Public Concerns About Fire

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Public Concerns About Fire
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Fear of Fire

• 1937 President Roosevelt campaigns to reduce
  human-caused fires.
• Uncle Sam forest ranger.

Your Forests Your Fault Your Loss
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WWII Era

• Americans feared that a fire could destroy forest
  resources when wood products were greatly needed
  for the war effort.
• Few firefighters in US because so many men in the
  military.
• Wartime Advertising Council slogans "Forest
  Fires Aid the Enemy," and Careless Matches Aid
  the Axis.

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Post WWII
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Bambi

• In 1944, Walt Disney released the movie Bambi,
  and allowed the Forest Service to use the deer on
  their campaign posters for one year.
• The Forest Service decided to continue using an
  animal and chose a bear for their fire safety
  mascot.

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Smokey the Bear

• Created August 9, 1944
• Longest running campaign in U.S. history.

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Todays Smokey

• Only You Can Prevent WILDfires.

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Geographics Demographics

• Where you grew up, how is fire thought of? Is
  prescribed fire used?
• Are fire perceptions different in forest
  communities vs. urban?
• Forest fire may interfere with revenue, will it
  be effective in forest matrix
• Urban disconnected from ecosystem around them
• Vacation home owner vs. permanent resident?
• Vacation aesthetics and recreation important
• Permanent fire protection
• Lake Tahoe, Malibu, Oakland Hills vs. east
  Arizona, San Bernardino
• Wealthier property is more replaceable, but also
  more money for fuel reduction around homes
• Exposed to previous wildfire vs. never exposed
• Retired vs babyboomer community
• Retired Arent physically able to clear
  vegetation around homes, less
• Remote vs. proximate prescribed fires

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What dont people like about prescribed fire?
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Prescribed Burning Excuses

• From Biswell
• All fires are bad
• Prescribed fire confused with wildfires
• Too much danger of escaping control
• Dislike of smoke
• Prescribed burning is too costly
• Let it be an act of God.
• Too much responsibility
• We can lose our jobs
• There is no money for prescribed burning
• Public wont let us burn
• There arent enough burn days
• Negative influence of powerful people
• We need more research

Citizen response
Manager response
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Objective Develop a campaign to encourage public
approval of prescribed fire

• 5 Phases
• Preplanning
• Notice,editorial, scoping
• Public meeting
• Planning
• Notice,editorial, scoping
• Implementation
• Signs on road, media
• Post Fire Monitoring
• Field trips, speaking engagements
• Refining the plan
• Public meeting

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Recommendations from Weldon

• ? Talk to the public about fire in ecosystems
• Ecological Facts
• Develop simple ways to present ecological
  processes
• Field trips, media, demonstrations, publications
• Benefits
• Biological diversity, forest sustainability,
  wildlife habitat
• Consequences
• Tradeoffs between prescribed fire and suppression
• Personal interactions through field trips
• Proactive management
• Risks
• Honest about technical abilities, limits, and
  potential for escapes
• Explain goals, design and implementation of
  prescribed burns

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Recommendations from Weldon

• Listen to public concerns
• Use to establish the rate of fire restoration
• Get support early on small projects
• Answer questions related to the technical aspects
• Fire behavior, desirable burning conditions
• Be responsive to public concerns
• Wood fiber use
• Consider alternatives, complements (thinning)
• Smoke
• Choose good smoke dispersal conditions
• Plan size, duration and location to minimize
  smoke

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Tough Issues

• How much public input is ideal?
• Delays process
• SNEF allowed any organization to write
  alternative management strategies, but this
  extended the process 1-2 years.
• Can be overruled by politics
• USFS Region Forester or NPS Park Superintendent
  makes final decision.
• If public is not completely receptive to fire,
  what should managers do?
• Go ahead with some burning and then promote the
  outcome?
• Or do they need to get approval first, and then
  build a program?

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Public Outreach Programs

• CDF VMP Program (1981)
• Cost-sharing program between private landowners
  and CDF to reduce fire-prone vegetation.
• prescribed burns and mechanical removal
• Approximately 3.5 million annual budget
• Burned on average 27,000 acres/year in last 10
  years
• California FireSafe Councils (1993)
• 132 councils
• Goals
• Provide support and resources for grassroot
  organizations involved in fire safety
• Distribute fire safe educational materials
• Evaluate fire safe legislation
• FireWise
• Similar goals to FireSafe, but a more national
  scope
• Federal agency support

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Defensible Space
Alberta Canada, Timberlines Forest Inventory
Consultants Newsletter
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(No Transcript)
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What Can Be Improved?

