Planning fire prevention as communities grow into wildlands.

Fire, whether started by humans or by light-ning, is necessary and inevitable. It helpsmaintain the beauty and health of ourforests even though it seems destructive. Eachyear in Wisconsin, thousands of acres burn,

destroying dozens of structures and threatening hundreds more. Excluding fire from wildlands is not possible.

Today, however, a unique wildfire danger is grow-ing where homes and other structures are built inareas of highly flammable vegetation, creating acondition called the wildland-urban interface (WUI).The WUI can be a lone house in the middle of a for-est, a subdivision on the edge of a pine plantation, oreven homes surrounded by grassland. Adding build-ings to areas that historically burn interrupts the natural cycle of wildfires and creates a situationwhere homes and businesses potentially become justanother piece of burnable fuel during a wildfire. Increasingly, people are moving into wildland areaswithout adapting to the dangers around them.

Fire officials are greatly concerned when the struc-tures themselves are made of flammable materialsand built in remote areas where roads and drivewaysare narrow or sandy, making it impossible for emer-gency vehicles to reach them.

Unfortunately, even though housing in the wildland-urban interface is increasing, the numberof available firefighters and equipment is not in-creasing at the same rate.

We can start preparing for wildfire by working together. As homeowners, we can partner with othersin our community as well as local fire departments todevelop a safety plan in the wildland-urban inter-face. By planning how home sites are designed, builtand maintained in wildland areas, we can work together toward becoming “firewise.” Becoming firewise is a process, not an endpoint. That processincludes paying attention to the features on yourproperty and in your community that may start or spread a wildfire.

The goal is to prepare homes and businesses to survivewildfire without the intervention of the fire department, allowing firefighters to concentrate on controlling the firewithout having to make stands to save individual homes.

Jolene Ackerman is Wisconsin DNR’s wildland-urban interface coordinator.

2 Spreading Like Wildfire

Special challenges heat up where wildfires and urban life meet.Jolene Ackerman

Fighting

TOP: Fire training is an important tool in suppressing fires in the wildland-urbanarea. During an actual fire these firefighters will be outfitted in full gear.MIDDLE: The Crystal Lake Fire in 2003 melts the vinyl siding on this house.BOTTOM: A fire crowns in trees and throws embers across the highway.

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Spreading Like Wildfire 3

Much of life on Earth hasevolved with fire. Likestorms and floods, fire is apowerful force that can

give life or smother it. Fire has shapedmany of the ecosystems we know today,in Wisconsin and worldwide.

Wisconsin’s natural plant communi-ties at the time of settlement were a mixof grasslands, oak savannas and oakforests in the south and southwest, andconifer-hardwood forests and pine savannas (or barrens) in the north.These ecosystems evolved over thou-sands of years under many influences.One of the most important was fire. Firereturns nutrients to the soil, exposes soilso that seeds may germinate, releasesseeds from cones or hard seed covers, removes the thatch layer that shadessmall-statured species and plays manyother ecological roles.

While lightning strikes started manyfires, many more acres in North Ameri-ca were burned intentionally by NativeAmericans. Fire was used to clear theland for agriculture, improve forage forgame species, direct game migrationand clear brush to ease travel or pre-vent hostile forces from approaching.

In The Vegetation of Wisconsin, JohnCurtis writes: “In the early years of

settlement, the most important vegeta-tional effects were caused by the elimi-nation of fire.” European settlers limitedthe extent of wildfires with their plowedfields, dirt roads and forest clearings,causing major changes in the frequencyand extent of free running fire thatchanged the natural community.

In prairie and savanna regions ofthe state, land described as treeless byearly settlers quickly became coveredwith brush and forests as major settle-ments were established. Changes infire-dependent plant communitieswere rapid after about 1850. Prairies,pine barrens and oak savannas dis-appeared as the forest canopy closed.Many formerly common plants andanimals are now uncommon, andquite a few are listed as threatened orendangered.

Even with conservation efforts, onlya small percentage of vegetation repre-senting the original natural state re-mains and is largely maintained byfire such as prescribed burns.

Natural resources managers work tomimic the fire that plant communitiesexperienced naturally. Since most sig-nificant natural fires burned when thevegetation was dry in the spring andfall, this is when managed fires usually

are set. Using natural fire breaks suchas rivers or lakes, or manmade breakssuch as roads, mowed paths or plowedfire lines, land managers generallyonly burn a small portion of a protect-ed area at one time in order to avoiddamage to animal populations.

