When it comes to wildland fires, northwestern Wyoming has dodged the bullet this year. However, Teton County Fire Marshal Kathy Clay says even now, it is not the time to become nonchalant.
“I feel real good with the moisture we have in the ground. It would take a quite a bit of drying and exposure on the south slopes – the grasses could dry out again, but I feel that we’ve hit the mark this year and made it through, certainly the worst of our wildland fire season.”
Clay says this is a good time to evaluate how fire-safe our homes are, particularly in the urban interface areas.
“Think about some capital investment in your home. If you have an old wood-shake roof, you should be planning on that financial cost of replacing that roof covering. It’s the most threatened spot of your home in a wildland fire through the acts of radiant heat, or the act of direct flames, or the act of embers. Your roof is the achilles’ heel of your house — make sure it’s well protected.”
Clay also points to wooden decks as a vulnerable spot that can bring a wildland fire into a home. She says scientists are predicting that it is going to continue to be dry in the years to come and we are going to continue to have long fire seasons. She says there’s no better time than now to get educated about new methods for people to protect homes and protect themselves in the event of a wildfire and what to do when an evacuation is called.
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