ISSUE #26: Burn Baby Burn

Fire is a feature, not a bug, our of fire district's policy

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our first-ever guest essayist, Diane Barker!

Diane is a well-known fire safety advocate in the community. In this essay, she lays out why our local backcountry fire policy guarantees we will have forest fires and how the policy endangers the Wood River Valley. While the opinions expressed are her own, she has done the work to understand the flaws in the system.

The Bench Lake Fire and its devastation is a portent of what we can expect.

If you have worked on a community-wide issue and have insights to share, I’d be happy to speak with you about guest writing for The Ketchum Sun.

Thank you, Diane, for breaking the ice!

Also, we hit 575 subscribers this week. If you know someone interested in a different perspective, please share this with them. Thanks!

We are Sitting Ducks

If you have lived in the Wood River Valley for any length of time, you know that wildfire is a big risk we face as a community.  Not enough is being done by local officials and public land managers to prevent wildfires from devastating our community.  The Bench Lake Fire is another example of how we need to improve our approach to fire prevention. 

The Forest Service and BLM own thousands of acres in Blaine County.  People from all over the world come to camp for free. By my count, there are over 200 dispersed campsites in our valley.  Having a campfire is seen as intrinsic to the camping experience for many.  The problem is that over 30% of campfires are not properly extinguished.  So, while the BLM and Forest Service encourage campfires, these land managers do little to ensure the campfires are properly extinguished. 

Residents of Blaine County are left as sitting ducks.  Our health, lives, businesses, communities, and loved ones are put at risk of permanent loss so that some visitors to public lands can have the fleeting pleasure of a campfire in the canyons surrounding our valley.

In times of elevated wildfire risk, public land managers COULD protect the safety and welfare of our community by implementing Stage 1 fire restrictions.  But they never do it in a timely fashion.  Why do they roll the dice every year? I wondered why and began doing research. 

Rolling the Dice on Fire Safety

I learned that the BLM, Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Lands annually prepare the “Idaho Fire Restrictions Plan.”  The Plan divides Idaho into seven “Fire Restrictions Districts.”  Blaine County is located in the South Idaho District.  All districts (except the South Idaho District) utilize the same basic “criteria” to guide the implementation of fire restrictions. 

Some of these criteria include objective metrics like:

• Live Fuel Moisture Content equals X.

• Fire Danger Rating Adjective Class is “very high” or “extreme” (this is the Smokey the Bear sign you see).

• Adverse fire weather conditions and risks are predicted to continue, according to the National 7-Day Significant Fire Potential website.

• Three-day mean Energy Release Component is equal or greater to X.

• 1,000-hour Time Lag Fuel Moisture is less than or equal to X.

These criteria are measurable.  These criteria are objective.  Fire restrictions in all districts (except the South Idaho District) can be implemented when any THREE criteria are met.  This seems a reasonable approach to fire prevention.

Only our district, the South Idaho District, is different.  Our district adds two additional criteria to the list. 

• “Wildfires caused by campfires are occurring more frequently compared to the historical average for the time of year.” 

• “Targeted prevention measures have not significantly decreased the number of escaped campfires, and implementing stage 1 fire restrictions will likely reduce abandoned or escaped campfires outside of designated recreation sites.  Targeted prevention includes press releases, radio announcements, social media and patrols to locations where abandoned/escaped campfires are being consistently reported”. 

This makes zero sense. I asked one BLM manager, “How do you measure for this criterion? Do you do surveys or something like that?”  The answer was no. I pressed further and asked, “Do you see that this relies on some random member of the public to report an abandoned campfire and that not everyone is going to report that?”  No answer. This criterion has no place in any fire prevention plan. It is idiotic.

Read that first one.  To get Stage 1 Fire Restriction to prevent wildfires, there have to be wildfires first.  THIS IS NUTS.

As ridiculous as this is, at least it can be measured.  But the next criterion is tips the Southern Idaho District into the downright dangerous.   ALL CRITERIA MUST BE MET before restrictions are implemented, including SID’s additional two non-sensical criteria.  If one cannot even be measured, how is it ever deemed to have been met? You guessed it!  It all comes down to some people's opinions.  And in the opinion of the BLM land managers, “Fire restrictions should be considered one of the last prevention tools used.”   

Think about that for a minute.  Only one of seven Idaho fire districts has decided that there must be fires already happening before fire restrictions are put into place.  Even then, they don’t want to put fire restrictions in place.

Burn Baby Burn

It is discomforting to know that the land managers in our district resist implementing fire restrictions.  By their policy and by their actions, they don’t believe in them.  Yet, their counterparts in other states believe in them, calling fire restrictions “one of the most effective fire prevention tools” they can use.  As I write this (July 14^th), much of the West has fire restrictions.

But not Southern Idaho.  It has already been a knuckle-biter summer with hot windy weather.  The US government says we are experiencing “critical fire weather” in our area.  Our preparedness level nationally is at a PL 4.  That means resources are growing thin.  Logically, we should prevent every possible ignition, including the 30% of unextinguished campfires surrounding our valley in free dispersed campsites.

Vox Clamantis in Deserto

We as a community must do something about this.  I have tried to engage the Blaine County Commissioners.  Here is the email I sent them on May 28^th:

Dear Commissioners McCleary, Davis, and Mollineaux,

I hope this letter finds you well. I'm reaching out to discuss an issue of critical importance to our community, particularly in light of the recent wildfires that have devastated many regions across the country.  

You may have seen my recent guest opinion in the Idaho Mountain Express regarding wildfire prevention. I'm writing to express my concerns about the current approach to fire restrictions in Blaine County, specifically regarding public lands. On separate occasions, I've engaged with two commissioners regarding implementing fire restrictions, only to be told they have no authority over public lands. However, recent discoveries suggest otherwise.

