Voices: We need to learn to live with wildland fire. As a firefighter, here is what Utahns can do to help keep each other safe.

I had a rewarding and successful wildland fire and fuels management career, and I feel the ultimate opportunity for giving back is in helping to develop the next generation of wildland fire and natural resource managers at Utah State University.

Through USU Extension, I am also able to continue helping those in the field and providing advice to all Utahns.

That is not to say I did not have a few bad days. While I have not lost any firefighter under my command, I’ve lost friends and colleagues, including Rich Tyler on the South Canyon Fire; Gordon Knight, a pilot whose helicopter crashed on the Big Elk Fire near Rocky Mountain National Park; and Spencer Koyle, who was overrun by fire on the Devil’s Den Fire.

I’ve also seen homeowners lose everything — like in the Waldo Canyon Fire, which resulted in 347 homes destroyed and the death of two civilians. My team would return a year later to Colorado for the Black Forest Fire, which burned more than 500 homes and, again, killed two.

Throughout the West, we have all seen the recent destruction to the built environment caused by wildfires. And Utah is not immune — just look at potential the Willard Peak Fire in North Ogden had and losses in the Monroe Canyon Fire south of Richfield, the Forsyth Fire in Pine Valley and the Deer Creek Fire near the La Sal Mountains.

Along the Wasatch Front, homes continue to be built further up into the foothills and benches. As our state’s population increases, we see development further away from communities in areas at a higher risk of wildfires. This is called the Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI); the fault line between the built environment, forests and rangelands.

As devastating as wildfire can be, wildland fires were once, and remain today, a natural part of Utah. We live in what are called fire dependent ecosystems. One of the earliest maps of the Utah Territory from 1878 shows extensive “area of timber destroyed by fire.” We have altered this natural cycle by suppressing most wildfires and removing Indigenous burning by First Americans.

Those who live in the WUI have a shared responsibility to learn how to safely live within wildland fire zones and take action. Here’s where we can start:

Build smarter.

There are steps one can take to protect one’s home and community from fire. Ideally these steps would start when a community is being planned, developed and built.

Communities should have good ingress/egress with homes separated from the wildlands and other homes. Building codes need to be in place, and builders should use Class A-rated roofing materials, noncombustible or ignition-resistant siding, no vents or flame and ember-resistant vents, and double-pane tempered glass windows.

Harden existing homes.

If your home is already built, steps can be taken to protect yourself from wildfire in what is referred to as home hardening.

Add screens to open vents where embers could get into the attic. Use stone materials instead of wood mulch around the base of your home. Remove dead needles from on and around the house. Also be aware that something as simple as a door mat made of natural fibers could collect embers and catch fire.

Implement firewise landscaping.

Around one’s home, firewise landscaping involves taking steps to address the home ignition zone. The home ignition zone extends from 0 to 100 feet plus from your home. Ideally, you wouldn’t have anything combustible within the first five feet of the home. From there, thin vegetation out from the house and select less flammable plants such as aspen instead of Colorado blue spruce. Where there are mixed conifers or evergreens, limb up the branches, removing ladder fuels so fire cannot travel from the surface into the tree canopy.

Hardening your home and following firewise concepts will also help keep firefighters safe and give fire suppression resources a fighting chance at saving your home. While firefighters will often go to extraordinary measures to protect communities, we need homeowner’s help in creating defensible space.

Out of crisis, can we find opportunities as we all need to do our part to develop fire adapted communities when living in the WUI. The vision of the national “Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy” is a good place to start. It advises: “Safely and effectively extinguish fire, when needed; use fire where allowable; manage our natural resources; and collectively, learn to live with wildland fire.”

The level of home loss and potential is being noted and of concern within Utah, not only by those suffering losses but at all levels of government and the insurance industry. Utah lawmakers are working to address this concern with HB48 – Wildland Urban Interface Modifications, but we can all do better in addressing the effects of climate change while developing fire resilient communities and landscapes, supporting wildland fire management and preventing unwanted human caused wildfires.

J. Bradley Washa is an assistant professor of wildland fire with Utah State University Extension in the Department of Wildland Resources of the Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Brad retired three years ago from federal wildland fire service having worked for the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service throughout western United States and Utah. Brad continues to serve as an Operations Section Chief on the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team.

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