Wildland-Urban Interface
An interesting term that means where the homes meet the forest (wildland). It is this area that can become dangerous during the summer months, when there is a high threat of wildfire. This year the threat is higher due to the wet winter and the larger than normal amount of grasses and other fine fire fuels in the forest.
This year the threat may also be high in the Western Washington area, in addition to the already dry Eastern Washington area.
So what can you do?
The basic step is called developing a defensible space around your home or workplace. Things like using the zone concept of limiting the amount of flammable vegetation and materials surrounding the building and increasing the moisture content of remaining vegetation. The building itself and everything around it up to 100 – 200 feet is known as the ‘home ignition zone.’ In areas across the country where the risk of wildfire is high, the home ignition zone extends up to 200 feet beyond the actual home structure.
There is not enough space in this article to cover all that should be done, but there are several websites that can help you. One that I worked with in Chelan County is www.firewise.org where you can learn more about the zone concept under the Wildfire Preparedness tab.
If you live in an area that could be threatened by wildfire take a moment to check out the information and start developing your defensible space. You can’t wait until the last minute on this one.
Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council
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