Hubbard Creek VFD prepares community for wildfire season

Hubbard Creek VFD prepares community for wildfire season News Staff Tue, 07/02/2024 - 4:23 pm Hubbard Creek Volunteer Fire Department member Tom Claybrook discussed the importance of preparation ahead of this year’s summer wildfire season at the Rotary Club of Breckenridge meeting. Photo/Mike Williams By Mike Williams news@breckenridgeamerican.com The Texas summer wildfire season is just over a month away. Hubbard Creek Volunteer Fire Department is spreading awareness of the causes of wildfire and how community members can prevent them. Tom Claybrook, member of Hubbard Creek VFD since it began in 2009 spoke Tuesday, June 25 at a Rotary Club of Breckenridge meeting. During the meeting Claybrook spoke about wildfire prevention and how each VFD works together with the Breckenridge Fire Department to keep the city and county safe. As the summer temperatures rise in late June and throughout July, the heat dries out vegetation in the county and creates a wildfire risk. The summer fire season in Texas runs from August through October. High winds, drought conditions and low humidity increase fire chances across the state. Another major factor in wildfires are humans. “Closer to 90% of all wildfires out here are human-caused,” Claybrook said. “Something that is done is flipping a cigarette out (of a) window, dragging a chain on a trailer or getting a flat (tire) and pulling onto the grass and the grass (ignites).” Claybrook said dry grass will ignite at around 500 degrees and the exhaust system in a car can get to 1,000 degrees. It can take less than two minutes of a hot car running idle on hot grass to start a fire. High winds can contribute to human-started fires by blowing embers up to a mile or more away from its source. This can cause fires community members are unaware of starting. With a large amount of ash and mesquite trees in the city and county, Claybrook said work can be at home to help prevent the spread of fire. “One of the things you can do to help yourself and help save your house is create a defensible space around your house,” he said. “Don’t let your shrubs or grass grow (too high). Go ahead and cut it. Get yourself 30 to 50 feet from your house. If a pasture fire goes through your fence into your yard, instead of being the grass being (a few) feet tall and rolling in hard on ya, when dropping to three inch grass you give yourself a chance to protect your house.” Claybrook also suggests stacking firewood away from structures and keeping gutters clean.Both Hubbard Creek VFD and the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) advise community members to have a plan in place in case an evacuation is required due to wildfire. The International Association of Fire Chiefs launched the “Ready, Set, Go!” program nationally in 2011. Administrated on the local level by local fire departments, this program provides steps to creating a defensible space around a fire resistant and wildfire-ready home along with a guide to creating a wildfire action plan. The plan creates two zones surrounding a home for a defensible space. Zone one extends 30 feet from building and other structures. Inside zone one, TFS advises to remove all dead or dying vegetation, trimming tree canopies to keep a minimum of 10 feet of distance from structures, removing combustible material away from decks, removing prune vegetation near windows and removing ladder fuels. Ladder fuels are low-level vegetation that allows fire to spread from the ground to tree canopy. This can be removed from trees by trimming low branches. Zone two extends 30 to 100 feet from buildings and other structures. TFS suggests keeping grass to a maximum of four inches and to continue trimming tree canopies to keep branches 10 feet from other trees. A family escape plan should include meeting location and communication plans with several evacuation points planned for the house. TFS suggests keeping multiple emergency supply kits that include emergency contact numbers. Emergency supplies include a three-day supply of water and food, first aid kit, flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batters, sanitation supplies, important family documents, prescriptions, lightweight valuables and phone chargers. These can be stored in a cooler to be taken at a moment’s notice. Claybrook suggests keeping an area map in the car. GPS systems will not always be available and road closures are possible during evacuations due to the fire. It is important to keep evacuations supplies prepared year-round. The winter wildfire season runs February through April. Colder, drier air combined with freeze-cured grasses a high winds increase wildfire chances in late winter into early spring. For more information on “Ready, Set Go!” and wildfire preparation, visit. tfsweb.tamu.edu/ProtectYourCommunity/ News