NFPA Journal - Summer 2022 - 41

This kind of wildfire behavior-big,
fast, and aggressive, in ways never
observed before-has become the norm,
not just in the western US but in fireprone
areas around the world. It is
also a clear indicator that a proactive
approach is the only approach for communities
in fire country. Like many of
the most vulnerable communities, Grizzly
Flats is relatively isolated. Resources
are scarce, and help is distant. Homes
and other structures can be tucked
away down narrow, winding roads.
One resident we talked to told us about
her early brush-clearing efforts on her
property, when she discovered that a
neighboring home was located just a
few hundred feet away, hidden by the
dense-and dangerous, in the event of
a wildfire-undergrowth. Mark Almer
estimates that between 25 and 40 percent
of Grizzly Flats residents were
doing some kind of wildfire mitigation
work on their properties. The Grizzly
Flats Fire Safe Council holds annual
Firewise Day events and barbecue
fundraisers that include guest speakers
who emphasize the importance of fire
prevention and preparedness. Annual
cleanup days are held where property
owners can get rid of heaps of pine needles,
brush, and other combustibles at
drop-off Dumpsters.
But the reality in a place like Grizzly
Flats is that a mitigation participation
rate of 25 to 40 percent isn't nearly
enough. Ideally, it would be closer to
80 percent or higher. More contiguous
properties working together to reduce
vegetation and harden homes and other
structures means a reduced chance
of home ignition and of those fires
spreading. Burning homes can produce
embers the size of dinner plates, which
can easily ignite surrounding buildings
and vegetation. That said, fire behavior
is influenced by a host of factors,
including terrain, wind, and other conditions,
and there are many unknowns
when trying to determine why some
homes survive and others don't. Case in
point: Grizzly Flats experiences a diurnal
valley wind pattern, meaning the
prevailing winds reverse direction each
day. The Caldor Fire burned through
in one direction, then returned as the
winds shifted. Homes that survived the
first pass were destroyed in the second.
From what Aron and I observed in
Grizzly Flats, and from what we heard
from property owners, the key to minimizing
fire damage was to start at the
home and work your way out. At the
home, it was those fundamental things
like metal roofs and noncombustible
building materials, then keeping gutters
and porches clear, clearing out
debris from under the home, and thinning
vegetation and raking leaves and
needles from the surrounding property.
Most of the homes that were lost in
Grizzly Flats had done relatively little
mitigation work; those that survived
had made moderate to significant
changes, like the Almers. Yes, these are
mostly working people with limited
time and resources, but to live with
fire in a place like this you have to
find a balance between those available
resources and doing the necessary mitigation
work to at least give yourself a
fighting chance.
To live with fire in a highrisk
community means
finding a balance between
available resources and
doing the necessary
mitigation work to at least
give yourself a fighting
chance.
Grizzly Flats also demonstrated that
we need to appeal to many more property
owners in fire-prone communities
to get involved in mitigation efforts.
We can do that by working with states
to provide community grants that
help residents pay for improving their
wildfire footprint on the ground. We
can work with the insurance industry
to support residents who are being
proactive. Just recently, California's
insurance commissioner announced
a new interagency partnership, Safer
from Wildfires (insurance.ca.gov),
that aligns with guidelines created by
NFPA and the Insurance Institute for
Business & Home Safety and supports
property owners working to minimize
wildfire risk. We can also lean
on people like Mark and Susan Almer
to act as community leaders to show
their neighbors how it can work, in
ways large and small. Mark and other
residents of Grizzly Flats are already
talking about building a Firewise
demonstration area to help residents
understand what that wildfire mitigation
looks like.
As Aron and I prepared for the drive
back to Sacramento, I was struck by
a sudden realization of what it must
have been like for the fire crews that
responded to Grizzly Flats. It must have
looked overwhelming as they drove up
to the town: the steep slopes, the small
roads, so many vulnerable homes and
buildings dotting the landscape. The
wind would have been intense. I could
imagine them looking around, with
the fire close and growing rapidly, and
wondering what they were doing there
and how they were going to stay safe.
With the severity of the conditions, I
imagine their response was limited and
that they were very deliberate about
where they put resources. Even so, it
would've been a long 24 to 48 hours in
those burning hills.
Grizzly Flats these days is a hum
of activity. The natural sounds of
the forest are replaced by the din of
chainsaws as crews remove damaged
trees. Large trucks haul out debris
from destroyed properties. The water
company is working to restore water to
remaining properties and chase down
leaks in buried water pipes, a side-effect
of the oversized vehicles pounding
up and down the tiny roads.
The people we met in Grizzly Flats
are hopeful that those displaced by the
fire will come back; some may, but many
others may not. The hope is that those
who do will build differently, maintain
their properties differently, and give
firefighters more opportunities to protect
and save homes. The first step is for
residents to acknowledge that wildfire is
a reality in their lives, and that they can
do something about it-and that people
like me can help. There are no guarantees,
but it's a start.
MEGAN FITZGERALD-MCGOWAN manages
NFPA's Firewise USA program and is based at the
Wildfire Division field office in Centennial, Colorado.
SCOTT SUTHERLAND, NFPA Journal editor, contributed
reporting and other material to this story.
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NFPA Journal - Summer 2022

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