Forest Service presents wildfire safety program

For the last several years, the Forest Service has devoted considerable resources to wildfire prevention and forest health programs.

Sisters has been one of the areas to benefit.

According to Jinny Pitman, Fire Prevention Specialist with the Sisters Ranger District, the Forest Service would now like to take wildfire prevention one step further.

Next week the Forest Service will be putting together a program to help instruct local residents on ways to increase wildfire survivability.

"The idea," said Pitman, "is to help people who don't have a background in wildfire behavior to understand and cope with the threat."

Pitman's fire safety "show and tell" will be conducted at the Sisters Fire Station on Wednesday, April 16 at 6 p.m. A similar program will be held at the Camp Sherman Community Hall the following day, Thursday, April 17, also at 6 p.m.

Pitman will be joined by local fire officials from the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection Districts as well as state fire officials.

Richard Engstrom, of Cascade Insurance, will discuss wildfire insurance coverage issues.

For the Forest Service, fire programs no longer focus on fire suppression but on fire management and wildfire prevention.

"We've kept fires small for so many years that there's a potential for fire to become more uncontrollable and gain momentum," Pitman said.

As a result, she explained, the service's focus has shifted toward using controlled fires in an effort to reduce the risk of the really big destructive wildfires.

While much of the work currently being done is in the wildland-urban interface where homes and forests blend together, the health of the forest system as a whole is of significant concern.

"What affects the highlands affects the lowlands," Pitman said.

Controlled spring burns have already begun, although recent cold weather and moisture have thus far limited the extent of planned burns.

Last week, personnel from the Sisters Ranger District were able to complete one 80 acre controlled burn off Cold Springs Road near Graham Corral, west of Sisters.

"We didn't have a lot of snow pack this year, and the fire season will soon be upon us," said Pitman.

"It's really important for us, as a district, to let people know that the burning season is here," said Pitman. "They'll see smoke in the area and should not be alarmed. Chances are it's a controlled burn operation."

She also seeks to assure the public that the Forest Service will be watching conditions closely and burn only during optimal circumstances for wind, temperature and humidity.

Fire management is only one part of the Forest Service's strategy; public education is another.

Pitman has labeled the upcoming presentation "Increasing Your Wildfire Survivability" and plans to emphasize the multi-agency "FireFree" program.

The FireFree effort brings together federal, state, and local agencies to help homeowners learn to create fire resistant zones around homes in areas subject to the potential of wildfire (see related story, page 3).

Through the use of tree thinning, brush removal, open spaces and removal of other combustible materials homeowners are encouraged to help protect their own homes and neighborhoods.

Not only do fire resistant buffers help protect individual homes, but they go a long way toward preventing the spread of fires by giving firefighters the opportunity to attack and extinguish flames before they become unmanageable.

In addition to describing steps to create FireFree zones, Pitman plans to share some of the lessons learned during the 2002 fire season and offer some prognostications on what to expect in the 2003 fire season.