State: Property owners must take responsibility during wildfires

The state Fire Chief's Association is urging people with rural residences to be prepared in case of a wildland fire and is offering a booklet to tell them how to prepare for, and what to do in case of, a wildland fire.

"Studies show that as many as 80 percent of the homes lost to wildland fires could have been saved if their owners had only followed a few simple fire-safe practices," says "Ready, Set, Go! Montana; Your Personal Wildland Fire Action Guide" in its introduction.

Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Joe Parenteau, at the Hill County Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting earlier this month, said the booklet will be given to rural fire departments in the county to take to rural homeowners.

Parenteau said one major concern is preparing cabins in Beaver Creek Park, but any residence in rural Montana could be threatened in a fire. He cited the 12,000 acre fire in Hill and Blaine counties in March 2012. While no buildings were damaged in that fire, it came within a hundred yards of at least one residence.

Parenteau said people living in rural areas need to understand that city fire trucks designed to extinguish structure fires won't respond to wildland fires.

He added that the need for people to prepare their homes for the chance of a wildland fire is highlighted by the deaths in Arizona last year of 19 Hotshot firefighters, who were killed while fighting a fire threatening homes in a rural area northwest of Phoenix.

LEPC chair Jim Donovan, who represents Havre Public Schools on the committee, said that in some areas fire departments are marking driveways in rural areas to indicate which homes are prepared for fires - if the X is the wrong color, "you're on your own," he said.

The booklet, available through DES and online at http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/explore/, says that buildings within one mile of natural vegetation - known as a "Wildland Urban Interface" - can be threatened by fire or blowing embers from a fire. Property owners can reduce the danger by altering grasses, shrubs and trees on the property, and eliminating flammable materials where they come in contact with buildings.

"Hardening" the home with proper materials and design also reduces the risk in case of a wildland fire, and the booklet describes how vegetation should be maintained at different distances from the home.

The booklet provides a checklist on what people should do to prepare for a fire, and and what to do if a fire actually does occur.