Arizona State Parks. 2020. About the Hotshot Crew: Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshots Crew. https://azstateparks.com/hotshots/the-hotshots/about-the-hotshots
The video, America Burning: The Yarnell Hill Tragedy and the Nation’s Wildfire Crisis, describes the tragic incident of 19 firefighters perishing in a wildland fire outside of their hometown. Many of the fire managers that spoke about this incident described how wildland fire is becoming more dangerous for numerous reasons. Such as, urban sprawl, the changing climate, and the fact that fires are burning faster and hotter than we’ve seen before (Weather Films, 2013). The Yarnell Hill fire is just an example of how fires are becoming even more unpredictable and dangerous to firefighters than ever before. To help improve the safety of our firefighters and communities congress initiated the Flame Act. The Flame Act of 2009 created a cohesive wildland fire management strategy to try and create more resilient landscapes, fire adapted communities, and safe and effective wildfire response for fire fighters (Forest Service, 2018).
Fire season is now 70 days longer than it was in the 80’s and we’re losing more homes, infrastructures, critical habitat and people (Forest Service, 2018). Urban sprawl is a growing issue, wildland firefighters are not to trained to deal with burning structures. In fact, they are taught to never go near or deal with burning structures. Homes and infrastructure pose many more threats to wildland firefighters. The cohesive wildland fire management strategy is an umbrella concept that asks all fire agencies and communities to work together to create these safer environments for everyone. The strategy needs community support to pre-treat large areas to build lower fire risk (Forest Service, 2018).
Fire managers are also working to create safer environments within firefighting by using natural and already existing fire breaks. The strategy was used on the Cow Fire of 2019. Managers of this larger fire used a strategy called “boxing”, where they utilize fire breaks like past burn scars and large forest service roads as control lines. This is managing the forest and fire rather than battling fire itself (U.S. Forest Service, 2019). This alleviates stress on fire handcrews to construct large fire breaks by hand. Fire crew’s thin edges of roads and create backburns that burn fuel towards the wildfire leaving nothing for it to continue to burn with. This is helping create safer environments for all our firefights and communities.
References
Forest Service. 2018. Cohesive Strategy Stakeholders Perspectives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=433&v=Xy06f0YZPt8&feature=emb_logo
Forest Service. 2019. Cow Fire: Proactive Fire Management in Action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=74&v=VBr3zBSBxP0&feature=emb_logo
Weather Films. 2013. America Burning: The Yarnell Hill Tragedy and the Nation’s Wildfire Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=953&v=begTiksUwqc&feature=emb_logo
3 replies on “Creating a Safer Environment”
Great post! It is imperative that communities receive education and engagement to better understand the situation firefighters are facing. Urban sprawl is impacting firefighter’s ability to safely prevent and suppress fires, not only because of the proximity of homes to fires but the general lack of understanding that needs to be done to prevent and suppress them. There have been budget cuts to educational programming as well as research all to compensate fire suppression, and I hope in the future funding can provide for all of these avenues to create a coherent effort to make firefighting safer for everyone involved.
Megan,
You are way better at this blog thin than I am. You did a really good job at breaking down the reading and I appreciate your use of images and links to references in your post. Your point about using “natural” fire breaks makes sense. Back when the national forests were logged on a regular rotation, these fire breaks already existed and were helpful for fire suppression. I think that introducing more thinnings and harvests in the forests would help to create an environment that would be better for fire suppression.
Thank you for sharing this powerful and sobering article. It reminded me of an inspirational speaker I heard at a conference a few years ago who shared a story strikingly similar to the Yarnell Hill tragedy. The speaker, a former wildland firefighter, spoke about the immense courage and resilience required to face such unpredictable and dangerous fires. What stayed with me most was their raw account of standing on the edge of catastrophe, making life-or-death decisions in the face of conditions that were rapidly evolving and often unforgiving.
The Yarnell Hill tragedy underscores the growing challenges firefighters face, from urban sprawl to the devastating effects of climate change. The speaker at the conference reflected on how the unpredictability of fires pushes teams to their physical and emotional limits. They emphasized that, while training prepares firefighters to handle specific situations, courage and adaptability are what truly define those who risk their lives to protect others.
Hearing about the sacrifices of those 19 firefighters who perished in the Yarnell Hill Fire was heart-wrenching. Stories like these remind us that resilience isn’t just about surviving but about honoring the legacy of those who didn’t make it and learning from their sacrifices to build a safer future. The Flame Act and strategies like “boxing” give me hope that progress is being made toward protecting these brave individuals and our communities.
What inspires me most is the unity and determination in these efforts. Whether it’s thinning roadsides, building fire-adapted communities, or creating resilient landscapes, it takes a collective commitment to overcome adversity. I left that conference with a deeper appreciation for those who dedicate their lives to fighting wildfires and a renewed determination to support efforts that make their jobs safer.
Their stories and actions show us what resilience and courage look like. They inspire us to act—not just to protect our landscapes and homes but to honor those who stand on the frontlines every fire season, knowing the risks yet facing them anyway.