during wildfires can help reduce your risk of health complications from smoke. Limiting or abstaining from outdoor activity is advised when smoke from wildfires is present.

Diagram of the multiple layers which make up a HEPA filtration system and the particulates that each layer is designed to capture.

• Keep indoor air as clean as possible: If advised to stay indoors from high levels of wildfire smoke, keep all windows and doors closed. Use an air conditioner or HEPA filter if you have one but keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent outdoor smoke from getting inside. If you do not have an air conditioner or filter, seek shelter in a designated evacuation center or away from wildfire smoke activity. Learn about FACNM’s HEPA loan program.

• Follow advice from your healthcare provider: If you are sensitive to smoke from wildfires, or experience trouble breathing from smoke, contact your healthcare provider immediately.  

Ash clean-up:

• Do not use leaf blowers.

• Do not allow children to play in the ash.

• Wait until conditions improve to clean up ash.

• Use a damp cloth and spray areas lightly with water, direct the ash-filled water to the ground areas, and away from the runoff system.

• Take your vehicle to the car wash and wash toys that have been outside in the ash.

• Due to its corrosive nature, avoid skin contact with the ash by wearing gloves and long-sleeved shirts.

• If you have existing heart or lung conditions, avoid doing ash clean-up yourself or anything else that stirs the particles back up into the air.

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Expanding Fire Adapted Communities

CWDG Grant awards and employment opportunity

A 1.3 million dollar grant awarded to the Forest Stewards Guild (the Guild) will go toward reducing the wildfire hazard for Santa Fe, Pueblo of Tesuque, Pueblo of Nambe, and surrounding communities. Under the eligibility terms of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG), this funding will support projects described in the 2020 Santa Fe County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Over the next five years, the Guild and partners in the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition will engage in Community Wildfire Mitigation by conducting over 500 home hazard assessments and completing more then 125 acres of high priority fuel mitigation treatments. The Coalition will work to elevate public outreach and education while simultaneously increasing the number of Fireshed Ambassadors. Expansion of the Fireshed Ambassador program, which is based on the knowledge that neighbors are influenced by neighbors and that volunteer community leaders can multiply the efforts of subject matter experts, will foster Fire Adapted Communities. This work will be facilitated by a new Fire Adapted Communities Manager based in Santa Fe.

Read more about the grant award, the FAC Manager position, and how the Guild plans to decrease fire risk in the greater Santa Fe area on the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition webpage.

Read about all five CWDG proposals, totaling $11,482,174, which have been funded across the state on the US Forest Service grants webpage under “New Mexico”.

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CWPP Assistance Program

Fire departments and partnering agencies encouraged to apply

Managed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), this Community Wildfire Protection Plan Assistance Program aims to provide resources for updating or developing CWPPs and engagement efforts to six departments/agencies in communities at high-risk of wildfire. Each department will be responsible for reaching out to local interestholders, evaluating the plan per IAFC subject matter expert assistance and guidance, and ensuring community engagement.

There will be additional funding of up to $6,000 for a community engagement day and a required in-person tabletop evaluation of the CWPP at the end of development. This project will require a significant time commitment and dedication from department personnel, participation with interested community members, and a dedicated CWPP writer.

Timing  
April 30, 2023 – Applications due.  
Mid-May 2023 – Selected departments are notified. 
June-July 2023 – In-person kick-off meetings to be completed. 
July 31, 2024 – CWPP Evaluation Tabletop must be completed. 
August 31, 2024 – Closeout reports are due to IAFC. A template will be provided.

Contact Derek Bullington at Derek.Bullington@iafc.org or (703) 537-4832 with any questions.

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Upcoming events

Demonstrations

April 25 and 27, 10am - 4pm: Biomass Removal Demonstration Event, public open house, Flagstaff, AZ.
Dr. Han-Sup Han of ERI, in collaboration with Coconino County, UofA Cooperative Extension, and RMRS, will lead a one-week trial beginning April 24 testing the performance of an Air Curtain Burner for biomass disposal and a CharBoss for biochar production. Takes place at the Coconino County Public Works Facility at 600 E Commerce Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86004.

