FLORIDA — Wildfire season is just starting to heat up in Southwest Florida. While fire season doesn’t normally peak until April or May, the region has already seen its fair share of small fires in recent weeks. Fire officials claim it is likely a matter of time before they see a major incident this spring due to the drying conditions. That means it will take is one spark and within minutes a major fire could be rapidly spreading through the brush.
“A hurricane has this lovely habit to give us a 72-hour warning, we are lucky to get 72 minutes with a fire,” said Melinda Avni, a fire mitigation specialist with the Florida Forest Service. Anvi says right now her primary fire concern is leftover hurricane and windstorm brush in undeveloped areas. She says those areas now have new growth on top of the old dead and down.
“If a fire gets in there and really takes root in that area, pardon the pun, we some really heavy lag fuels,” said Avni. “If it gets hot enough to ignite and carry a fire, now we have a strong wildfire. A strong wildfire has the potential to build its own weather and can drive itself regardless of the weather around it.”
With that type of unpredictability, Avni says the Florida Forest Service uses what they call the 'Ready, Set, Go' action plan. Ready: preparing your home for fire. Set: being situationally aware if a fire starts. Go: being able to leave immediately.
“You have a go-bag. You know how to prep the inside of your house, the outside of your house. Your yard space” explained Avni. “If you have outbuildings and structures. If you keep equipment and fuels in there, how to store those, how to empty those out, how to be safe. So when folks do come to fight that fire, they don’t find themselves in another dangerous situation.”
While having an action plan during the fire is important, but also preparing before sparks is just as important. And even though we love our green space in Florida, building defensible space around your home be key in giving it a fighting chance.
“You need 30 feet of defensible space around your structure,” Avni added. “The first 5 feet are the most critical. You got to be careful about what you use for landscaping directly around the foundation of your home.”
Avni advises using rocks or fire-resistant mulch instead of pine needles for landscaping. And making sure your trees have 6 feet of ground clearance.
While understanding how to protect your property is part of this, Avni says the best thing you can do is make responsible, smart decisions; because nine out of ten wildfires are caused by people.
This is important to know as, the National Interagency Fire Center is forecasting above-normal significant fire potential through at least May for all the state of Florida.