While state and federal agenciesconduct most management fires, pri-vate organizations such as The NatureConservancy, The Prairie Enthusiastsand many nature centers have pre-scribed burn programs as well.

role in

Shaping Wisconsin’s landscape.Nancy Braker

■ The Nature Conservancy’s Fire Initiative: http://nature.org/initiatives/fire/

■ National Park Service Fire Management Program Center: www.nps.gov/fire/

■ “Bibliography of Fire Effects and Related Literature Applicable to the Ecosystems and Species of Wisconsin,” Technical Bulletin No. 187, Wisconsin DNR

■ “Fire In America: A Cultural History of Wildland and Rural Fire” by Stephen Pyne

Nancy Braker works for The Nature Conser-vancy out of its Baraboo office and is fire man-ager for the Conservancy’s Wisconsin chapter.

nature

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munities can apply forgrants. The Volunteer FireAssistance (VFA) grantprogram is open to coun-ty fire associations andconsists of a 50 percentcost share grant usingfederal funding.

The Forest Fire Pro-tection (FFP) grant pro-gram is open to Wiscon-sin fire departmentswith wildfire suppres-sion agreements withDNR. The program alsoprovides a 50 percent

cost share using state and federalfunds.

“Fire suppression efforts statewideinclude training, community plan-ning and zoning,” Klahn says. “This

Chris Klahn,DNR coopera-tive fire special-ist, was a forest

ranger for 15 years andnow works with 870 firedepartments in Wiscon-sin planning for fightingfires. He also serves as theassistant fire chief inMontello.

“A vast majority ofWisconsin fire depart-ments are volunteer,”Klahn says. “Membersoften have other jobs,and make time to fight fires in theircommunities, train and help with res-cues after car accidents.”

Rural fire departments are our firstline of protection, Klahn says. Yet,

staffing and equipment aren’t growingat the pace that can keep up with theneeds of communities spreading intothe wildland-urban interface.

To meet these challenges, com-


A powerful fire fighting tool. Natasha Kassulke

Partnerships

TOP: Many fire department members, wildlife managers, students and citizens are trained infire suppression methods each year.

BOTTOM: Emergency fire wardens have been volunteering since 1895.

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includes writing mandatory drive-way widths into zoning laws and including fire protection in subdivisionplanning.”

The Spooner fire district, along withDNR, is asking homeowners to play alarger role in fire protection. The dis-trict consists of the City of Spooner and11 townships. The 322-square-mile fireprotection area is covered by a 35-per-son volunteer fire department.

“It’s a large area and keeps us active,”says Spooner Fire Chief Darren Vik.

Highly flammable pine is commonin the area. Many homes are beingbuilt in clusters surrounded by pineplantations and at the woods’ edge.Vik’s concern is that his departmentwon’t have the vehicles or manpowernecessary to make a stand against firesthat threaten multiple homes. Someareas also have limited access andsteep terrain.

Vik credits Ed Forrester, DNR areaforestry supervisor in Barron County,and Bob Focht, Spooner fire ranger,with suggesting a door-to-door inspec-tion program to get homeownersproactively working to minimize firerisks around their homes.

During his door-to-door visits, Vikexplains that the property is located inan area that historically was subjectedto periodic forest fires. The last cata-strophic forest fire in the area occurredin 1980 and destroyed over 150 build-ings. Since then, the number of struc-tures built in the St. Croix Riverdrainage basin has doubled. In thatsame period, the number of fire de-partments has remained the same andthe number of DNR fire units availablein the area has decreased.

Whether Vik finds people at home ornot, he leaves them information onproper leaf burning, burn barrel re-quirements, emergency vehicle accessand more.

Among the most common changeshomeowners make after his inspec-tions are widening driveways and cre-ating turnaround spaces for fire fight-ing vehicle access. Other changesinclude pruning trees to a height of sixto 10 feet above the ground, addingstone landscaping to create a defensi-ble space, moving firewood piles away

from homes and removing coniferbushes from around the home. Ever-green trees are generally much moreflammable than deciduous trees andare not recommended within 30 feet ofstructures.

During the inspections, Vik alsouses GPS (Global Positioning System) tolocate the main building on the proper-ty as well as map driveway dimensionsin the event of a fire. Under smoky con-ditions, these maps can be used to lo-cate structures and driveways.

“This is a wonderful program,” Viksays. “It’s been very well accepted byhomeowners who are not only protect-ing their homes but beautifying themin the process.”

Marquette County has included fireprevention information in its compre-hensive land use plan, and CrystalLake recently became Wisconsin’s firstrecognized “Firewise Community” forits efforts to plan for the fire season. InApril 2003, the northern MarquetteCounty community was threatened bya fire started near the Lake of theWoods Campground. Because of thefire’s intensity, 17 fire departments and DNR worked together to savemany threatened structures. The firewas finally contained after 572 acresburned. The cause was a large brushfire that had not been fully extin-guished.

After the fire, the communityworked with the Neshkoro Fire Depart-ment and local DNR to widen accessroads and thin vegetation. A chippingday was held to dispose of removedtrees. The community’s efforts paid off.They received lower insurance rates ontheir collectively owned wildland.

Decisions on where to invest time,energy and funding are increasinglybased on data and partnerships.