Webinars

April 21 at 12pm: Santa Fe National Forest Prescribed Burning Webinar, live on Facebook.
Join the Santa Fe National Forest leadership team as they discuss the use of prescribed fire on the national forest. Specific topics will include practices and procedural changes following the national 90-day pause on prescribed burning and implementation of the seven tactical changes from an operational basis. Held in partnership with FAC NM.

May 11 at 3pm: 2023 Forestry Division updates and fire preparedness resources, Zoom and Facebook Live with New Mexico Forestry Division.
Jacob Pederson with NM Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department – Forestry Division joins FAC NM to discuss the role of Forestry Division before, during, and after fire. Specific topics may include the Prescribed Fire Act and certified burner training, Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) summer proposal preparation, and how the Forestry Division is innovating, leading, and staying involved with fire preparedness and recovery efforts.

Smoke from the 2019 Museum Fire near Flagstaff, AZ. Photo courtesy of Melanie Colavito, NAU.

May 11 at 12pm: Public Experiences and Perceptions with Wildfire and Flooding, Zoom webinar with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium.
Gain insights into public perceptions on wildfire and post-fire flooding with suggestions on how to improve information exchange! The research presented provides insights into public experiences with and perceptions of wildfires, post-wildfire flooding, and forest management more broadly over time, and offers suggestions for improving the exchange of information between and among agencies and the public to facilitate mutual understanding and enhance adaptive capacity for future wildfires and flood events.

Wildfire Wednesdays #109: Preparing for Spring Ignitions

April 6, 2023 marked the one year anniversary of the wildfire declaration for what would become New Mexico’s largest in recorded history: the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Complex. Many communities were, and are still, devastated by the immediate and post-fire effects, flooding, and massive impact to their way of life. Learn more about the fire, what is being done to recover, and reflections from a state representative one year later..

Happy Wednesday, Fireshed readers!

The strong spring winds and warming temperatures that have blown into New Mexico over the past few weeks let us know that wildfire season is just around the corner. In preparation, we will be presenting new information, as well as revisiting some Wildfire Wednesdays of the past, to discuss how to get ready and stay informed for ignitions, smoke, and flames in 2023.

Today’s Wildfire Wednesday features:

• Preparing your home for wildfire

• Safeguarding important records

• Upcoming webinars and learning opportunities

Be well and enjoy the blooms,

Rachel

Preparing Your Home for Wildfire

The Home Ignition Zone includes the immediate (0-5’), intermediate (5-30’), and extended (30-100’) hazard zones extending out from your home. Creating defensible space and reducing structural ignitability may mean working with your neighbors to clear debris and thin around your home.

Reducing Structural Ignitability
The Home Ignition Zone encompasses the concepts of home hardening and defensible space. Home hardening involves consideration for the materials used to build a structure, while defensible space involves clearing an area between a structure and the vegetation around it. By working on these two components, risk of home and structure loss to wildfire can be meaningful reduced.

Defensible space

Checklist from NMSU and Firewise® on defensible space actions that can be taken annually

Defensible space is the buffer you create between a building (such as your home) and the flammable grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surrounds it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps protect your home from catching fire - either from embers, direct flame contact, or radiant heat. Proper defensible space also provides firefighters a safe area to work in and potentially to defend your home.

Simple defensible space tasks to get you started on protecting your home include:

• clearing the 0-5’ home ignition zone immediately around the structure of all flammable materials including plants, mulch, grass, leaves, and debris,

• removing flammable materials from under your deck, and

• trimming trees.

Read more about home hardening and creation and maintenance of defensible space for homeowners, renters, and other residents on the FACNM Wildfire Resident Resources page, through NM Forestry Division, and in Wednesday blogs #101 and #91.

Home hardening

Home hardening addresses the most vulnerable components of your house with building materials and installation techniques that increase resistance to heat, flames, and embers that accompany most wildfires. Laboratory research and evidence from post-fire assessments have demonstrated that local ignitability of the home itself and the nearby landscaping are major factors determining home survivability in a wildfire. In fact, most homes ignite due to the ember storms that accompany a large wildfire, rather than the wildfire itself, and this home hazard assessment can help you evaluate whether your place of residence would benefit from home hardening.

