11.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

The community of Paradise Ranchos, locally known as Paradise Hills, is located in east-central Humboldt County at the south end of Paradise Valley, east of US Highway 95 and west of the Little Humboldt River. The assessment of 153 residences resulted in classifying the Paradise Ranchos community in the Moderate Hazard category (47 points). A summary of the factors that contribute to the community hazard rating is included in Table 11-3. The moderate rating was affected by limited fire protection resources, areas within the community overgrown with heavy fuels, some areas with inadequate defensible space, and a limited number of visible addresses.

11.1.1 Community Design

The wildland-urban interface condition in Paradise Ranchos is intermixed. Structures are scattered throughout the wildland area with no clear line of demarcation between wildland fuels and residences. Low-density housing, with parcel sizes ranging between one and ten acres implies a lower hazard to the community.

• Roads: State Route 290 leading east from US Highway 95 is the major transportation route through Paradise Ranchos. State Route 290 is paved and is at least 24 feet wide. All of the secondary roads through the community are of adequate width and gradient for fire suppression equipment to maneuver and to allow two-way vehicle passage.
• Signage: All streets signs were easily visible from the road. Addresses were visible only on approximately two-thirds of the homes. Clear and visible street signs and residential addresses are important to aid firefighting personnel in locating at risk areas of a community during low visibility conditions that may occur during a wildfire.
• Utilities: Utilities are all above ground. Power line corridors have been properly maintained to minimize wildfire damage to electric utilities and to reduce ignition hazards from sparking power lines or exploding transformers.

11.1.2 Construction Materials

All but one of the 153 homes observed in the interface were built with non-combustible or ignition resistant siding material such as medium density fiberboard (MDF), a fire-resistant construction material that can withstand prolonged periods of exposure to radiant heat. All but one home had fire-resistant roofing such as a metal roof or composition shingles. Approximately 25 percent of the homes observed had an unenclosed balcony, porch, deck, or other architectural feature that can create drafty areas where firebrands and embers can accumulate, smolder and ignite, rapidly spreading fire to the home.

11.1.3 Defensible Space

All but 26 of the homes assessed in the interface had adequate defensible space to help protect the home and minimize the potential for damage or loss during a wildfire.

11.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

Paradise Ranchos is protected by the Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department. At the time the interview was conducted for this report, the Paradise Hills VFD had fifteen members. Table 11-1 lists the Paradise Hills VFD suppression apparatus available for initial attack on a wildland fire in Paradise Ranchos Fire Protection District.

Table 11-1. Paradise Ranchos Wildfire Suppression Resources

Type of Equipment	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Engine Type 3 Water Tender Command Vehicle	2 1 1	Paradise Hills VFD
Source: Personal communication with Chief Rick Creedon, Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department.

Additional resources are available for initial attack in the Paradise Hills Fire Protection District through mutual aid agreements with Golconda VFD, Winnemucca Rural Fire Department, and Paradise Valley VFD.

Bureau of Land Management wildfire suppression resources are available to all Humboldt County communities through cooperative agreements with local fire departments. The equipment listed in Table 4-2 represents resources assigned to the BLM Winnemucca Field Office that are available for dispatch within ten to fifteen minutes of notification of a wildfire. The Humboldt-Toiyabe Ranger District also has a Type IV engine detailed at the guard station in Paradise Valley during the fire season.

Water Sources and Infrastructure

Water availability for fire suppression in Paradise Ranchos includes:

• Community wells and agricultural wells on ranches,
• One fill station at the Paradise Hills Fire Station,
• One 5000-gallon water storage tank at the junction of US 95 and SR 290.

The community water system operates on electrical pumps. There is no backup emergency generator to run the pumps in the event of a power failure during a wildfire.

Detection and Communication

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office notifies the Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department and the Central Nevada Interagency Dispatch Center of wildfires reported by 911 calls. The Central Nevada Interagency Dispatch Center dispatches both Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service resources in Humboldt County.

Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

All Paradise Hills VFD volunteer firefighters are trained to meet the State of Nevada entry-level firefighter qualifications and receive the BLM Basic Wildland Firefighting training. The Paradise Hills VFD does not utilize the Red Card system for individual qualifications, although they are actively searching for a sponsor to be qualified for Red Card certification. A Red Card certification is part of a fire qualifications management system used by many state and all federal wildland fire management agencies to indicate an individual’s qualifications to fight wildfires.

Work Load

The Paradise Ranchos Volunteer Fire Department responded to eight calls in 2003:

• 5 emergency medical calls,
• 1 wildland/brush fire call, and
• 2 structure fire calls.

Financial Support

Funding for the Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department comes from the Paradise Valley Fire Protection District, authorized under NRS 474. Fire protection districts receive funding through ad valorem and other tax revenues.

Community Preparedness

Humboldt County has a Local Emergency Planning Committee, and Paradise Ranchos is included in the plan. The Paradise Ranchos VFD has a pre-attack plan that is updated annually. The Paradise Ranchos Volunteer Fire Department reviews development plans for the community. There is no brush clearance program currently in effect.