In my research, I came across a fire restrictions order from Jefferson County, Colorado, which indicated that the county sheriff had the authority to implement such restrictions, including on public lands. Intrigued by this, I contacted Brian Keating, their Fire Management Officer, who confirmed that the county had successfully asserted its authority over fire restrictions on public lands with the support of the Forest Service national headquarters.  Brian said that about a decade ago, the local community grew frustrated by the Forest Service's constant resistance to implementing fire restrictions.  So, they "pushed the issue" with the local Forest Service office, which "ran it up to the national office."  The FS national office agreed that the county was within its power, as granted by Colorado Statutes, to implement fire restrictions on all land in the county, including Forest Service land.  There was no lawsuit, just an administrative review.

Upon further investigation, I discovered more powerful provisions in Idaho statutes (31-831 through 31-834), which clearly grant county commissioners the power and duty to protect citizens from catastrophic situations, including wildfires on neighboring public lands. These statutes outline the authority to declare a catastrophic situation, demand abatement, and pursue legal measures to protect the public. These codes are very clear:

31-831.  ABATEMENT OF CATASTROPHIC PUBLIC NUISANCE — DEFINITIONS. As used in sections 31-831 through 31-834, Idaho Code:

(1)  "Catastrophic public nuisance" means a condition on federal land where natural resources and biota have been managed or neglected to such an extent as to cause:

(a)  The threat of a catastrophic wildfire demonstrated by stand density, basal area or ground fuel load greater than one hundred fifty percent (150%) of land health standards or an insect or disease infestation severe enough to threaten the mortality of at least twenty percent (20%) of the trees in the forestation area; or

(b)  A condition in the area that threatens the quality or quantity of the public water supply of a county, the health, safety or welfare of the citizens of a county, the air quality of a nonattainment area, or the vegetative resources required to support land health and authorized livestock grazing

Despite the prevailing belief that Idaho counties have no jurisdiction over fire restrictions on public lands, I firmly believe that our commissioners have both the power and the duty to act. The recent Forest Service Wildland Fire Risk to Communities Map underscores the urgency of this matter, highlighting Blaine County's high risk of wildfire as being greater than 88% of other counties in the United States. It is reckless to allow campfires in every canyon surrounding our community, especially in light of this heightened risk. The BLM and the Forest Service have demonstrated for decades that they resist implementing fire restrictions, even when it is dangerously hot and dry. This constitutes a gross mismanagement of our natural land resources. The Forest Service map: Wildfire Risk to Communities

I am also inspired by the proactive measures taken by officials in Flagstaff, Arizona. They managed to get the Forest Service to ban campfires for miles around the city to "protect the public health and safety from the threat of human-caused wildfires." (attached). Similar orders are in place in many communities across the West, demonstrating that effective wildfire prevention requires leadership at the county level.

Moreover, the economic repercussions of wildfires cannot be ignored. I've personally witnessed my neighbor's insurance premiums double, and insurers are withdrawing from parts of our county due to wildfire risk. Insurers use historic wildfire data in an area to rate risk. The more fires we have, the higher the risk, increasing premiums. This trend will likely continue unless we take decisive action to reduce ignition sources.

As insurance rates increase, monthly housing costs become less affordable, driving property values down. This may not be the case for the ultra-wealthy in Ketchum/Sun Valley, but it will certainly impact the working citizens of Blaine County, who already suffer from unaffordability.  See this recent article from Colorado: Colorado's mountain communities experiencing issues obtaining fire insurance - CBS Colorado (cbsnews.com)

Therefore, I urge our commissioners to exercise their authority and implement comprehensive fire restrictions, annually and automatically, in Blaine County from May 1 to October 1 each year. This proactive measure is essential to safeguarding our community and preventing future devastation as well as protecting property values and keeping housing affordable.  

Since the Idaho Statute gives the public lands managers 30 days to respond, it clearly will not happen this May, but it could be in place by July 1st when the weather gets hot and windy.   You might be surprised,  maybe the FS and the BLM will work with the county immediately just by requesting abatement.  Of course, campers should be able to have propane fire pits, cooking equipment, and wood fires at a hosted campground, and property owners should be able to continue to have wood campfires in their backyards.  All of this is described in Stage One Fire Restrictions.

I stand ready to support any efforts to enact these crucial measures, and I encourage you to share this letter with anyone who can help advance this cause.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you would like to see articles about the wildfire and insurance situation, see my Facebook page here: Facebook

Diane Barker

If you are still reading this, it’s probably because you know that our community is at risk when someone lights up a campfire in one of our canyons.  The climate has changed.  We need to do whatever we can to reduce wildfire ignitions.  We can prevent wildfires by implementing stage 1 fire restrictions automatically every year.  It costs nothing.

People can still camp and enjoy the outdoors.  They can go to a hosted, fee-charged campsite and have a wood fire, or they can go to a free dispersed campsite and use a much safer propane “campfire.” 

Nothing will change until you voice your concerns to local leaders.   We need to ask for change.  Start with your county commissioners and elected City officials.  They can and should take action on behalf of the citizens of Blaine County.

If you want to learn more, including about homeowners’ insurance issues due to wildfire, search Facebook for Save Western Forests for more articles. 

Update: On July 17^th, the Forest Service ignored the criteria and implemented fire restrictions in the Sawtooth National Forest. But….our valley is surrounded by BLM land, and the BLM is adhering to the idiotic criteria it created. Let’s hope that next year, the Forest Service managers insist on a more reasonable set of criteria or implement them automatically on a certain date, like June 1^st.

If you have any questions or want to help change this situation, contact me at savewesternforests@gmail.com