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Community Concerns <br /> In addition to prioritizing resources to protect,community and agency representatives developed <br /> a list of concerns regarding wildfire issues. They are listed below in order of priority; <br /> 1. Insufficient water infrastructure to adequately and quickly suppress wildfires,including <br /> dip tanks. <br /> 2. Inadequate fire suppression and support resources,such as rapid and on-site mapping <br /> capabilities and GPS technologies,vehicles,water tankers. <br /> 3. Regional and local planning and development standards that do not currently require <br /> community and subdivision designs to consider and/or mitigate fire risk: <br /> a. Landscaping and structural designs,materials,and placement often promote (or <br /> do not mitigate) fire risk; and <br /> b. Roads and highways are not always constructed with wide shoulders,fire lanes, <br /> emergency ingress/egress,or fuel mitigation in mind. <br /> 4. Fuel loading along roadsides,in community open areas,around and between individual <br /> homes and farms: <br /> a. Fuels breaks or areas of fuel reduction are desired around communities where <br /> possible and appropriate; <br /> b. Fuel reduction along roadsides,around houses and business,on large private <br /> property parcels,and in vacant lots is needed; and <br /> c. Need to develop and/or enforce community provisions that require fire fuels <br /> reduction on developed/undeveloped properties and by permanent/absentee <br /> landowners. <br /> 5. Lack of public awareness of the wildfire threat,to include lack of appropriate awareness <br /> by elected officials,planning agencies,large land owners,land managers,scientists,and <br /> homeowners (especially absentee owners)regarding: <br /> a. Fire history and fire hazards; <br /> b. Fire-mitigating landscaping techniques; <br /> c. Importance of mitigation; <br /> d. Fuels management tools and methods; and <br /> e. Common human-caused fire starts,such as roadside ignitions,fireworks,catalytic <br /> converters,greenwaste dumping,and arsonists. <br /> 6. Need to increase/integrate communication (protocols,equipment,pre- and post-fire <br /> planning)between state,federal,and county agencies,particularly to maximize initial <br /> attack capabilities and to utilize specialized wildland expertise and training for wildfire <br /> situations. <br /> 7. Need to reduce and/or control invasive species that possess inherent fire or ignition <br /> properties,e.g.ignite easily and/or carry fire easily. <br /> 8. Arson--It is not well known whether there is amnesty for reporting,nor what civil <br /> liabilities and penalties exist for arsonists. <br /> 9. Lack of emergency access staging areas and safety zones/areas within subdivisions for <br /> evacuation purposes. <br /> 10.Inadequate community egress and firefighting vehicle ingress during a wildfire <br /> a. Need to identify evacuation routes/roads within subdivisions; and <br /> b. Need to educate community about evacuation protocols. <br /> 21 <br />