More Fire Safety Information

Fire on Glorieta Mesa

Hi neighbors:
Below is information from Commissioner Holian at a community meeting in Glorieta. We'll be covering some of this information in our June meeting at Hondo 2, tailored specifically to Apache Ridge residents. You'll note that she mentions the SimTable, which we will have at our meeting. She also mentions the property hazard assessments, which we told you about in previous newsletters, including links to Apache Ridge properties.

More information to come regarding our All Neighbors Meeting soon...


c
Candelora Versace, Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com ~www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2011 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis, Michael Jerry, Tim Davis and Booth Gallett
ARPOA, 44 Apache Ridge Rd, SF NM 87505


Begin forwarded message:

From: Kathy Holian Date: May 22, 2011 10:55:46 AM MDT
To: Undisclosed-recipients: <;
Subject: More Fire Safety Information

Dear Santa Fe County residents:

I attended an excellent community meeting last Thursday in Glorieta (for the folks who live in the La Cueva area). The subject of the meeting was fire safety. Captain Buster Patty and Krys Nystrom of the County Fire Prevention Department were there, as well as Todd Haines from the Forestry Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, and several people from the Forest Service. I would like to pass along some important points from the meeting and again extend the offer to set up a similar meeting for your community if you are interested. ( I am shooting for the first week in June for a meeting for Sunlit Hills, Arroyo Hondo, and Los Cerros.)

Captain Patty and Krys brought the SimTable. This is a remarkable tool that helps firefighters (and residents) visualize in three dimensions how a fire might spread in a particular community given certain conditions (for example, point of ignition, wind speed and direction, etc.). The topographic contours for La Cueva were projected onto the sand in the SimTable (which is like a huge cat box.) Then the sand is molded into hills and valleys. A laser pointer is used to start a "fire". The observers can then watch the spread of the fire over time and space.

The experience of watching the spread of a fire in three dimensions drives home the point that, if unchecked, fires can move rapidly and can cut off escape routes in those communities where there is only one road in and one road out.

I also learned that the County Wildland Division staff have done property hazard assessments in a number of areas of the County that are particularly vulnerable. They have gone house to house to check for such factors as whether there is water available for fighting a fire, whether there are flammable materials around the house, and how accessible the area is to fire equipment. Each house that is assessed is placed onto maps and is color-coded as to the scale of vulnerability to wildfire.

If you would like to see whether your house has been assessed, please go to the http://www.sfcfire-wildland.com website. There is also a wealth of information about how you can make your home safer and about various fuels reduction projects sponsored by the County. You can also make an appointment to schedule an assessment of your own home.

The major question asked by the participants in the Glorieta meeting was "What should we do if a fire breaks out near where we live?" There is no one answer to that question. But, this is what I got out of the discussion:

1) First, if there is any possibility that the fire could spread toward where you live, leave as soon as possible with your pets and animals (if you can). The firefighters will do everything they can to save lives, but when fires are in an area that is difficult to access, the less people that they must try to save, the better.

By the way, if you evacuate with your horses, you can shelter them at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds. The person to call is Jim Butler of Rodeo de Santa Fe (505-316-5141).

2) If you cannot evacuate, it is better to stay home and wait for help. Going off on an unfamiliar dirt road is probably not a good idea unless there is no other choice.

3) If the fire is coming toward you, find a bare area that the fire might go around. It is always good to scope out possibilities in advance in your area.

Of course, it is always prudent to do some advance preparation. Creating defensible space around your home is one of the most important things that you can do.

There is a great deal of important information about this topic, and you can find excellent information on the above-mentioned website. Also, you can get your very own property assessment from our Fire Prevention staff.


Sincerely,
-Kathy

p.s. I am including a picture of the Ojo de la Vaca fire on 10th, courtesy of Chief Tom Chilton of the Hondo Volunteer Fire Department.








-Kathy Holian
4 Camino Cielo Azul
Santa Fe, NM 87508
505-995-9979
Kathleen.Holian@comcast.net