A research team from the College ofAgricultural and Life Sciences at theUniversity of Wisconsin — Madisonhas partnered with the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture Forest Service to analyze and combine census and vegetation data to create a map thatdefines at-risk communities in thewildland-urban interface. Wildland-urban interface maps are availableonline at: www.silvis.forest.wisc.edu.

Natasha Kassulke is associate editor of Wis-consin Natural Resources magazine. Spreading Like Wildfire 5

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About 1,500 fires annually burn

over 5,000 acres on lands pro-

tected by the Wisconsin Depart-

ment of Natural Resources.

Over 90 percent of these fires

are human-caused.

In the spring, a lack of rain

and high winds can add up to

especially bad fire weather.

Burning debris piles may be left

unattended and embers can re-

ignite a large fire. ATV riders and

other off-road motorists also

should be aware that grass and

leaves can collect around the

muffler and fall off causing a

fire. If you build a campfire,

clear all grass and leaves from

around the area. When you

put the fire out, pour water on

the ashes and make a slurry

to ensure that the fire is out.

wildfirecauses

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DebrisBurning

Arson

Ash Disposal/Campfires

Equipment

Matches

Smoking

5%

12%

7%

3%

3%

4%

7%

24%

PowerlinesFireworks

Other


How homes

Avoiding a recipe for disaster.

Fire needs heat, fuel and oxygento burn. If even one of these fac-tors is removed from the equa-tion, the fire is snuffed out. Fuels,

weather, topography and human be-havior influence the likelihood of a firestarting, as well as its speed, direction,intensity, and the ability to control andextinguish the wildfire. Weather cannotbe changed. Topography generally

remains the same. But fuels and humanbehavior can be altered. Thus, the great-est opportunity to reduce a wildfirethreat to your home lies in actively man-aging wildland vegetation and changingyour habits.

Fuels

Fire quickly moves through light fuels

like grass, fallen leaves, pine needlesand mulch. Fire lingers and burnsmore intensely in heavier fuels likewood decks and fences, firewood stacksand lawn furniture. Very heavy fuelslike trees and buildings can burn forlong periods and spread fire by produc-ing radiant heat and flying embers.

Fuels are arranged horizontally and vertically. Ground fuels consist of

Jolene Ackerman and John Hintz

1634Jean Nicolet explores Wisconsin. Fur traders andmissionaries follow.

1820The first European settlements arebuilt in south-west Wisconsin,following the discovery oflead. Much ofthe timber is cutand burned tomake room foragriculture.

1850Railroad construc-tion begins. Thefirst railroad intonorthern Wisconsin,the Wisconsin Central, is built in 1870.

1854A single wildfireruns from Amery to Iron River, a dis-tance of 140 miles.

1871Peshtigo fire: Thedeadliest fire in the nation’s history.Between 1,200 and 1,500 lives are lost and morethan 1.5 millionacres burn.

1887Marshfield burns to the ground.

1891 Comstock fire inBarron County destroys 64,000acres, the entirevillage of Barronett andalso burns structures in Shell Lake.

1894On July 27, thePhillips fire burnsover 100,000acres in PriceCounty, destroying400 homes andmuch of thedowntown area.Thirteen peopledie trying to escape by swimming acrossthe lake.

1900The “Golden Age”of lumberingreaches its peakin Wisconsin. Fueled by slashleft from the intensive loggingof the era, largecatastrophic firesare common.

Jim Gobel

igniteAn extreme fire danger day on April 14, 2003 led to thiscabin and several otherbuildings being lost.

Timeline Wiscons in ’s heated h is tor y.


combustible materials lying beneaththe surface including deep duff, roots,rotten buried logs and other organicmatter. Fires in ground fuels are usuallycalled “peat fires.”

Surface fuels consist of materialslying on or immediately above theground including pine needles, leaves,grass, downed logs, stumps, tree limbsand low shrubs.

Aerial fuels include green and deadmaterials in the upper forest canopy:tree branches, crowns, snags, mossand taller shrubs. “Crown fires” burnthese aerial fuels. Fires in coniferstands and pine plantations tend to bevery intense and difficult to control.

How these fuels are connectedaround a home can determine thechances of a structure surviving. Un-mowed grass, unraked leaves anddead branches are a continuous fuelsupply right up to a home’s siding.Breaking the chain of continuous fuelsup to and around a home can serve asa fuel break, slowing a fire and bring-ing it to the ground where firefightershave a better chance to stop it.

Weather

Temperature, relative humidity andwind speed are three significantweather factors affecting wildfire behavior. Higher temperatures preheatfuels by driving off moisture, which allows fuels to burn faster. Lower relative humidity and a lack of precip-itation lowers fuel moisture; dry fuels

burn more easily than fuels with higher moisture content.

Wind is the most important weatherfactor since it dries fuel and increasesthe supply of oxygen. Wind has thegreatest influence on the rate and direction of fire spread. In Wisconsin,wind direction almost always changesin a clockwise rotation, and winds tendto be the strongest in mid-afternoon.

