Defensible space critical to surviving fire

In 1736, Benjamin Franklin organized Philadelphia's Union Fire Company in a city woefully unprepared to deal with potentially devastating fire. He coined the famous saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

That phrase was hot on everyone's mind as the 6,136-acre Rooster Rock Fire progressed toward full containment last week.

Kate Lighthall of Project Wildfire directed a tour Saturday, starting from the Incident Command Post at Sisters Middle School, illustrating various strategies for keeping homes and property resistant to the devastation of seasonal wildfires.

"The future depends on the critical thinking we do today," said Lighthall, emphasizing the need for proactive measures in creating defensible spaces.

Incident Commander Mark Rapp read an excerpt from a 1910 article published in the Bend Bulletin about wildfires. The piece reminded citizens of what a blessing small fires were in cleaning up the forest floor and their healthy complement to the cycle of nature.

"Fire is a frequent visitor in this landscape and will continue to be. We must recognize fire behavior and protect our lives and valuables," Rapp said.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District led the structure protection efforts on the first day of the fire.

Chief Tay Robertson expressed relief that firefighters were able to save several homes.

This was directly related to available public programs for promoting defensible spaces, like Firewise and Firefree.

"The combination of fuel management around the home and good access points allowed firefighters to accomplish their tasks safely," said Robertson.

Displaying a color-coded map of the Deschutes National Forest, Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony pointed to the region's fire history and the astounding increase in fire activity over the decades. Reasons for the change include drier, warmer conditions and more congestion around existing trees, adding to the fire's combustibility.

The many ongoing fuels reduction programs in the Black Butte Ranch and surrounding Sisters areas are intended to thin from below, removing overstocked tree stands and mowing underbrush to starve any potential fire of fuel and protect the older trees.

"Due to an injection of federal funds to continue protecting life and property, we've been implementing these tactics all along the urban interface area. There's a great collaboration in Central Oregon between the federal, state and local agencies," said Anthony.

Senate Bill 360 is a 1997 law that enlists the help of Oregon landowners to provide defensible space in high-risk areas and gives prescriptions to aid in combustible fuels reduction. Since the county implementation of this plan in 2004, officials have seen a 65-percent voluntary compliance rate.

A short field trip to the burn zone illustrated how active land management protected and saved a property owner's luxury home. The northern boundary of the fire off Road 16 toward Three Creek Lake is where the blaze first gathered force, jumped over the rimrock and hopped the road.

There, a homeowner's precautions of stripping his land of dry, brushy ground fuel and low-lying branches helped change the fire behavior. A pinkish/red stain across the driveway indicated where a retardant drop was able to penetrate.

Chief Robertson pointed out to the semi-charred groves and showed how many of these trees will survive and turn green again next spring.

"They'll still have a beautiful place even after the fire came through," Robertson explained. "This property owner took advantage of federal grant dollars and was able to clear congested growth and ladder fuels, removing the fire's severity and ability to climb into the tree crowns.

"The home is standing because the fire ran out of fuel." Robertson said. "Lesson: If you invest the time to treat the area around your home, you'll still have one."

For more information on fire programs visit www.

firewise.org and http://www.firefree.org or contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District at 541-549-0771.