Description

Planning and executing any prescribed burn can be considered a complex process. The complexities can grow exponentially, both in size and in number, if the burn is in the wildland urban interface (WUI). One of the variables that makes burning in the WUI so challenging, is the neighbors themselves. Rightfully or not, the neighbors are nervous about fire managers lighting fires in what they consider to be 'their backyard'. The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) has been burning in their neighbors backyards to restore ecosystems and reduce hazardous fuel loads since 1992. Along the way the staff from the SJRWMD have developed effective tools for communicating with their neighbors, and garnering their support. Since the inception of the District's fire program, I have had the pleasure of serving as the leader of the program. SJRWMD manages approximately 400,000 acres, much of it interspersed with high-end homes and condominiums; we typically burn approximately 30,000 acres each year. Steve 'Torch' Miller will share some of the lessons he has learned and the strategies and techniques used by District staff to get their neighbors in the WUI to say 'thank you' for burning their backyard. This webinar is hosted by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, the Joint Fire Science Program, and the International Association of Wildland Fire, and originally aired on June 13, 2013.