Home hardening brochure courtesy of Santa Clara County FireSafe Council’s home hardening webpage

Simple home hardening measures to get started include:

• installation of fine mesh screens over existing home vents,

• moving outbuilding further away from your home, and

• ensuring that the bottom 6 inches of your home’s siding is covered with a fire resistant material.

Review the guidelines for home hardening and learn more about why homes burn, and what you can do to retrofit yours to be more resilient against wildfire, in this 2017 FAC Net article.

Meaningful projects you can complete in as little as 10 minutes

Even small actions can have a big impact on fire outcomes for your home, family and community. Whether you have 10 minutes or 10 hours to dedicate to wildfire preparedness, use that time increase your safety, strengthen community resilience and improve fire outcomes. Not sure where to start? Review the list of quick fire preparedness project ideas from the national Fire Adapted Communities learning network.

Safeguarding Important Records

Record keeping for fire safety

Keeping important documents with you when evacuating, or storing them digitally in cloud based storage can help support you in the wildfire recovery process.

Evacuating your home during a wildfire is chaotic, stressful, and harried - and in the rush to get to safety it can be easy to forget to pack your important documents and records that serve as proof of your own identity as well as the legality of your belongings. Below are 10 items that you should be sure to keep safe, if applicable, and how to store them ahead of time.

1. Insurance Info
   If you are a homeowner and your home goes through a fire, one of the very first things you’ll have to deal with is insurance. CBS recommends safe storage of “current insurance policies and agent contact information,” adding: “you’ll need this information right away if your house suffers damage in a fire.”

2. Property Deed and Car Title
   These prove you own what you own! The deed to your property and title to your care are necessary if you’re selling or refinancing your house or property or transferring the title for estate-planning purposes.

3. Medical Documents
   Documentation of your medical insurance - forms and copies of your insurance card - as well as “a list of your (and your family’s) doctors, prescription medications, and contact information for all pharmacies you use,” are important documents to keep safe for continuity of medical care, according to Legalzoom. “You may need these to get new supplies of medications you use on a regular basis.”

4. Birth Certificates
   A birth certificate is needed to obtain a passport, get a driver’s license or a marriage license, apply for government and private benefits (such as insurance and retirement benefits), enroll in schools or the military, and more. If you’re a parent, you also need your child’s birth certificate as proof of age to sign them up for elementary school or Little League. It’s not too difficult or expensive to get a copy of your birth certificate, so you can keep multiples in secure storage spaces such as safe deposit boxes and with family.

5. Passport
   A passport serves as proof of citizenship, will stand in for all ID purposes if your primary identification is stolen or lost, allow you to travel to other countries and back home, and come in handy whenever something requires two or more forms of photo ID.

6. Social Security Card
   Your social security card is needed to apply for a job or a driver’s license, register for college classes, possibly to apply for insurance or Medicaid, but your SSN (social security number) is needed in far more everyday situations.

7. Wills
   Most lawyers weighing in from the American Bar Association recommend keeping original wills in a law office’s safe or personal safety deposit box. Copies of the will may be kept in fireproof safes of the client as well as the executor, meaning that you should ensure that your will is kept safe in three different locations.

8. Financial Documents
   According to Legalzoom, you’ll want such things as “important papers related to investment accounts, retirement plans, bank accounts, and associated contact information” protected, whether or not your home is ever destroyed.

9. Other Legal Documents
   CBS lists other types of documents that you’ll want to keep well-protected: “powers of attorney, living wills, and health care proxies - both for yourself and for anyone else for whom you are designated attorney-in-fact or health care surrogate.”

10. Photos
    In addition to having your most treasured photos in your home evacuation kit, Legalzoom recommends keeping “CDs or an external hard drive containing digital copies of all family photos” - or other treasured photos - in your safe. Cloud storage, or off-site (online) storage that's maintained by a third party and an alternative to storing data on-premises, is a good alternative to keeping photos in a safe and is usually free to users (with some amount limits).

