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Last updated: 04/04/03

BLM ISSUES FIRE SAFETY GUIDELINES,
BACA ENLISTS PUBLIC SUPPORT

Bureau of Land Management Acting Director Sylvia Baca today called on
the public to take steps to help protect property and personal safety as the 1997 wildland fire season gets underway.

"While the 1997 fire season has not been as active as last year's, there is still a long summer ahead," Baca said. "We need the public's support to ensure the safety of their homes, their lives, and the lives of our firefighters." Baca said that while Federal firefighting resources "are not as strained as they were a year ago," there are significant fires in certain areas in Alaska and Southern California. "We are not letting down our guard for this year's fire season, and I ask the public do its part in helping us prevent fires on the public lands."

Les Rosenkrance, Director of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, joined Baca in urging the public to take fire-safety precautions. "Despite the intensity of last year's fire season, which burned more than six million acres of public land and destroyed nearly 800 structures, no Federal firefighters lost their lives on the fireline while battling the blazes. The public can help us maintain that safety record this season."

To reduce fire hazards, Baca said homeowners should:

• Clear leaves, brush, and dry grass within 30 feet of houses and other structures. This will reduce the chance of a wildfire reaching the house and provide a safety zone or "defensible space" for firefighters to work in. Homeowners should keep the area cleared throughout the fire season.
• Remove all trees within 10 feet of the house and space remaining trees at least 10 feet apart. Homeowners should also cut all branches to a height of six feet to prevent ground fires from spreading into tree tops.

• Clean the roof and rain gutters regularly, keeping them free of twigs, leaves, and pine needles.
• Remove tree limbs within 10 feet of the chimney or stove pipe.
• Store firewood and other combustible materials, like picnic tables, at least 30 feet away from the house and other buildings.
• Post their house address along the road at the driveway entrance, as well as on the home. Numbers should be at least four inches high and mounted on high-contrast, non-combustible background material.
• Apply a fire-retardant solution, such as phosphate salt, to wood shingle and shake roofs. Homeowners should re-treat the roof as directed.

For those who are working or recreating outdoors, Baca urged such individuals to follow these safety guidelines:

• Check area fire conditions before going to wildlands and strictly observe any restrictions on campfires, smoking, or equipment that may be in effect. Call or visit the nearest Federal or state land-management agency to find out if the fire danger is low, moderate, high, or extreme.
• Don't park cars, trucks, or recreational vehicles on dry vegetation. (The exhaust system on a vehicle can reach a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees -- and it only takes about 500 degrees to start a summer wildfire.)
• Use an approved spark arrester on all internal combustion-powered vehicles and equipment. This screen, which fits between the exhaust ports of the piston and muffler, helps ensure that sparks generated by vehicles and equipment don't start wildfires. Check and replace spark arresters periodically to ensure proper functioning.
• Maintain equipment properly.
• Clear the area around a campfire. Remove all vegetation and debris from within 10 feet before you start the fire.
• Keep fire-suppression tools handy. Make sure that you have a bucket of water, shovel, and other implements nearby in case your campfire starts to get out of control.
• Make sure a campfire is "dead out" before leaving. Stir water and dirt into the coals with a shovel or stick until the coals are cool enough to touch with your hands.
• Extinguish smoking materials properly. Put out cigarettes, cigars, or pipes only in cleared areas free of vegetation or debris.
• Don't use fireworks in wildland areas. (Fireworks are illegal on most wildlands.)

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