Wisconsin’s wildfire weather is mostsevere during spring, between the timeafter the last snowmelt and before thevegetation “greens up.” Spring rainsand new green growth lessen the likeli-hood that wildfires will start andspread. The chances increase againduring late summer and fall when thevegetation begins to dry out. The com-bination of hot weather, high windspeed and dry vegetation creates

prime conditions for wildfires.

Topography

Topography plays a big role in how afire will behave. Steep slopes spreadfire rapidly. Minimizing fuels down-hill from a home can make a differ-ence when a wildfire threatens. Firetravels faster uphill, and afternoonwinds travel upslope as hot air rises,pushing fire even faster. Homes builton a hilltop need larger areas of defensible space, particularly on the downhill side. Aspect, or the direction a slope faces, also is a factor.North facing slopes tend to be moreshaded and moister with heavier fuelssuch as trees. South facing slopes tendto be sunnier and drier, with morelight fuels such as grasses.

Human behavior

When people live in fireprone environ-ments, their behavior becomes an important factor in predicting the lossof life and property. Narrow or sandyroads and driveways, limited access,lack of firewise landscaping, inade-quate water supplies and poorlyplanned subdivisions increase risk topeople living with the threat of wild-fire. Wildfire risk also increases whenpeople burn trash or light warmingcampfires.

Jolene Ackerman is the DNR’s wildland-urbaninterface coordinator. John Hintz is the forestrystaff specialist in the Wisconsin Rapids area.

Continued on page 8

1905Forest fire control begins,marked by appointing 249 town firewardens aroundthe state. While they have authority to hirefirefighters, they have noequipment.

1911First forest rangershired. The forestprotection head-quarters is estab-lished at Trout Lake.From this pointthrough the late1920s, organizedprotection spreadsacross the state asranger stations andlookout towers areconstructed.

1914National Fire Preven-tion Day inaugurated.

1915Jack Vilas pilots as the first forest fire patrol. The flight ismade from TroutLake. For the firsttime in Wisconsin’shistory, it is possibleto detect fires fromthe air.

1925Spring fires burn out of control until late May whenrains extinguish them.Rangers, equipped only with hand tools, are virtuallyhelpless. Later that year, a new burning permit law is enacted, which requirescitizens to obtain a writtenpermit before setting anyfires in a protection districtwhen the ground is notsnow-covered.

1930-34In the dust bowlera, severedroughts ravagethe state. Duringthis time about2,950 fires burn 336,000acres annually in Wisconsin.

1930One fire burns120,000 acres of marshland. Demand for moreadequate forestprotection builds.

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Juniper is highly flammable and should not beplanted near homes located in areas at risk of fire.

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Your home was your castle inmedieval times. High stonewalls, massive drawbridgesand deep moats protected you

against competing monarchies androving bandits.

Today, homes built in the wildlandcould take a tip or two from their medieval predecessors. Using non-flammable building materials and

landscaping plants, and providingample access for emergency vehicleswill improve the chances that yourmodern palace will survive a wildfire.

Many parts of a home are vulnerableto wildfire. The roof is the most exposedportion of a home exterior and is themost at risk from flying embers. Roofsnear any wildland area should be con-structed of noncombustible materials,


1933The Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) provides increased firefightingand completes essential improve-ments in fire protection efforts bybuilding standardlookout towers, firelanes and bridges.

1935The tractor plow is established as stan-dard fire suppression equipment. Drama-tically fewer largewildfires occur.

1936Chartered aircraft is used for detectingand reconnaissanceon fires.

1939Use of radios expands to aircraft, firefighters on theground and lookout towers.

1948Aldo Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac dieswhile fighting a grass fire be-tween Portageand Baraboo on April 28.

Is yourhome

Protect your property from wildfires.

Matt Duvall and Jolene Ackerman

1951Smokey Bear makes first public appearance in Wisconsin (Hurley).

1959On May 1, a runningcrown fire in BurnettCounty burns 17,560acres, causing $201,889 damage.

1960sThroughout the 1960s, an averageof 1,880 fires burn8,700 acres each year.Railroads are the leading cause of fire.

firewise?

Making your home “firewise” includes having anadequate driveway for fire trucks to be able to turnaround and (inset) stone and water are excellentfire breaks.

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and all roofs and gut-ters should be keptclean of pine needles,leaves or other burn-able material.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y,homes are oftenmade of materialsthat melt or ignitewhen exposed to heator flames. Considerusing fire-resistantsiding and logs, ma-sonry or stucco. Vinylsiding and soffits,when exposed to heatfrom a wildfire, willmelt and fall awayfrom structures, leav-ing a passageway forembers to ignite insulation or enter theattic. Airborne embers also can enterattics through open eaves or vents. Forthese reasons, it is especially importantto keep flammable objects like shrubsand firewood stacks away from build-ings and keep eaves and vents coveredwith a tight mesh screen.