Document storage

From FAC Net’s Ideas for Wildfire Preparedness Day, one major preparatory action should be protecting your assets. These include:

Google Drive is one example of a cloud storage platform that you can use to backup your important documents digitally. Be sure to look around to find a platform that meets your specific needs.

• Backing up your important documents and photos to cloud storage to reduce the amount of physical material you would want to take if you need to evacuate. 

• Conducting an insurance check up to ensure your coverage is up to date and sufficient.

• Creating a video walk through of your home or an inventory list of belongings and upload it to cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive) instead just on your computer’s hard drive. 

• Securing renter’s insurance if you do not already have coverage and need it. 

Several of the points on this list point to the need to backup important files to cloud storage. Anything that you can’t afford to lose should be digitized and stored in a disaster-resistant location. We already talked about what cloud storage is in the section above, so now we’ll dive into how to find the right fit.

Price and security: many cloud storage options are free to users, with some amount limits. This article reviews some of the most secure cloud storage options and their costs. The amount of security needed will also vary depending on what type of digitized materials you are uploading to the cloud - family photos are important but not sensitive, while copies of social security cards, property deeds, and financial documents should have encryption and security at front of mind. Consider talking to your financial institution, legal executor, and other professionals in your life about storage options that they recommend.

Upcoming Webinars

Southwest Fire science

13 April at 12pm MDT: How wildfire policies governing management of natural ignitions have evolved over the past century - Zoom webinar with NAU’s Scott Franz.
Review of the history, policies, and challenges behind “managed wildfire”, the fire management strategy of leveraging natural ignitions for resource objectives and community benefit.

REGISTER NOW

11 May at 12pm MDT: Public Experiences with Wildfire and Flooding: A Case Study of the 2019 Museum Fire - Zoom webinar with a panel of researchers with NAU.

2 June at 12pm MDT: The Year Past and the Year to Come: 2022 Southwest Fire Season Overview and 2023 Fire Season Outlook - Zoom webinar with staff from the National Weather Service and Forest Stewards Guild.

Keep an eye on the Southwest Fire Science Consortium event page for more information and registration.

Local news

21 April at 12pm MDT: Use of prescribed fire on the Santa Fe National Forest - Facebook Live with Santa Fe National Forest staff and the Forest Stewards Guild.
A USFS panel will lead a discussion on 1) practices and procedural changes resulting from the 2022 national 90-day pause on prescribed burning, and 2) implementation of the seven tactical changes from an operational basis. The conversation will be moderated by FACNM.

GSFFC Member Organization receives $1.3 million in Community Wildfire Defense Grant funding to reduce wildfire risk to area

A wildfire risk mitigation fiscal award and Fire Adapted Communities Program Manager job opportunity are coming to the greater Santa Fe area!

A 1.3 million dollar grant awarded to Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coaltion member the Forest Stewards Guild (the Guild) will reduce the wildfire hazard for Santa Fe, Pueblo of Tesuque, Pueblo of Nambe, and surrounding communities. Under the eligibility terms of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG), this funding will support projects described in the 2020 Santa Fe County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Over the next five years, the Guild and partners in the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition will conduct over 500 home hazard assessments and complete more then 125 acres of high priority fuel mitigation treatments. The Coalition will work to elevate public outreach and education while simultaneously increasing the number of Fireshed Ambassadors. Expansion of the Fireshed Ambassador program, which is based on the knowledge that neighbors are influenced by neighbors and that volunteer community leaders can multiply the efforts of subject matter experts, will foster Fire Adapted Communities. This work will be facilitated by a new Fire Adapted Communities Manager

The project will restore and maintain watersheds by expanding wildfire mitigation work in the federally-identified high-risk/state-designated priority landscape around Santa Fe. Implementation of fuels mitigation treatments will utilize a sliding-scale cost-share approach to distribute CWDG funding equitably to underserved neighborhoods and individuals. Fuels mitigation activities will include forest thinning, community chipping days, and removal of green waste through collection and disposal at county facilities.

Through the newly-minted CWDG program, the USDA Forest Service is investing $197 million in 100 projects across the U.S. Funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CWDG helps communities, tribes, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies, and Alaska Native corporations plan for and mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis. For more information on all funded proposals, visit www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants/funded-proposals.