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Opinion
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Thursday, November 15, 2007
Guest View: Fall Fire Season Means Heads Up!
We have not received any substantial amount of moisture for some time, and the East Mountains continue to become drier. Fire agencies are monitoring the drying trend and hope to see some moisture that will help.
Meanwhile, heads up! Be aware that a fire could start in your community or on the mountain. For either one, call 911.
Now is the time to follow the process that we normally implement in the spring. Right now in our area we are most vulnerable (to a fire starting) through the tall grasses. Cut the grasses. Have an extinguisher available while cutting. Cut in the morning, when fuel moistures are higher and grasses are less flammable.
Remove any ignitable material around your home and continue working on your defensible space. Have a plan. If a fire happens, what are you going to do? Really think about it!
Everyone should carry emergency phone numbers in wallets. If we break a fire, roads/highways will be closed. You will not be able to return to your homes. This will be strictly enforced by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and New Mexico State Police.
Local phones will probably not be working. Make sure you have a common out-of-state phone number (which might work). Your family could call there to tell the rest of the family where you are.
If evacuated, make sure you register at the American Red Cross Center. This is the main way we track people during evacuation.
Again, I am stressing the most important thing you can do right now to help reduce risk of wildfire is ... cut your grasses and remove pine needles from gutters and yard. Trailer homes, make sure the grasses are cut up to and, if necessary, under the trailer.
Do not empty fireplace ash outside on the ground. Leave it in a can, cover it with water, stir and leave it for a week before you empty the can.
Make sure your chimney is clean and there is a mesh covering around the opening on top.
A fall fire season is usually different than the spring fire season. Our fuel moistures during the night help reduce the potential for fire, but as the temperatures go up during the day and humidities go down, possibly winds increase and risk becomes higher. As the sun sets, temperatures go down, humidities go up, then risk goes down. Following that scenario, one can see that daytime from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. would be the most critical.
Continue working on your defensible space— this is not just for now but when spring rolls around. With predicted forecasts (which can always change), we are looking at a drier winter affecting the fire season.
Keep on being persistent and little by little you will see a difference in your landscape.
I will repeat: We are in a fall fire season. So with that said, you all know what to do ... we do it every summer!
Do not burn when windy.
Cut and remove grasses around your homes.
Remove pine needles from gutters.
Campfires dead out.
Cigarettes extinguished.
Fireplace ash drenched with water and let stand for weeks.
Remove wood from around your home.
Careful welding ... consider having a fire extinguisher with you.
Do not park on tall weeds.
For additional information, visit firewise.org.
Please call me at 281-3304 ext. 104, if you have any questions.
Karen P. Takai is the fire information & public affairs officer for the Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest.
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