Prefire Management

Background

Prefire management projects change fire risk, fire hazard and exposure of values at risk before a major fire occurs, thereby reducing potential fire costs and losses. Fire prevention programs generally target reductions in the rate of ignitions in an area, leading to a lower risk of a fire occurring. Prescribed fire, thinning, fire and fuel breaks and other forms of vegetation management generally reduce the intensity or the rate of spread of a fire once it does occur, leading to a lower fire hazard. Firesafe regulations governing clearance around structures and road access, as well as land use planning governing the location of new developments, affect the likelihood that a fire will cause significant losses, thereby lowering the exposure of those values to fire.

FRAP is developing more precise information on the performance of prefire management projects. While there is little doubt that prefire management projects contribute to the fire management solution, a lack of detailed data on the economic performance of various prefire management techniques hinders the justification of an appropriately-funded prefire management program.

Literature Review and Strategic Analysis

Prefire effectiveness in fire management -- a summary of state-of-knowledge: provides a review of all prefire management components - prevention, fuels management, land use planning - with an extensive list of references.

The effectiveness of fuels management: a summary including appropriate references.

Under what conditions will prefire management projects affect fire suppression workload, costs and losses?: an examination of the mechanisms by which prefire management might change risk, hazard, costs of suppression, and losses to the larger society.

Modeling Studies

How Prefire Management Projects Helped in the Old Gulch Fire: how might the course of the Old Gulch fire have changed if fuels in certain areas had not been treated?

Evaluation Requirements

Prefire evaluation framework: proposes performance measures by which to evaluate the effectiveness of prefire management projects and describes the data and information systems needed to quantify performances measures over time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact David Sapsis via e-mail at dave.sapsis@fire.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 445-5369

Last edited on October 23, 2006 by Lauren McNees