fire as a natural hazard
DESCRIPTION
A presentation by NFPA's Hylton Haynes to the Boston Public Safety Group on May 10, 2012. References include an image from the BioMap2 report by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and The Nature ConservancyTRANSCRIPT
Fire as a Natural Hazard
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Topics
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
• NFPA• Wildland Fire Basics• Call For Action• Wildland Urban/Interface• Challenges/Strategies• Firewise® Program
National Fire Protection Association
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
• Non-profit life safety codes and
standards organization - 501(c)3
• Founded 115 years ago
• 70,000+ members worldwide
• 300+ consensus codes and standards documents
Wildland Fire Basics
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
WEA
THER
TOPOGRAPHY
FUEL
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Peak Fire Seasons
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
1985 Wildfires – A Call to Action
400 in ONE day!
1,400 homes lost!
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
National Wildland Fire Facts• 44 million homes
wildland-urban interface
• $308 million in losses each year municipal jurisdictions
• 356,800 fire/year
• 23% of all fires reported by local F.D.
• Frequency of fire incidents greater in the east versus the west
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI)
• Not a place or a zone• A set of conditions under which a wildland fire reaches beyond trees, brush, and other natural fuels to ignite homes and their immediate surroundings.
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI)• We may not recognize it, but many of us live in
it!
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
NFPA & WUI
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
• Wildfire safety standards date back to the 1920s
• Modern involvement in “the WUI” came 25 years ago
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Inferno by the sea:
Residents still recall 1941’s Great Fire that wiped out a Marshfield neighborhood
By SARAH COFFEYThe Patriot Ledger
MARSHFIELD – To one young child, “It looked like the whole world was on fire.”
Other Marshfield residents vividly recall narrow escapes, exploding beer cans, burned firetrucks and a massive casino consumed in a fireball.
Marshfield’s Great Fire of 1941 wiped out the entire Ocean Bluff section of town on April 21.
Within four hours, it burned 446 homes, 96 garages, 12 stores, two hotels, a post office, a church and the casino, leaving behind just brick chimneys and concrete steps. Damage was estimated at $1.5 million, more than a fifth of the town’s assessed value.
Thirty families were left homeless, escaping only with the clothes on their backs. No one died.
Hundreds of firefighters from dozens of area departments fought the fire, but only a few were injured.
Boston?
Well maybe not, but pretty close.
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Challenges
• Climate Change
• Fire is a part of the ecosystem
• Open Spaces
• Multiple Jurisdictions
• Smoke
• Access
• Mulch
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Strategies
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
• Firewise® Program
• Ready, Set, Go Program
• CERT Program
• Community Wildland Protection Plan
• Fire Adapted Communities®
• WUI Regulation
What is Firewise?
• A cooperative program (NFPA, USFS, DOI, NASF)
• Specifically focused on WUI residents
• Community based voluntary action• Promotes science-based fire
safety principles
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Firewise Strategies: Home Ignition Zone• The Home Ignition Zone includes
the home, in addition to its immediate surroundings up to 200 feet.
If it’s attached to the house, it’s part of the house.
If it’s attached to the house, it’s part of the house.
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Mulch• Mass. DFS press release says Massachusetts had
— 184 fires in past five years that spread to buildings— $5 million loss in a sprinklered apartment building
• In homes outside of high-risk areas, keep at least 18 inches between mulch beds and building materials• Plant growth requirements depth 1” versus 3-4”
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Firewise Communities/USA® Recognition Program
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Hylton Haynes, CF | Pala, CA – March 21, 2012
Firewise Products/ ResourcesFree Firewise Materials on NFPA Catalog: with
FREE shipping!
Local Contact
David Celino, Chief, Bureau of Forest Fire Control Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation251 Causeway Street, Suite 600 Boston, MA 02114Phone: 508-326-2403 [email protected]
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012
Michele Steinberg – [email protected] Hylton Haynes – [email protected]
Heidi Wagner – [email protected] | www.nfpa.org
THANK YOU!
Hylton Haynes, CF| MAPC – Boston Hazard Mitigation Planning Meeting, May 10, 2012