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Fire retardant roofed structures more likely to survive fires

Fire Smart and Era of Megafires provide lessons learned by firefighting professionals
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Stephanie Masun, recovery manager of the Cariboo Regional District, adresses the crowd. Brendan Kyle Jure photo.

Now that it’s spring, people may be focused on preparing their property for the summer in the case last year’s is a repeat. There was no better way to figure out how to do that than attending the Fire Smart and Era of Megafires presentations.

The Fire Smart meetings were on March 5 at the 108 Community Hall and at the Lac la Hache Community Hall on March 8.

At the meetings the Cariboo Regional District Recovery Manager, Stephanie Masun, the BC Wildfire Services and in the 108 Meeting, Marcelle Ried, the local fire chief.

“Recovery is a process and the scope of that process will differ from person to person and business to business and that process will take different amounts of time depending on access to time and resources,” said Masun to the attendance of roughly 75 people about the recovery effort.

There are several resources one can access and several agencies have been collecting information through surveys, questionnaires and assessments hoping to get a complete picture, according to the recovery manager. The agencies not only include the CRD but agencies from the municipal and provincial levels.

At the meeting, Masun was there to update the crowd on some of the progress made by the CRD including the extension of the Support Small Business program to May 4. For more information and resources on the wildfire recovery process go to cariboord.ca/services/emergency-and-pro tective-services/emer gency-operations-cen tre-eoc/recovery.

Ried and the BC Wildfire Services talked about their experiences during the wildfires and how property owners can make their land safer in case of future fires.

“What came out of this fire for us was the experience. We learned a lot, probably more than we will ever learn,” said Ried. “We’re just going to keep on training and doing the best we can.”

Making fire guards by clearing out any trees from 10-30 metre radius, clearing out any dead wood structures such as sheds, keeping the lawn cut and watered, clearing out dead branches and wood are all essential things a homeowner should do.

Shelly Harden of the Wildfire Service said people should make their roofs out of fire retardant materials, as resting embers is one of the leading causes of houses and structures catching fire. According to her presentation, 85 to 90 percent of homes with fire retardant roofs survive major fires and the majority of structures burning is because of embers and not the fire itself.

Gardens with mulch are also more likely to catch fire, despite keeping the garden moist. In the Kelowna fire of 2013, 50 per cent of the homes lost was because of mulch burning. Gutters that haven’t been cleaned out in a while and are filled with dry leaves and needles are also a problem and should be cleaned regularly.

Windows with single-paned glass are also a problem, cracking and shattering because of the heat. Embers from the fire sneak in and catch on carpets or furniture and burn from the inside.

The Era of Megafires presentation also dealt with the protection of homes.

It featured U.S. Forest Service Research Ecologist Paul Hessburg.

In addition to home protection, Hessburg recommended the practice of controlled burning creating patches of forests. First Nations people used controlled burning to help regrow food sources and also to create fireguards but this practice died off during the 1930s.

Because of this, forested areas are now more widespread which makes it easier for a fire to continue burning. Patches on crown land would lower the impact of future fires.