Georgetown Edition | September 2022

Locally, most cities and counties sign mutual aid agreements with one another, and re chiefs said they often help at res outside their imme- diate jurisdiction. “The reality is that it is very easy for an incident to exceed the capabilities of a local jurisdiction,” Sullivan said. Travis County ESD 2 Chief Nicholas Perkins said the stark increase in inci- dents this year compared with other years is historic. “We’re running, at least, a wild re every day,” Perkins said. “This is rang- ing all the way from a grass re on the side of the road all the way up to a multiacre grass re potentially with some structures being threatened.” Hot, dry conditions John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist and director for the Texas Center for Climate Studies at Texas A&M University, said it is not surprising the area north of Austin and beyond has experienced a busy re season because the region is in the middle of an “intense drought.” “We see a direct correlation in the number of wild res we are respond- ing to with this lack of precipitation and the high temperatures we’ve had this summer,” Mallinger said. Rainfall is a key mitigating factor in helping to reduce wild and grass res in a given area, according to Kari Hines, Texas A&M Forest Service Firewise coordinator. Hines said 2022 so far ranks among the worst for dry conditions and re incidents in Texas in the last decade. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows from January to July 2021, Williamson and Travis counties received about 23 inches of rainfall. For the same time period this year, rainfall in both coun- ties totaled about 10.5 inches. Leander Fire Department Chief Billy Wusterhausen said in these

Precipitation is a major factor in predicting wild and grass res in a given region, according to professionals. Data shows the amount of precipitation from January

to July for years listed below. FACTOR The rainfall

Local experts conduct public outreach to educate residents on the best ways to stay safe and prevent res. Some tips include: AWARENESS Building

Travis County

Williamson County

28"

21"

14"

Know at least two ways out of a neighborhood in case of needed evacuation. Make sure addresses are posted and visible on homes for emergency responders. Create a defensible space around the home to slow re spread.

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

SOURCE: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

“Land management and emergency response agencies are seeing and are forecasting an increased rate of days where we can have wild res impact- ing our communities,” Hines said. Some re mitigation projects have occurred in Williamson County, including an eort this spring at Twin Springs Reserve near Lake George- town, according to county o¦cials. Local re chiefs also stressed the importance of residents being cau- tious and aware of their surround- ings so they do not spark a re. This can range from not throwing cigarettes on the side of the road to adhering to the burn bans when they are in place in both Williamson and Travis counties. Nielsen-Gammon said as tempera- tures continue to rise due to climate change, local weather will trend toward more hot and dry conditions. “[Wild and grass res] will still be con ned to mostly dry years—so this won’t be something we expect to see every year—but we do expect them to become slightly worse overall,” Nielsen-Gammon said.

conditions it only takes a single spark, such as one from a discarded ciga- rette, broken bottle or dragging chain, to start a re. “The fuel is already there, and it’s dry and you’ve already got oxygen in the atmosphere, so all it’s looking for is that spark,” Wusterhausen said. Although data collected at the Georgetown Municipal Airport show the area received more than four inches of rain in late August and early September, Nielsen-Gammon said the only way out of these conditions is consistent rain. While a little rain will make it temporarily harder for res to start, it will take several inches of rain for grasses to come out of dormancy and become less ¥ammable long term, he said. “[We want] preferably several dif- ferent rains because we don’t want it all running o—we want it to soak into the ground,” Nielsen-Gammon said. Long-term preparation Moving forward, local and state re authorities expect to see more wild and grass re incidents. Hines said wild re windows are projected to expand over the next several years due to diminishing moisture levels combined with more heat.

Reach out to a community risk reduction division to assess the risk of re.

SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT NO. 2COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

“People and their activities cause more than 90% of all wildfires in Texas. The largest number of human-caused wildfires is a result of careless debris burning. Other causes include sparks from welding and grinding equipment, carelessly WHAT DO YOU WISH RESIDENTS KNEW ABOUT PREVENTING WILDFIRES?

discarded smoking materials, vehicles’ exhaust systems and arson.”

Nicholas Perkins, Chief of Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

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GEORGETOWN EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022