Field Exercise on Working at Multiple Scales
Lake Chelan, WA
Overview of 2018 National Fire Networks Workshop
By Don Amador, FireScape Mendocino Core-Team Lead
Date: 6/5/2018
As a Core-Team Lead for FireScape Mendocino, I had the
privilege to attend the National Fire Networks Workshop (May 22 – 25, 2018) in
Wenatchee, WA.
It was the 1st time all of the five wildland fire
networks* - (Fire Learning Network (FLN)Fire Adapted Communities Learning
Network (FAC Net),Indigenous Peoples Burning Network (IPBN), Prescribed Fire
Training Exchange (TREX) Coaches Network, Washington State Fire Adapted
Communities Learning Network (WAFAC)- met together to advance our collective
work in ecosystems and communities in North America.
Attendees at National Fire Networks Workshop
Wenatchee, WA
The Network objectives were to advance place-based work
via peer-to-peer learning and by facilitating more cross-network action; strengthen
relationships across networks; strengthen intra-network relationships, and
facilitate network evolution and improvement; and distill lessons from the 2014
and 2015 wildfires in central Washington.
For me, the networking and/or cross-pollination with
other fire practitioners (local, state, federal, Native American, non-profits,
et al.) was golden. Each day was a
“full day” where one networked at breakfast – then attended informative modules
– and then networked again during dinner and
afterwards.
Waterfall at Wenatchee Convention Center
I found inspiration, encouragement, and hope for our continued
efforts at FireScape Mendocino.
One of the most significant presentations at the
conference was made by the Mayor of Paternos, Carlene Anders, and other members
of the Okanogan County Long Term Recovery Group. The Group was formed in response to the 2014
Carlton Complex wildfire which was the largest wildfire disaster in the history
of Washington State.
Slide from Presentation on Fire Recovery Efforts in WA
The presentation included emotional testimony from local
families who were devastated by massive wildfires over the last few years. Disaster Case Managers also described their
efforts to gain the trust of displaced residents in order to secure critical
resources (grants, donations, volunteers, etc.) to help them rebuild their
lives.
I urge readers to visit their website link below to review
information and videos about their herculean efforts.
The conference provided a lot of formal and informal
learning opportunities to assist fire practitioners and collaboratives build
capacity for fire and fuel projects on both private and public lands.
The Washington State Fire Adapted Communities Learning
Network (WAFAC) gave an excellent presentation where they highlighted their
program.
WAFAC states that fire adapted communities use many tools
and programs to better live with wildfire.
The Firewise Communities USA program is one tool available to
communities but is not the only tool.
Programs such as Ready, Set, Go! as well as local codes and ordinances,
Community Wildfire Protection Plans, collaborative planning efforts, business
resilience activities, local mutual aid agreements, fire department capacity,
and more all help adapt a community to live with wildfire.
WAFAC also states there is no right or wrong time to
become more adapted to wildfire. And,
that communities taking action to better prepare for, respond to, or recover
from wildfire can all become fire adapted.
The recovery phase of wildfire can bring communities together just as
effectively (and at times, even more effectively) than the time before a
wildfire.
Check out more about WAFAC’s efforts at link below:
I believe the various megafires and numerous wildfires
that have occurred over the last 3-10 years in the West have created the
“perfect political storm” to help foster the political will in Western States
to enact substantive political reforms to encourage and support
fire/fuel/forest health projects on both private and public lands.
Several political events that might signal said sea
change are as follows:
WA Governor, Jay Inslee, Talks About His Support for Prescribed Fire Projects
Governor Jay Inslee attended our event and highlights
his/WA’s commitment to support more fire/fuel projects (see attached pic)
Forest Service and BLM Fire Leads from their Washington
D.C offices were there to actively participate in the workshop and experience
the collective power of the group to effect change to support enhanced fire and
fuel projects in the country.
Governor Brown recently issued another executive order to
bolster our efforts
Liz Rank, Publisher of the Networker, sent out highlights
of a historic “3 week” burn permit in Nor Cal (see narrative below and also
link to the Networker)
News from the Field
California: In a show of support for its growing
partnership with the Cultural Fire Management
Council (CFMC), CAL FIRE recently issued a three-week
permit to CFMC for controlled burning. The burns are part of the family-led burning program of the
Yurok-Hupa-Karuk IPBN, and burns enable cultural fire practitioners to revitalize traditional
fire practices. Multiple TREX in the area have prepared CFMC to work with families to safely complete
these burns.
I believe that FireScape Mendocino is well poised to
build on our collaborative efforts over the last 5 years to increase the
number, size, and scope of fuel treatments on public and private lands.
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