Anything attached to your home,such as a deck, fence or garage canalso carry fire into your home. Decksshould be enclosed to keep debris fromcollecting underneath. Keep flamma-ble vegetation and debris away fromthe base of your deck, fence andgarage. These are the same placeswhere flying embers will collect shoulda fire occur in your neighborhood.

Windows can transmit radiant heat

and break underheat stress. Temperedor double-panedglass windows willprotect a home betterthan single-panedwindows during awildfire. Most impor-tantly, keep flamma-ble objects awayfrom windows.

Clean and inspectyour chimney atleast once a yearand use a chimneycap with a spark arrestor. Keep a gar-den hose that is long enough toreach any area of

your home and any other structures onyour property. Develop a water supply.Water can be supplied from nearbycreeks, rivers, lakes, ponds and evenswimming pools.

Nearly every home has some toolsthat can be used in the event of a wild-fire. People living in fireprone areasshould have some fire protection toolson hand. Shovels and rakes can beused to create a firebreak around yourhome. And, of course, fire extinguish-ers should always be on hand.

In the fire protection world, 30 feetaround the home is known as “defensi-ble space.” In this space, all treesshould be pruned and kept widelyspaced. Evergreen trees and shrubsshould be kept to a minimum. Remove

dead, dying and diseased plants orplant parts. Maintain a vegetation-freezone three feet wide around all struc-tures. Create “island” gardens that areseparated by nonflammable featuressuch as lawns or stones. Choose plantswith fire-resistant qualities. Succulentplants, deciduous trees and shrubs, andplants with thick leaves are better suit-ed to a fireprone environment.

Wood chips and straw are idealplaces for embers to land, smolder andignite. Use these mulches sparinglyand never alongside the house.

In order for firefighters to protectyour home, they must be able to reachand exit your property safely. Post thehouse address along the road at thedriveway entrance as well as on thehome.

Build and maintain your drive-way so it is wide enough and straightenough for a fire engine to navigate. A good rule of thumb is a 12-foot widedriveway with 14 feet of overhead clear-ance. Longer driveways and those withcurves should be closer to 20 feet wide.

Your castle is only as strong as itsweakest point. Invest in a home sprin-kler system. Take the time to assessyour property and make the necessarychanges. With a comfortable fleecevest as your armor and chainsaw as your sword, go forth and defendyour castle.

Matt Duvall is UW-Extension’s Central Wiscon-sin basin educator for wildland resources. Jolene Ackerman is DNR’s wildland-urban interface coordinator.


1977The entire state suffers a second yearof severe drought. Nearly 49,000acres burn in 1977. Over 170 structures are destroyed or damaged.Areas worst hit are Jackson, Wash-burn, Douglas and Wood counties. Notable fires include:■ Saratoga fire in Wisconsin Rapids,

6,159 acres and 90 buildings■ Brockway fire, Black River Falls,

17,590 acres■ Five-mile fire, Washburn and

Douglas counties, 13,375 acres and 83 buildings

1980Over two daysin April, the Ek-dall Church firein BurnettCounty and theOak Lake fire inWashburnCounty burnover 16,000acres and de-stroy more than200 buildings.

1988The entire state suf-fers a second year ofdrought. Notable firesinclude:■ Deer Print fire,

Douglas County,burns 817 acres.

■ Lyndon Stationfire, Juneau County, burns 911acres and threebuildings.

1990sThroughout the 1990s,an average of 1,600fires burn 3,400 acreseach year. Debris burn-ing is the leading causeof forest fires.

1995State begins a trial program with a localagriculture pilot, JimStutesman, to usesingle engine air tankers for in-state fires.

2003The CrystalLake fire in Marquette andWaushara counties burns572 acres. Several build-ings are de-stroyed andnearly 200 are threatened.

Keeping firewood close to your home is anunsafe practice. It increases the risk of firespreading into the home.

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Jim Gobel is a DNR forestry technician in Spooner.


ust as the forest fire hazard variesacross the state, so does the equip-ment used to suppress those fires.Some of the equipment has not

dramatically changed over the pastcentury. The reliable backcan pump isstill commonly used to suppress manysmaller fires.

These backcans can be either galva-nized metal or newer soft models thatare more comfortable to wear. Bothtypes hold about five gallons of waterand, when used in a team approachwith three or more individuals attack-ing a fire, can successfully extinguishsmaller, lower intensity fires burningless than a couple of acres. These back-cans also are used extensively duringmop-up procedures, where hotspotsare completely extinguished after ini-tially containing and controlling afire. Often used in conjunction withhand tools such as a shovel or Pulaski(combination of axhead for cutting

and mattock for digging) these back-cans can help ensure that the fire iscompletely out.

Additional equipment, however,may be needed to fight more intensewildfires. Initial attack DNR Type 7Xtrucks or fire department brush trucksoften provide first response to forest fire

From planes to Pulaskis.

reports and can be used effectivelywhere access is available. These four-wheel-drive trucks carry 150 to 200 gal-lons of water and are equipped withmobile radios, emergency lights andsirens, hand tools (shovels, Pulaskis,chainsaws) and other safety equipment.These engines provide quick response tomany fires, helping to keep them smalland minimizing destruction. DNR Type7X engines typically are equipped withfoam units for applying a foam-watermixture that provides greater protectionthan water alone.

