49.0 Conclusions

The recommendations in this report have been developed based on site-specific conditions observed during the wildfire risk and hazard assessments performed by RCI and with input from Elko County fire agencies. General and specific recommendations provide a starting point so that each community described in this report can take a proactive approach in formulating projects to reduce the risks of loss of life, property, and natural resources from a wildland fire.

Thousands of acres in the wildland-urban interface in Elko County are exposed to the threat of wildfire each year. Most Elko County communities are prone to fire ignitions from dry lightning storms, railroad ignitions, or other human causes. The wildland-urban interface around many Elko County communities has burned or repeatedly burned in the recent past.

The Volunteer Fire Department firefighters are critical component of the wildfire suppression resources in Elko County. The State of Nevada, Elko County, and the Nevada Division of Forestry need to cooperatively develop and offer incentives to recruit and maintain volunteer firefighters. Nevada Division of Forestry and the cooperating fire agencies should continue to provide training to meet the minimum National Wildfire Coordinating Group basic wildland standards. Volunteers need to make extended efforts to attend these trainings and become qualified to fight wildland fire.

Public land agencies and private land owners must continue to cooperatively implement and maintain fuel reduction treatments on lands adjacent to communities. As communities continue to grow, there will be a corresponding need for expanded fuel reduction treatments. Cheatgrass abatement must be given special consideration, especially during years with normal or above normal winter and spring precipitation. Early season livestock grazing is an effective treatment to reduce cheatgrass fuels on an annual basis that should be given high priority.

To be most effective, fire safe practices need to be implemented on a community-wide basis. There is no way to completely eliminate the threat that wildfires present to communities at the wildland interface. However, the recommendations in this report are intended to increase public awareness and encourage concerned community members to make proactive efforts to effectively reduce the risk of wildfire ignitions near their communities. Creating and implementing defensible space on private property, fuel reduction projects, and increasing public awareness of the potential for damage of property or loss of lives associated with living in a fire prone environment is best accomplished at the local level.

The recommendations presented for each community in this report should be considered a starting point for addressing community wildfire safety. Long-term community safety from wildfire requires a permanent commitment to the enforcement of the fire safe ordinances at the local level and dedicated attention to fuels management. Regular monitoring of fuel conditions and periodic updates to this report should include new recommendations for maintenance or implementation of additional treatments as development continues to encroach on the wildland-urban interface.