Wildland urban interface fire prevention awareness is growing

This sign went up on Wednesday on Pinebrook Blvd. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah. — Pinebrook is the latest neighborhood to earn national recognition by joining a growing list of neighborhoods working with the Park City Fire District (PCFD) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in ongoing efforts to decrease instances of wildfire. The Colony, Summit Park, Stagecoach Estates, and Promontory are on the list as well as a couple of neighborhoods in Kamas. The sign pictured above was put up on Wednesday on Pinebrook Blvd. to proudly proclaim the new status. Summit Park was the first neighborhood in the area to achieve recognition in 2014.

Mike Owens, PCFD Fire Marshal is encouraged by the Park City-wide program participation and said, “The Fire District isn’t the official entity that oversees this program locally, the neighborhood H.O.A.s are. The Summit Wildfire Group helps community leaders and H.O.A. boards in mitigating wildfire hazards in their areas and can provide grants for larger projects that Parkites create.” He went on to say, “A few years ago when this movement started there wasn’t as much community collaboration but it’s great lately that we have begun increasing the number of meetings we hold with the public to address all the resident’s helpful interests and actions.”

Following are some tips to keep your house, thus your neighbor’s house safer:

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Remove any combustible outdoor furniture. Replace jute or fiber door mats with fire resistant materials.
Remove or relocate all combustible materials, including garbage and recycling containers, lumber and trash
Clean all fallen leaves and needles regularly. Repeat often during fire season.
Remove tree limbs that extend into this zone. No vegetation is recommended within five feet of structures.
Do not store firewood, lumber or combustibles under decks or overhangs.
Use only inorganic, non-combustible mulches such as stone or gravel.

Brant Lucas, (PCFD) Wildfire Community Liasion said, “The recognition does not come without work from the community. Each year hours must be meant to keep in good Firewise standing. Being a Firewise recognized community helps open doors for State and Federal grant money to help reduce the risk of wildfire and home loss. The goal for the Fire District is to get every community in the area Firewise to recognize. Not an easy task, but we live in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) so it is imperative that we learn to adapt to our surroundings.”

Community tool kits, along with wildland urban interface, and learn not to burn are examples of the actionable content categories available to peruse and use on the international NFPA website.