The Department of Natural Re-sources uses larger Type 4 engines onmore challenging fires. These trucks areoutfitted with emergency lights andsirens, carry about 850 gallons ofwater, and house small and large di-ameter hoses, hand tools, backcansand safety equipment. They often havefoam capability. Not only can thesetrucks deliver water to a fire, they are

JRon Zalewski

Tools of the trade

TOP: Shovels, Pulaskis and backcans areoften used to fight fires. BOTTOM: Muskegsoffer access to lowland marsh areas.

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able to pump water from lakes, streamsand even swimming pools. These en-gines are often used to suppress wild-fires and protect structures. Larger firedepartment engines vary considerably,but also are commonly used on wild-fires along with tanker-type engines tosuppress fires and protect structures.

These engines also pull tractor plowsto control more challenging fires. Whencombined with a tractor plow unit andtrailer, they are referred to as “heavyunits.” Tractor plow units carry 150 gal-lons of water primarily used for opera-tor protection. The six-way blade on thefront can be used to construct drivableroads around larger fires, separateburning materials from unburned ma-terial, push over burning trees and cre-ate firelines or fire breaks. The plow inback of the tractor may cut a six-foot-wide mineral soil fireline or fire break.

Fire breaks are effective ways to con-trol small intensely burning fires orlarger fires. Inside the fire break, a smallfire (drip torch) is used to burn out fuelsbetween the fireline constructed by thetractor plow furrows in an attempt tostop the spread of an advancing fire.Tractor plow units are especially effec-

tive in upland areas but can also oper-ate in some wetter areas that poseequipment access problems. These trac-tor plow units are the backbone of firesuppression activities in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Nat-ural Resources also has equipmentspecifically designed to operate in low-land marsh conditions. ATVs, MuskegUnits and Bombardier units oftentimescan provide the necessary access.These tracked units typically areequipped with water tanks and cansuppress fires either by running overthe edge of a less intense fire with theirtracks and smashing vegetation intowetter fuels or water, or by sprayingwater on the fire edge. Some of thesewet ground units are equipped with afront blade to assist fire suppression.Once the fire is contained and con-trolled these units help with mop-upactions and provide transportationand water into areas that are not ac-cessible by typical equipment.

Plane patrols

Planes are important tools in detectingand suppressing fires. Oftentimes,smoke spotted by these planes, or airpatrols, are outdoor burning opera-tions. Since burning is normally onlyallowed toward evening hours, theseaircraft patrols are an extremely effec-tive fire prevention tool, alertingforestry personnel on the ground aboutillegal burning.

Fire towers also are used to detectfires and reports from fire towers arechecked by air patrols. Once a wildfireis spotted, aircraft pinpoint the wildfire

location and assist by directing groundforces into the wildfire and providingvaluable information on fire size, in-tensity and spread.

During periods of high fire danger,the Department of Natural Resourcescontracts aerial suppression planes orhelicopters to help control fire.

These planes, called SEATs (singleengine air tankers), are usually basedin the most hazardous areas of central,northwestern or northeastern Wiscon-sin. These aircraft can deliver up to 600gallons of foam or retardant to a firescene in a short time, hopefully arriv-ing while fires are small. They workwith resources on the ground to preventfires from becoming larger and moredestructive. Helicopters have the samemission. They typically drop water witha collapsible bucket that hangs fromthe bottom of the ship and holds justover 100 gallons of water or a water/foam mixture. Larger air tankers thatcarry up to 2,000 gallons also are avail-able from neighboring states to aggres-sively attack more intense fires.

Fire prevention

Even before a fire starts, computer pro-grams can predict fire danger and firebehavior. Small hand-held instrumentsgather weather information at thescene, helping fire managers make bet-ter decisions on how to safely suppressthese fires. Other computer programshelp firefighters make attack plans andrally resources to suppress larger fires.

Ron Zalewski has been a DNR forester andranger for 20 years.JO

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Planes play an important role in detecting and suppressing fires.

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Hazards,alternativesand safepractices.

Open burn

Catherine Regan and Lindsay Haas


The safest time to burn is when the ground iscompletely snow covered.


Burning debris is the numberone cause of fires in Wiscon-sin and poses health concernsfor you and your neighbors.

Outdoor burning in Wisconsin isregulated and you will need a permitin most areas of the state. In most firescaused by debris burning, the respon-sible party was not following restric-tions listed on the burning permit.

Permits typically restrict burning toevening hours when there is less likeli-hood that a debris fire will escape control.

Usually illegal

Smoke from burning garbage stinks,can trigger asthma attacks and con-tains toxic compounds.