• Promote prescribed fire successes
• Where did they reduce wildfire behavior? Protect
  communities?
• What strategies made a difference?
• Vs media coverage of escapes
• Adaptive management
• What didnt work? Why did an escape occur and
  how can it be prevented?
• Quantify the positive effects of fuel reduction
  (wildfire prevention, reduced spead/intensity)
  vs. just saying that fuel reduction was done

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What Can Be Improved?

• Promote prescribed fire successes
• Where did they reduce wildfire behavior? Protect
  communities?
• What strategies made a difference?
• Vs media coverage of escapes
• Adaptive management
• What didnt work? Why did an escape occur and
  how can it be prevented?
• Quantify the positive effects of fuel reduction
  (wildfire prevention, reduced spead/intensity)
  vs. just saying that fuel reduction was done

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What Can Be Improved?

• Promote prescribed fire successes
• Where did they reduce wildfire behavior? Protect
  communities?
• What strategies made a difference?
• Vs media coverage of escapes
• Adaptive management
• What didnt work? Why did an escape occur and
  how can it be prevented?
• Quantify the positive effects of fuel reduction
  (wildfire prevention, reduced spead/intensity)
  vs. just saying that fuel reduction was done

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What Can Be Improved?

• More responsibility to individuals
• Defensible space around homes
• Reduce accidental ignitions (Smokey idea)
• Reduce expectations of local governments
• Financial support from federal govt and
  communities
• Remove prescribed fire liability (ex. CDF VMP)
• Incentives in the wildland urban interface
• Decrease WUI expansion
• Zoning, city planning, high insurance premiums
• Decrease fire susceptibility
• Tax breaks, community recognition for fire-smart
  landscaping and defensible space

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New Educational Images?
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History of Fire Perceptions and Policy

• 1905 Nationwide fire suppression USFS
• 1911 Weeks Act federal govt reimburses states
  for suppression costs
• 1920s Depression ? large labor pool for
  suppression
• Light burning controversy
• 1924 CDF adopts fire suppression policy
• 1929 USFS proposes firebreak along entire
  western Sierra Nevada to protect timber
• 1933 CCC created Ponderosa Way firebreak 650 mi
  long, 45-60 mi wide
• 1935 10am policy USFS
• 1937 Fire prevention ad campaign begins Your
  Forests-Your Fault
• 1944 Smokey is born
• 1945 CDF allows landowners to burn brushlands
  for livestock forage
• 1947 Weather modification investigated
  (lightning suppression, rainmaking)
• 1950s Biswell studies prescribed fire in CA,
  leads demonstration burns
• WWII technology, labor and attitude
  transferred to fire suppression
• 1962 Tall Timbers Research Station established,
  annual fire conferences
• 1964 Leopold Report/Wilderness Act fire
  allowed to play a natural role

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History of Fire Perceptions and Policy

• 1968 Sequoia National Park begins prescribed
  natural fire program
• 1971 USFS begins to allow prescribed natural
  fires in some areas
• 1972 Yosemite begins Prescribed Natural Fire
  Program
• 1975 CA State Parks begin prescribed burning at
  Calaveras Big Trees
• 1978 USFS 10am policy revoked, fire
  management replaces fire control
• 1981 CDF Vegetation Management Program
• 1988 Yellowstone Fires resulted in a fire
  policy review
• (need for clearer management plans and more
  public education)
• 1990s Wildland Urban Interface becomes an issue
  of concern
• Fuel reduction and demonstrations, DFPZs are
  born
• 1995 USFS Fire Policy Review
• Public education paramount
• Natural resources should be equally valued as
  personal property
• Fuel reduction necessary to deal with hazardous
  fuel conditions
• 2000 Cerro Grande Fire placed fire moratorium on
  NPS and CA State Parks until contingency
  planning improved.
• 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act
• Encourages public to determine fuel
  reduction priorities in their communities
• Streamline the fuel reduction process by
  bypassing some environmental analysis