Controlled Burns

KOA the other morning mentioned that some of the saved homes did have vegetation mitigation. Good for these responsible homeowners. It isn't a guarantee, but it has to help.

Think I will have to invite some downstream buddies over next month to help clear out the vegetation and they can take the firewood home.

Mitigation definitely helps with a ground fire. But with a crown fire and winds in the 60-90 mph range I don't think there's a darn thing you can do.

netdude wrote: I really love seeing all the monday morning QB's jumpin in on this.... so, who actually lives up there and saw it happen? Anybody here one of those who lost their house?

And f**k you RT... you don't know sh*t.

I've been through three fires over here in Bailey, and no, I didn't lose my home. I still have an opinion and if you don't like it, don't read it. I take it from your post that you think the Forest Service didn't screw up. Tell that to the three people who lost their lives.

Mtn Gramma wrote: Mitigation definitely helps with a ground fire. But with a crown fire and winds in the 60-90 mph range I don't think there's a darn thing you can do.

:VeryScared: Very true about those crown fires. Scare me, but I still think mitigation helps even in those cases.

Mtn Gramma wrote: Mitigation definitely helps with a ground fire. But with a crown fire and winds in the 60-90 mph range I don't think there's a darn thing you can do.

Mitigation always helps. Maybe won't save a house which is made of wood siding, has wood decks, shingle or wood shingle roof, but it helps. Total fuel is what matters. If you remove 1/2 of the fuel around your house, the fire will burn at a lower temp overall. It still may jump onto your home, but you have a much better chance of your home surviving if the temps are lower.

Since we've lived up here we've done all the mitigation possible - no deadfall laying around, 5' burn barrier around the house, driveway widened to 30' with a good turn-around so fire vehicles can get in and out, etc. I trim pines up as high as I can reach every year, etc. I'm not pooh-poohing mitigating. Platte Canyon came out several years ago and said that our house would definitely be defensible, but said that with a crown fire all bets were off.

Another good reason to do mitigation is so that when the structure protection person in charge assesses which homes to save when there are many to protect, yours is selected.

If you talk with the fire dept for Platte Canyon they have a coding system for your home depending on the mitigation you have done. Black means you haven't gotten in touch with them or done anything to warrant saving your home when homes need to be protected. Guess who was the structure protection person for the Lower North Fork fire before it was turned over to the Team I group?

Having followed the turmoil that Hi Meadow homeowners who lost homes went through, wildfire mitigation is a whole lot easier than their ordeals. I feel for the Lower North Fork fire homeowners who lost homes.

If you have done enough around your home so that the firedept, can readily save it then they will as opposed to a house with trees up close, exccesive vegitation etc. And they also look at siding if it is heavily oiled,,, sorry they will pass on it and go to one without.

Science Chic wrote: TM, I don't think that's what he's saying at all, RT's comments are just pissing him off. netdude and his family barely made it out, and they were damn lucky they didn't lose their home as well.

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When he addresses "anyone here", he throws down the gauntlet. Maybe the experience is still too fresh, but if he wants to throw electronic punches, I'll play.