Keeping fire at bay: Village and county approve updated wildfire protection plan

Aug. 22--Every five years, fire officials from multiple agencies collaborate on an update to the Lincoln County and Greater Ruidoso Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan that shows the progress and accomplishments since the last revision.

The plan also sets the priorities for the next five years and is used as documentation when applying for grants for wildfire mitigation projects and to help develop specific plans to handle localized risks, said Village Forestry Director Dick Cooke.

The Ruidoso Village Council and the Lincoln County Commission approved the revised plan at their respective meetings in August.

The Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 provides the impetus for wildfire risk assessment and planning at county and community levels, Cooke said.

"Every agency in the county participated and (the study) is used extensively for applying for grants," Cooke told village councilors at their meeting last week.

"It's a requirement that you have an approved plan to apply for more grants. It's a collaborative agreement among people in the county. This is strategy that is going to be used to protect resources, primarily residential and infrastructure.

"This year we decided instead of just updating, it was going to be a complete rewrite. Laura Doth (executive director of South Central Mountain Resource Conservation and Development), and Rick Merrick (county forester) put the plan together and we had many meetings. She did a whole lot of work for us."

Doth said the plan helps prioritizes thinning projects and targeted forest management areas. The process is "extremely collaborative" involving the state forestry, soil and water conservation districts and the Ruidoso forestry department.

"We included all the great work forestry has done in Ruidoso listed in previous projects and what we want to be able to do in the future, the next five years," Doth said.

"All issues were discussed. This goes to the state by Sept. 1. They approve and then post it online, and this becomes the cornerstone for many grants we write. We refer to this document as our plan."

Insurance rates

Ruidoso Fire Chief Cody Thetford said that the village's Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating is excellent and premiums for homeowners have remained steady for those who live in the village

Thetford said increases being reported have mostly have occurred in unincorporated areas of Lincoln County.

"The (ISO) reviewed 99 participating fire departments and rated them from one to 10, one being the best," he explained.

"They come in and grade fire departments," he said, adding that the village infrastructure of fire hydrants, water supply, fire stations, staffing, training, response time, dispatch capabilities and firefighting equipment helped achieve a rank of two.

"It's something we continuously work on," he said.

Thetford said some who live outside the village were notified that rates would increase -- including areas such as Sun Valley, Cedar Creek and along sections of Gavilan Canyon.

"Those are outside the village. We've remained steady. They had big increases. It comes down to what county needs to do to help the citizens in those areas," Thetford said.

Thetford said Ruidoso's designation as an "at risk" community when it comes to wildfires has caused some confusion.

A USA Today report on "at risk" communities nationwide published in the Ruidoso News showed the village had a wildfire hazard potential of of 3.98 -- a designation that factors slope, vegetation and historic weather data such as precipitation and wind speed to determine risk. Wildfire hazard potential is measured on a scale of 1 to 5.

Councilor Susan Lutterman asked how community leaders could help clarify the issue with the public and with insurance companies.

Thetford said he informed area real estate professionals and others about the excellent rating, as well as the insurance companies.

"There's no other way," Mayor Lynn Crawford said. "That newspaper article that came out was nationwide and listed us (at risk)."

But most of the insurance companies who cover local properties have not imposed significantly higher premiums, Crawford said.

"My insurance has not gone up," he said.

That dilemma is a significant part of what the CWPP addresses, Doth said.

"You know how expensive it is to do these projects," she said. "As funding comes available, we work with state forestry and private homeowners on cost share programs, 50-50. It's small bites of the elephant. Once they thin (the number of trees) on their properties and meet state forestry guidelines, they are able to take (documentation) to their insurance provider and say here's proof I reduced the risk of wildfire."

Councilor Tim Coughlin said, "I wish the county would come up with some type of thinning ordnance. If we get a good fire off Paradise Canyon (in an unincorporated patch), it's so packed, a fire would go right up Moon Mountain.

"I thank goodness that's pretty well thinned, but we need to work together to ensure (the community's) safety."

Compliance can be a challenge, as many home owners don't live in the county full time, Doth said.

The plan

The plan is countywide with an emphasis on the protection of communities and other economic and ecological values, according to the document.

Historically fire was a major ecological influence in shaping the natural vegetation. The threat of wildfire continues, but the wildfire threat presenting a risk to human welfare and economic and ecological values is more serious today than in the past, because of a build-up of hazardous fuels, communities and other infrastructure within proximity to forest and rangelands, and a lack of public understanding of wildfire, the plan states.

The goals of the 2019 Lincoln County Community Wildfire protection plan are to reduce the risk of wildfires to the residents, firefighters, property, and natural resources of Lincoln County.

The update builds on previous assessments on those to develop a document

that will guide future community protection and mitigation efforts. The plan provides a framework for the community to show how it has addressed wildfire risk and what still needs to be accomplished, according to the document.

The County Community Wildfire Protection Plan aims to:

Educate residents regarding wildfire risk and shared responsibility.

Reduce fuel loading around our homes, infrastructure, communities, and forests.

Decrease structural ignitability of our homes, business and buildings.

Manage forested areas to promote forest health and foster resilience.

Identify areas where landowners and land management agencies can work collaboratively.

Reporter Dianne Stallings can be contacted at dstallings@ruidosonews.com.

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