Today’s newsletter covers the following:

*Firefighter Charles Bolt Takes Impressive Photo of Fire Whirl on the Beaver Creek Fire

*Wildfire Awareness Month

*Burning Questions: Living with Wildfire in Boulder County

*Wildfires Impacts on Water Quality

*The Future Firefighter

Please forward this newsletter to individuals, groups and organizations you know who may be interested.

Fire whirl on Division G of the Beaver Creek Fire August 15, 2016. Photo by Charles Bolt, Engine 1419.

Firefighter Charles Bolt Takes Impressive Photo of Fire Whirl on the Beaver Creek Fire

Fire Devils, Fire Whirls, Fire Tornadoes, and Fire Storms can be very unique events, but can create significant problems in the spread or control of wildfires. Any of these events can occur when intense rising heat and turbulent wind conditions combine to form whirling eddies of air. These eddies can contract into a tornado-like structure that sucks in burning debris and combustible gases.

Learn more about Fire Devils, Fire Whirls, Fire Tornadoes, and Fire Storms at http://wildfiretoday.com/2016/08/14/defining-fire-whirls-and-fire-tornados/

Wildfire Awareness Month

On September 6, 2011, the one-year anniversary of the Fourmile Canyon Fire, Boulder County declared October as Wildfire Awareness Month. The idea for the month-long awareness campaign came from citizens of Boulder County who understood the need for more education, stronger community involvement, and greater individual responsibility toward community wildfire protection.

Numerous events, presentations, and workshops are occurring throughout Boulder County during the month of October. Please visit www.wildfirepartners.org/wildfire-awareness-month for more information.

In addition, Wildfire Partners is offering free assessments during the month of October. This is a fantastic opportunity for folks to become educated on how to harden their home in relation to wildfire and how to create and maintain defensible space zones around their home. You must apply and be accepted into the program in the month of October to be eligible.

Furthermore, Wildfire Partners is hosting a photo contest. Submit an action photo of you, your family, and friends performing mitigation to win prizes. Check out www.wildfirepartners.org for prize information.

Last but not least, Wildfire Partners will give away 25 prizes to cover 100% of forestry contract work, up to $2500, for homeowners who sign up during October and are accepted into the program.

Burning Questions: Living with Wildfire in Boulder County

Do you find yourself asking questions such as: Why do there seem to be more wildfires these days? What can I do to protect my property? Have I mitigated enough? Will my home continue to be insurable?

This forum will feature a short film, panel presentations, discussions, and open house information exchanges with local, state, and federal agency staff.

Please join us at the Nederland Community Center on Saturday, October 15th, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. for this forum followed by a Firefighter Appreciation Luncheon. View the flyer and agenda: www.bouldercounty.org/doc/landuse/BurningQuestionsLivingwithWildfire.pdf

Wildfires Impacts on Water Quality

When we think of the adverse effects of wildfire, many of us focus on home losses, suppression costs, insurance losses, injuries, fatalities, revegetation, etc.… However, the impact of wildfire on municipal water supplies is becoming a real concern. Research indicates that increased sediment flows following a fire can impact both ecological health and drinking water operations. Officials with the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Board of Public Utilities are concerned about the possible impact of the Snake Fire of 2016 on city water supplies. For more information on the effects of the Snake Fire on the municipal water supply see www.kgab.com/snake-fire-causing-cheyenne-water-concerns

For more information on wildfire effects on water quality please visit www.swhydro.arizona.edu/archive/V3_N5/feature7.pdf

The Future Firefighter

The loss of civilian and first responder lives, property and economic stability can be significantly reduced by exploiting new smart firefighting opportunities. New technology, including cyber-physical systems, innovative building controls, intuitive fire-fighting equipment, and smart apparatus are revolutionizing emergency response. Learn more about collecting data from global sensors, processing the information centrally and utilizing the results locally. Smart firefighting can help save lives and decrease injuries, improve firefighter occupational health and safety, and enhance operational, fire prevention and protection efficiency.

The National Fire Protection Agency will be hosting a presentation by Casey Grant of the Fire Protection Research Foundation. This presentation will help to explain some of the new technology that the fire service can use to become more efficient and safe. It will be live streamed from NFPA’s Responder Forum. Go to http://app.webinarsonair.com/register/?uuid=5f7216fd3adb4bbaa795095255a14e8b to register for the webinar.

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you at a Wildfire Awareness Month event. Please share with your friends and neighbors!

Cheers,

Rick, Kyle, Chris and Jim

Boulder County Land Use Department

303-441-3930

WildfireMitigation@nullbouldercounty.org