Environment
BY KAROLINE PFEIL
As drought continues in the Lake Travis-Westlake area, local o cials as well as re departments in the region are supporting regional endeavors to mitigate and respond to res as well as sharing advice on community preparedness methods. Lake Travis Fire Rescue, or LTFR, services the cities of Lakeway and Bee Cave, as well as other Travis County localities like Steiner Ranch. Currently, the Lake Travis region is in a Stage D-3 drought, or extreme drought, according to the Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District. “Drought is certainly one of the biggest drivers of our wild re risk,” LTFR wild re mitigation specialist Dustin Dunn said. O cials stress wild re readiness
The risk
A burn probability map shows the likelihood of a wild re burning a speci c location in a set time frame, usually one calendar year or wild re season, according to Texas A&M Forest Service.
Spicewood
LAKE TRAVIS
Least
Lakeway
West Lake Hills
Bee Cave
Rollingwood
Most
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SOURCE: TEXAS WILDFIRE RISK ASSESSMENT, PYROLOGIX 2023 COMMUNITY IMPACT
Property re mitigation
The details
One more thing
Remove dead vegetation
Bee Cave is working to enforce its re code, and encouraging residents to report any violations, Mayor Kara King said. The city also works to main- tain vegetation and mitigate re in public spaces through a variety of programs. In Lakeway , the city participates in a hazard mitigation plan every ve years. The city is currently deciding on how to use $1.4 million in FEMA funds distributed in February, and allocating a portion for wild re mitigation is under consideration, Emer- gency Management Director Waheeda Yousofzoy said. In West Lake Hills , city-wide assessments by Firewise are conducted every three years, after which a safety plan is established. Rollingwood is
In terms of re response, Bee Cave and Lakeway employ a messaging system known as Voyent Alert to notify residents of res or emergencies in the area. LTFR’s emergency noti cation system is Warn Central Texas, which provides similar alerts to residents of 10 counties in Central Texas. While both cities are serviced by Warn Central Texas, West Lake Hills also hosts its own emergency alert system through the myAlerts app, which warns users of disasters as well as nonemergency incidents that impact residents. Similarly, Rollingwood utilizes Rave Mobile Alerts to inform residents of any local emergencies, weather events or other important updates. Where to sign up Bee Cave & Lakeway: • www.voyent-alert.us/community/#registration Rollingwood: • www.rollingwoodtx.gov/administration/page/ community-alerts West Lake Hills: • www.westlakehills.org/383/Alerts-Noti ications Travis County: • www.warncentraltexas.org/communities/ travis-county
Replace wood chip mulch with rock
Replace eaves made of ammable materials
Clear gutters
Trim vegetation near home
SOURCE: LAKE TRAVIS FIRE RESCUE COMMUNITY IMPACT
part of Travis County’s Emergency Management Basic Plan, and less public space means focus on private land is key to mitigating re risks, ESD 9 Fire Chief David Wilson said.
What else?
We’ve changed our approach to not just being responsive. I think this is the key—not just being responsive, but being proactive. Trying to get ahead of this before it’s actually a problem. ROBERT ABBOTT, LTFR FIRE CHIEF
Fire mitigation e orts in the region have strengthened since 2011, when Steiner Ranch faced an evacuation order which revealed the area’s lack of adequate roads and infrastructure for emergency situations. In addition to the development of residential re codes, re response capability has been strengthened in the region, with sta ng levels
increased, additional equipment and land, sea, and air resource capabilities added, LTFR Fire Chief Robert Abbott said.
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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION
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