9.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

The Fallon Outskirts are located in western Churchill County, surrounding the City of Fallon. The hazard assessment resulted in classifying the Fallon Outskirts in the Low Hazard category (40 points). A summary of the factors that contributed to the hazard rating is included in Table 9-4. The primary factors that contributed to the low rating were good defensible space and community design, adequate fire suppression and water sources, and low fuel loads.

9.1.1 Community Design

The interface condition surrounding the Fallon Outskirts is classified as rural, with small, scattered clusters of structures exposed to wildland fuels. Some residences are clustered on lots of less than one acre; the majority of residences are built on lots of between one and ten acres. There are some residences on more than ten acres of land with sizeable expanses of ranch or farmland separating structures or clusters of structures.

• Roads: Interstate 95 and U.S. Highway 50 are the major transportation routes through the Fallon Outskirts. Both are paved, 24-foot wide, two-lane highways, with adequate width for the movement of fire suppression equipment.
  Within the community, the secondary roads were typically unpaved, between twenty and 24 feet in width with grades less than five percent. Long driveways into residential farms characterize this area. Many narrower unimproved dirt roads lead away from the community.
• Signage: Street signs were present and visible along eighty percent of the streets. Residential addresses were visible on 79 percent of the homes surveyed.
• Utilities: Electric utilities were all above ground. In general, power line right-of-ways were adequately maintained and pose only a low ignition risk to the community.

9.1.2 Construction Materials

Most of the structures (96 percent) in the interface were built with non-combustible siding materials, and 94 percent of the homes were built with composition, tile, or metal roofing materials. Sixty-six percent of the homes observed had unenclosed balconies, porches, decks, or other architectural features that create drafts and provide areas where sparks and embers can smolder and rapidly spread fire if the home ignites.

9.1.3 Defensible Space

Nearly all of the homes (97 percent) surveyed met the minimum defensible space to protect the home from damage or loss during a wildfire.

9.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

The Fallon Outskirts community has the same fire protection as the City of Fallon. Additional resources are available through the BLM, dispatched from the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch, Minden, Nevada. Tables 9-1 and 9-2 list the types of wildfire resources, cooperating partners, and equipment available to the Fallon Outskirts to respond to a reported wildland fire.

Table 9-1. Fallon Outskirts Wildfire Resources, Cooperating Partners, and Equipment Available

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Type 1 Engine Type 3 Engine Type 1 Water Tender (4,000 gal.) Command Officer	6 2 3 1	Fallon/Churchill VFD
Type 1 Engine Type 3 Engine (1) Type 6 Engine Type 1 Water Tender	1 1 1 1	Fallon Naval Air Station (by request only)
(1) The Type 3 engine listed under the Fallon Naval Air Station was in a state of disrepair at the time of the assessment.

Table 9-2. Out of County Wildfire Resources, Cooperating Partners, and Equipment Available

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Type 3 Engine Water Tender Incident Command Type 1 Air Tanker Air Attack	1 1 1 1 1	The closest available Bureau of Land Management resources dispatched by the Sierra Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada
Source: Personal Communication with Leonard Waking Fire Management Officer BLM Carson City Field Office, Steven Edgar Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist BLM Carson City Field Office, Ed Harris Equipment Manager Fallon/Churchill VFD, and Stuart Cook Fire Management Officer Fallon Naval Air Station.

Water Sources and Infrastructure

There are no hydrants in the Fallon Outskirts. Water for fire suppression activities are located in the City of Fallon, which is generally a twenty-minute or more round-trip. The water sources in the City of Fallon are the following:

• 500 gpm hydrants.
• One 1.8 million gallon storage tank.
• One 1 million gallon water tank.
• Irrigation canals that can be used as a drafting or dip site with the permission of property owners.

Project Team Fire Specialists noted three wells in Fallon with pipes or filler hoses that could be used to fill fire suppression equipment in case of fire in the Fallon Outskirts.

Detection and Communication

Fires are reported in the Fallon Outskirts area through 911 calls to the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office in Fallon.

Fires are communicated to fire response personnel through:

• Emergency Dispatch through the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office in Fallon.
• Radios using the following frequency- 155.055.
• Pagers.

BLM fire suppression personnel are dispatched by the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nevada.

The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office has access to the state mutual aid frequencies and the radio system is compatible with neighboring agencies.

9.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

The vegetative fuel density in the Fallon Outskirts interface area varies from light to medium. Fuels in the Fallon Outskirts consist primarily of a salt desert shrub community of rabbitbrush, greasewood, and four-wing saltbush at an estimated vegetation density of one to two tons per acre. There are instances of Russian thistle in disturbed areas, and dried Russian thistle tumbleweeds along fencelines and in irrigation ditches. Fuels along irrigation ditches are denser than elsewhere in the Fallon Outskirts and consist of Russian olive and elm. The overall fuel load was estimated to be two to four tons per acre and was considered a moderate fuel hazard. Russian knapweed was observed in the Fallon Outskirts, and because it is a noxious weed, its spread should be checked. See the Russian knapweed fact sheet in Appendix E for more information. The Fallon Outskirts is located in a valley on flat to slightly rolling terrain with a minimal slope of five percent or less. The predominant wind is from the southwest in the late afternoon. The Fallon Outskirts area has not experienced recent wildland fires.

