Photo courtesy of Utah Fire Info
By Julie Johansen
A great storage of water in the local watershed and much precipitation in almost all of Utah leaves the state with an abundance of vegetation that, at this time, is just right for sparks. Wildfires burned thousands of acres in Utah last year and even more to date this year. Wildfires put both firefighters and the public in harm’s way. Over 50% of all wildfires are human caused, which behooves all us to be responsible and careful. All government agencies (FS, BLM, DNR, State of Utah, NPS) have put several helps on their website, www.utahfireinfo.gov, to help prevent these wildfires in Utah.
To protect the unique ecosystems in Utah, each citizen needs to become familiar with the fire restrictions and red flag warnings. Other precautions include not driving or parking on vegetation, know how to extinguish a campfire, always having a bucket or shovel handy, when using equipment outdoors be sure there is a spark arrestor present and report all wildfires or suspicious activities to 911. Always shoot in a safe place and never into dry grass.
The website also lists a checklist for defensible space around homes, cabins or buildings.
This checklist includes common sense items such as cleaning the roof of all flammable material, removing all tress within 10 feet of the flue, soak ashes or charcoal in water in a metal bucket before deposing, store gasoline in a safety approved can away from structures, keep area clean of vegetation and make sure propane tanks are far enough away that they can be turned off in emergencies.
Prohibited on public lands are exploding targets, fireworks, burning tires, wires, plastics and shooting tracer ammunition. At the present time, there are three large wildfires in Utah. As of July 4, Brian Head was 75% contained after weeks of fighting and thousands of firefighters, Rosebud was 65% contained while Cedar Hills was also at 75%. There are many other smaller fires and many caused by illegal use of fireworks on public lands.
As the 24 of July is approaching, let us all be fire smart and remember, “One less spark, one less wildfire,” as promoted by the Utah Fire Commission.