Open burning of household solidwastes also is illegal with limited

exceptions. For example, it is illegal toburn all plastic materials, kitchenwastes, dirty or wet paper wastes,treated or painted wood, furniture anddemolition material — or any othermaterial that creates a nuisance. The exceptions include (if not prohibitedby local ordinance) lawn and gardendebris, small quantities of clean, un-treated, unpainted wood and cleanpaper waste that is not recyclable.

Outdoor fires for cooking or warm-ing up are usually okay and do not require special approvals.

Alternatives

There are many alternatives to openburning for waste disposal. ■ Reduce: Buy in bulk to reduce over-

all packaging. ■ Reuse: Reuse household items and

give toys, clothes and furniture thatyou no longer want or need to

someone who can use them.■ Recycle: It’s the law in Wisconsin to

recycle plastic, glass, metal, news-paper and cardboard. Take your re-cyclables to the recycling centerclosest to your house if there is noroadside recycling pick-up.

■ Compost: Composting is a greatway to dispose of yard waste andkitchen scraps while getting some-thing in return — nutrient-rich soilfor your garden, trees and bushes.Brush piles left in a wooded areaalso can provide wildlife habitat.

When a burn pile escapes

If, after considering environmentallysound alternatives to burning, you stilldecide to burn, check to see if a burn-ing permit is required.

The safest time to burn is when theground is snow-covered and late in theday when the wind has died down.

Before igniting the fire, clear awayoverhanging branches and removesurrounding vegetation or flammablematerial at least 10 feet around yourfire. Make sure to have firefightingtools, such as a watering hose and ashovel handy, and never leave yourfire unattended.

Be certain your fire is out by dous-ing it with water and stirring theashes. The two most common reasonsburn barrels cause wildfires are thelack of a lid and a barrel that is insuch poor condition that burning ma-terials fall out.

Burning permit required?

Use the Wisconsin map to determinewhere and when you may burn. ■ In an intensive area: Permits are

required when burning any timethe ground is not snow-covered.Contact your local DNR Office orEmergency Fire Warden.

■ In an extensive area: Permits arerequired any time the ground is not snow-covered during Januarythrough May. Contact your localDNR Office or Emergency Fire Warden.

■ In a cooperative area or inside the

limits of incorporated villages orcities: These areas are primarily pro-tected by local and county officials.Communities can create ordinancesand additional permit requirements.Contact your local fire departmentor local officials to obtain burningregulation information.Obtain a permit, if required. Check

the permit for date and time restric-tions. Avoid burning on windy days.

Never leave your fire unattended.You are responsible for all costs tosuppress a wildfire caused by yournegligence.

Catherine Regan is a DNR wildfire preventionspecialist and Lindsay Haas is a DNR naturalresources educator.

ingForest fire protection

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Piling leaves and branches in a fire pit does notmake it a campfire. A burning permit may still berequired.

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April 12, 1998 began early incentral Wisconsin for DNRforestry personnel and localvolunteer fire departments.

Strong southerly winds, low humidityand warm temperatures combined withdead vegetation on the ground — typi-cal spring conditions — resulting in ex-treme forest fire danger across the area.

DNR forestry personnel and volun-teer fire departments were paged earlythat morning to the first forest fire callat the start of what turned out to be avery busy day in the Grand RapidsDNR dispatch area. That first fire wasstarted by careless outdoor burning,but was quickly extinguished, burningless than one acre.

That wasn’t the case with other forestfires that started later that day. Careless

outdoor burning, unextinguished debrispiles or campfires, railroad activities anddowned power lines ignited another 24forest fires that burned 94 acres that day.

While night fires happen, they usu-ally are less challenging to control thandaytime fires because relative humiditytends to be higher and temperatureslower, resulting in less volatile fire behavior.

On this day, the daytime humidityremained low and winds gusted tonearly 30 miles per hour creating chal-lenging nighttime fire conditions.

A Town of Rome police officer on pa-trol reported a forest fire at 1:33 a.m.The Town of Rome Fire Department re-sponded. Minutes from the fire station,they discovered a fire burning severalacres, with many of the trees torching

(completely consuming all needles onthe tree).

The fire department called the De-partment of Natural Resources forhelp. Several heavy ground units re-sponded and a single engine air tankerdropped a water and retardant mix.DNR sent heavy units including 800-gallon fire engines towing John Deere450 tractor plows. These plows controlfires by creating fire breaks (plow fur-rows) along the edge of a fire withhopes the fire will stop spreading whenit reaches the break.

Firefighters worked to flank the fire,keeping it as narrow as possible, untilfuel type or weather changed in theirfavor and they created a fire breakthat surrounded the fire or used exist-ing barriers to contain it.


Sparks in the Fighting nighttime fires poses unique challenges.

Ron Zalewski

The fire’s glow was visible as soon asDNR units pulled out of the station inGrand Rapids. Even before arriving atthe scene, assistance was requestedfrom the DNR station in Babcock andfrom Whiting where firefighters werereturning from fighting another fire.