9.1.6 Fire Behavior Worst Case Scenario

The worst-case scenario of a major wildland fire in the area of the Fallon Outskirts would occur during a dry lightning storm with high winds in late summer. This type of wind-driven fire would spread fire through irrigation canals and into the City of Fallon. An ignition close to the western or southwestern edge of the community in the mid-afternoon could be pushed towards the community by winds out of the southwest. The initial attack resources would respond from Fallon/Churchill VFD and Fallon NAS Fire Department with a minimum response time between ten and thirty minutes. The scenario would be worsened if mutual aid resources were unavailable due to an assignment of an emergency situation elsewhere.

9.1.7 Risk Assessment

Based on previous fire history, the Fallon Outskirts is considered to have a low risk of ignition. The primary ignition risk factor in the Fallon Outskirts is ditch burning, as the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District burns ditches annually (Debbie Sherman pers. comm.). A fire in an irrigation ditch meant to clear vegetation could escape and spread through the network of irrigation ditches that traverse the community.

9.2 Risk and Hazard Reduction Recommendations, Roles, and Responsibilities

The responsibility for developing fire safe practices in a community falls not only on the local fire department but also on the residents, businesses, and local governments of the community. The Fallon Outskirts risk and hazard reduction recommendations focus primarily on defensible space activities that community members and public agencies can promote to improve wildland fire safety. Other recommendations pertain to community coordination and public education efforts proposed to enhance fire safety in the Fallon Outskirts. Recommendations are detailed below and summarized in Table 9-3.

9.2.1 Property Owner Responsibilities

Defensible Space Treatments

Density and type of fuel around a home determines the potential fire exposure levels to the home. The goal of defensible space is to reduce the chances of a wildfire spreading into adjacent property, igniting homes, and reducing the risk of loss from a wildfire. General guidelines for creating defensible space around residences and structures in the community are given below, and illustrated in the Defensible Space Guidelines in Appendix D. See also the Homeowner’s Annual Checklist in Appendix D for additional information.

• Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes. This area should be kept:
  • Lean: There are only small amounts of flammable vegetation.
  • Clean: There is no accumulation of dead vegetation or other flammable debris.
  • Green: Existing plants are healthy and green during the fire season.
• Maintain defensible space annually.
• Immediately dispose of cleared vegetation when implementing defensible space treatments. This material dries quickly and poses a fire hazard if left on site.
• Make sure residential addresses are visible from the road. Address numbers should be at least four inches high and fire resistant. Improving visibility of addresses will make it easier for those unfamiliar with the area to navigate an area during a wildland fire.
• Leaves and debris should be removed from roofs and rain gutters.
• Spark arrestors should be installed on chimneys.
• Prune tree branches to at least fifteen feet from structures and chimneys. Dead and diseased branches should be removed and disposed of along with other biomass.
• Clear all vegetation and combustible materials to a minimum distance of ten feet around propane tanks.
• Reduce fuels at least ten feet along both sides of private driveways longer than 200 feet. Flammable fuels should be replaced with fire-resistant species. Refer to Appendix E for approved seed mixes.

9.2.2 Irrigation District Responsibilities

Fuel Reduction Treatments

• Cooperate with the Fallon/Churchill VFD to further develop and enforce fire-safe burning policies in order to comply with proposed county burn call-in or burn permit procedures.

9.2.3 Fallon/Churchill VFD Responsibilities

Public Education

• Distribute copies of the publication “Living With Fire” to all property owners. This publication is free of charge. Copies can be requested from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 784-4848.

9.2.4 Churchill County Responsibilities

Community Coordination

• Enforce or develop county laws, regulations, and ordinances that support implementation and maintenance of defensible space and address fuel reduction responsibilities for absentee homeowners and vacant lots in the Fallon and Fallon Outskirts communities.

9.3 Summary of Recommendations

Table 9-3. Priority Recommendations to Reduce Wildfire Risks and Hazards in the Fallon Outskirts

Responsible Party	Recommended Treatment	Recommendation description
Property Owners	Defensible Space Treatments	Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes according to the guidelines in Appendix D. Maintain defensible space as needed to keep the space lean, clean, and green.
Truckee-Carson Irrigation District	Fuel Reduction Treatment	Cooperate with the Fallon/Churchill VFD to further develop and enforce fire-safe burning policies in order to comply with proposed county burn call-in or burn permit procedures.
Fallon/Churchill VFD	Public Education	Distribute copies of the publication “Living With Fire” to all residents and leaseholders.
Churchill County	Community Coordination	Enforce or develop county laws, regulations, and ordinances that support implementation and maintenance of defensible space and address fuel reduction responsibilities for absentee homeowners and vacant lots in the Fallon and Fallon Outskirts communities.

Figure 9-1 Fallon Outskirts Fire History and Suppression Resources small | large | x-large

Table 9-4 Fallon Outskirts Wildfire Hazard Assessment Rating Summary