39.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

West Wendover is a rapidly growing community located in eastern Elko County along Interstate 80 on the Nevada-Utah border. The town is contiguous to Wendover, Utah. West Wendover is situated at an elevation of approximately 4,450 feet.

The results of the community hazard assessment classified West Wendover in the Low Hazard category (26 points). A summary of the factors that contribute to the hazard rating is provided in Table 39-2. Primary factors that contribute to the rating are the sparse fuels; fire resistant construction materials, good defensible space and community design; and adequate fire suppression resources found in the community. The community boundary identified for this report is shown in Figure 39-1.

39.1.1 Community Design

The wildland-urban interface in West Wendover is a classic interface condition: a clear line of demarcation exists where developed areas abut wildland fuels. Roads and back fences characteristically mark this type of interface, and wildland fuels do not typically continue into residential areas. Each of the 159 homes included in this assessment are built on lots of one acre or less.

• Access: Interstate 80 and Alt. 93 are the primary transportation routes through West Wendover. The roads are at least 24 feet wide, paved, and have adequate turnaround space for fire suppression equipment. Secondary roads are of adequate width and grade for fire apparatus to maneuver.
• Signage: Street signs are clearly posted on all streets in the community. Residential addresses are clearly visible on 97 percent of the homes observed. Clear and visible street signs and residential addresses are important in locating homes during low visibility conditions that occur during a wildfire.
• Utilities: All of the utilities were above ground. Power line corridors have been properly maintained to minimize wildfire damage to electric utilities and reduce the possibility that sparks could start a fire in adjacent vegetation.

39.1.2 Construction Materials

All of the homes observed in the interface area are built with non-combustible or highly fire resistant siding materials such as medium density fiberboard, and fire resistant roofing made of composition material, metal, or tile. Fourteen percent of the homes have unenclosed porches, decks, or balconies that create drafts and provide areas where sparks and embers can lodge, smolder, ignite, and rapidly spread fire to the house.

39.1.3 Defensible Space

Ninety-nine percent of the homes meet the minimum recommended defensible space requirement to help protect the home from damage or loss during a wildfire.

39.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

Fire protection in West Wendover is provided by the Wendover Fire Department, a combination career/volunteer department with four career members and eighteen volunteers. Table 39-1 lists the types of local wildfire resources, cooperating partners and equipment available for initial response to West Wendover in the event of a reported wildfire. Additional resources are available from local, state, and federal agencies through mutual aid agreements as described in Section 4.1.1.

Table 39-1. Wildfire Suppression Resources Available to West Wendover

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Type 1 Engine Type 6 Engine Type 4 Engine	3 3 1	Wendover Fire Department (Wendover)
Type 3 Engine	1	Wells VFD (Wells)
Type 4 Engine	1	Bureau of Land Management (Wells)
Type 6 Engine	1	Nevada Division of Forestry (Wells - seasonal)
Source: Sam Hicks, Nevada Division of Forestry Elko County Prevention Captain; Jeff Knudtsen, Wendover Fire Department Chief.

Water Sources and Infrastructure

Water available for fire suppression resources in West Wendover includes hydrants within 500 feet of structure with minimum flow capacities of 500 gallons per minute. The community water system includes wells and three storage tanks: one at 2.5-million gallons; one at 2-million gallons and one at 1-million gallons. The water system operates on gravity and electrical pumps. There is a backup emergency generator to run the pumps in the event of an electrical power outage.

Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

All Wendover Fire Department firefighters have been trained in-house for structure protection and have received basic wildland fire training from the Nevada Division of Forestry and cooperating agencies to meet the minimum National Wildfire Coordinating Group basic wildland standards.

Work Load

In a typical year, the Wendover Fire Department responds to the following annual calls:

• 350 emergency medical calls.
• 4-5 wildland/brush fire calls.
• 4-5 other type of fires.

Financial Support

Funding for the Wendover Fire Department comes from the City of Wendover General Fund and from some grant funding sources.

Community Preparedness

Elko County has an active Local Emergency Planning Committee and has adopted an emergency plan. The Fire Department and mutual aid agencies have a pre-attack plan for the community. Elko County has an all-risk plan, and the City of Wendover has an emergency evacuation plan for disasters. All plans are updated annually. West Wendover is included in all plans.

39.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

The vegetative fuel density in the West Wendover interface area is very light, estimated at less than one ton per acre, which was considered a low fuel hazard. Fuels in the community consist primarily of a shrub layer of shadscale, rabbitbrush, and ephedra. Ground fuels consist of halogeton and perennial grasses. The terrain within the community boundary is flat. The prevailing wind direction is unpredictable. There is a history of afternoon thunderstorms and dry lightning strikes in the area.

39.1.6 Fire Behavior Worst Case Scenario

The worst case scenario for a wildfire in the area surrounding West Wendover would come from dry lightning storms late on a summer afternoon. Strong erratic winds could push fires into the community from any direction. However, the low, sparse brush would not likely spread fire into any structures as there is no horizontal continuity in the fuel bed to carry a fire.

39.1.7 Ignition Risk Assessment

West Wendover has a very low risk of ignition based on fire history in the area. Increased fuel loading from annual invasive grasses in high precipitation years poses the greatest potential threat for increasing the ignition risk. There is no large wildfire history in the public lands surrounding the community, but there is a history of dry lightning strikes around the community. The primary risk of ignition in West Wendover is lightning, although human caused ignitions are unpredictable and can occur at any time.

39.2 Risk and Hazard Reduction Recommendations

The responsibility to keep a community fire safe falls not only on the local fire protection district but also on the residents, businesses, and local governments. The recommendation for West Wendover focuses primarily on fire suppression training. The RCI Project Team made no recommendations for defensible space and fuels reduction because of the low fuel hazard and low community hazard ratings in West Wendover. Continued maintenance of defensible space as outlined in Appendix E is an important measure for all residents.

39.2.1 Fire Suppression Resources

Wendover Fire Department

• Obtain structure firefighting training for all volunteers to bring them up to minimum State of Nevada Fire Marshal standards.
• Upgrade the radio system to narrow band technology to ensure communication compatibility with cooperating agencies

Table 39-2 West Wendover Wildfire Hazard Rating Summary

Figure 39-1 West Wendover Fire History, Suppression Resources, and Critical Features small | large | x-large