DNR initial attack units and heavyunits responded from Friendship,Necedah and Wisconsin Dells alongwith fire department trucks and per-sonnel from Grand Rapids, Nekoosaand Big Flats. Rome Police Departmentstaff and the Adams and Wood countysheriffs’ departments and Wood Coun-ty Emergency Management provided traffic control and evacuated morethan 75 residences.

As the fire roared, fuel typeschanged from young 10- to 15-foot red


darkpine that completely torched to 45-foot red pine that burned mainly as ahot surface fire, consuming brush,grass and needle litter on the forestfloor. The relative humidity continuedto rise and winds decreased allowingfirefighters to surround the fire withfire breaks to keep it from spreading.The fire breaks were then leveled intoa drivable trail, allowing four-wheel-drive engines to patrol and extinguishhot spots with water.

Fire seriously threatened six build-ings but there were no structural lossesor significant human injuries. In theend, 30 DNR personnel, 14 DNR en-gines, eight DNR tractor plow units, 60fire department members, 16 fire department engines, a 20-person Uni-versity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

hand crew, numerous law enforcementpersonnel, county emergency manage-ment personnel and one DNR aircraftbattled the fire.

The fire was controlled at 5:28 a.m.on April 13, after jumping two townroads and burning 158 acres of plantedpine on industrial owned property.Light rain later that morning helpedfirefighters “mop-up” (extinguish allhotspots on the fire). Timber valuedamaged by the fire exceeded $65,000while the cost of suppressing the fire to-taled over $10,300.

No definite cause was found,though an intensive investigation wascompleted.

Ron Zalewski is a DNR forester and ranger in Antigo.

No cause was found for this Wood County night fire on April 12, 1998.

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Produced by: Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire Management Section.

Copyright 2005, Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

PUB-FR-309-2005

April 2005

Design by: Waldbillig & Besteman, Inc.

Funding: The work upon which this publication is based was funded in wholeor in part through a grant awarded by the Northeastern Area State and PrivateForestry, USDA Forest Service.

This publication is available in an alternative format.

Subscribe to Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine at www.wnrmag.com

Cover photos clockwise from top:JOLENE ACKERMAN, J-MAR PHOTOWERKS, CHRIS KLAHN, J-MAR PHOTOWERKS

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

WDNR Forest Fire Programwww.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/forestry/fire

Firewisewww.firewise.org

USDA Forest Servicewww.fs.fed.us

National Association of State Foresterswww.stateforesters.org

National Fire Planwww.fireplan.gov

Joint Fire Science Programhttp://jfsp.nifc.gov/

National Interagency Fire Centerwww.nifc.gov/

National Fire Protection Associationwww.nfpa.org

Federal Emergency Management Agencywww.fema.gov

From clues to court casesFire investigations dissect fire behavior and burn patterns.Jolene Ackerman and Rick Bucklew

All forest fires are investigat-ed, regardless of the fire sizeor the amount of propertydamage. At the scene, a

wildfire investigator looksfor clues that indicatewhere the fire started:“point of origin.” To findthat point and cause of afire, the investigator mustknow wildfire burn pat-terns, fire indicators andfire behavior.

Seasoned investigatorsuse science and art to de-termine what started theblaze. Sometimes thecause is easily pegged — aprescribed burn that gotout of control or a burnbarrel. But often the evi-dence at the point of origin is not foundintact, making the investigator’s jobmore difficult. First responders to thescene must protect the area believed tobe near the point of origin. Both the pub-lic and firefighters are kept out of thisarea to minimize the chance that evi-dence will be destroyed or washed away.

Every fire is investigated and docu-mented as if it were going to be a courtcase. The fire investigators keep detailedrecords of observations such as licensenumbers of vehicles leaving the scene,tire tracks, fire behavior, and persons oraircraft in the area. An investigator’s

records can include written descriptions,pictures and even sketches.

Wildland fires often have commonfeatures. They usually start in light fuel

such as dry grass or leavesand typically the ignitionis small. Physical indica-tors point to the directionthe fire has burned. Forexample, the way sootmarks rocks, tree trunksand other dense or non-flammable items willshow an experienced fireinvestigator the fire’spath. Other indicatorscan be the way light fuelsare left unburned or theway burn patterns are lefton small shrubs andtwigs. Combining all of

the indicators points out key informa-tion to a trained investigator.

Wildfire investigators and fire controlpersonnel are always on the lookout forpotential serial arsonists. If not caught,these fire setters can get bolder with timeand move from wildland fires to emptybuildings and even to occupied struc-tures. Consequently, a thorough investi-gation needs to be conducted on eventhe smallest grass fire as it may havebeen set by a budding arsonist.

Jolene Ackerman is DNR’s wildland-urban interface coordinator. Rick Bucklew is DNR’sforestry law enforcement specialist.

wildfire

Fire scars indicate which directionthe fire came from.

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