11.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

Paradise Ranchos lies in the central part of a north-south oriented valley. Late afternoon winds are predominantly from the south-southwest. Slopes in the area are generally less than eight percent with a south aspect. The fuel hazard in the Paradise Ranchos interface varies from low to moderate. The vegetative fuel load was estimated at three to four tons per acre throughout parts of the community and in the unburned areas north and west of the community. These sites are dominated by big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, greasewood, or fourwing saltbush with a fine fuel component of cheatgrass, annual mustards, and perennial grasses. The fuel load in shadscale dominated sites south and east of the community was estimated at less than one ton per acre and considered a low fuel hazard. Portions the community has small irrigated fields that provide buffer zones around some residential structures.

11.1.6 Worst-Case Wildfire Scenario

The area surrounding Paradise Ranchos has an extensive wildfire history, primarily from dry lightning strikes during summer thunderstorms. The worst-case scenario for the community would occur in a wet year with high annual production of cheatgrass. Under strong wind conditions, a lightning-caused ignition west of the community would rapidly drive a fire across Highway 95 into the shrub-dominated fuels throughout the community. The fire could exceed initial attack resources even if volunteer firefighters were able to respond immediately. The scenario would be worse if multiple fires were ignited during the same storm and mutual aid resources were dispatched to a previous incident.

11.1.7 Ignition Risk Assessment

Paradise Ranchos has a high potential for ignition in the interface areas based on extensive wildfire and ignition history. The primary ignition risk in Paradise Ranchos is lightning, although human caused ignitions are unpredictable and can occur at any time.

11.2 Hazard Reduction Recommendations, Roles, and Responsibilities

The Paradise Ranchos hazard reduction recommendations focus on defensible space, firefighter training, and fuel reduction treatments. Other recommendations pertain to community coordination efforts that would enhance fire safety in the Paradise Ranchos community.

11.2.1 Defensible Space Treatments

Vegetation density, type of fuel, and slope gradient around a home affect the potential fire exposure levels to the home. The first goal of defensible space is to reduce the risk of property loss from wildfire by eliminating flammable vegetation near the home, thereby lowering the potential to burn. The second goal of defensible space is to provide firefighters a safer working area from which to defend the home or outbuildings during a wildland fire. Guidelines for improving defensible space around residences and structures are described in detail in Appendix E.

Property Owner Responsibilities

• Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes according to the guidelines in Appendix E. The defensible space zone
  • Lean: There are only small amounts of flammable vegetation.
  • Clean: There is no accumulation of dead vegetation or other flammable debris including woodpiles.
  • Green: Existing plants are healthy and green during the fire season.
• Extend defensible space treatments to include outbuildings, haystacks, and farm equipment storage areas.
• Clear all vegetation and combustible materials around propane tanks for a minimum distance of ten feet.
• Mow or remove brush growing against all fences in the community.
• Where cheatgrass or other annual grasses have become dominant within the defensible space zone, areas should be mowed prior to seed set or treated with an application of pre-emergent herbicide. Treatments may need to be repeated for several years to ensure that the bank of unwanted annual plant seeds has been depleted. Refer to Appendix E for a recommended seed mixture and planting guidelines that can be used in conjunction with cheatgrass or Russian thistle removal.
• Immediately remove cleared vegetation to an approved disposal site when implementing defensible space treatments. This material dries quickly and presents a fire hazard if left on site.
• Maintain defensible space as needed to keep the space lean, clean, and green.

Humboldt County Responsibilities

• Revise county codes and ordinances regarding fuel reduction and defensible space for wildland-urban interface areas to:
  • Require defensible space or fuel reduction treatments on all developed and undeveloped lots within interface areas. If landowners do not complete defensible space treatments or fuel reduction within an allotted time frame, the landowner should be charged for defensible space services through property tax levies.
  • Require fuel reduction treatments and provisions for continued maintenance of the fuel reduction treatments as a condition of approval for new wildland-urban interface subdivisions.

11.2.2 Fuel Reduction Treatments

Nevada Department of Transportation

• Continue to maintain fuelbreaks 100 feet wide on both sides of US Highway 95 throughout the community.

Bureau of Land Management

• Permit livestock grazing prior to seed maturity to reduce cheatgrass. Balance annual stocking rates with annual cheatgrass grass productivity.

11.2.3 Training and Equipment

Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department

• Coordinate with the Bureau of Land Management to maintain ongoing wildland firefighting training and work to obtain Red Card certification for all volunteers.

Nevada State Fire Marshall and Nevada Division of Forestry

• Provide firefighting training to Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department to bring all members up to a standard of Firefighter I and II and Basic Wildland Firefighter.

Bureau of Land Management Responsibilities

• Assist the Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department in obtaining and administration of red card certification for wildland firefighting.

11.2.4 Community Coordination and Education

Many of the most effective activities aimed at reducing the threat of wildfire for the Paradise Ranchos community require that individual property owners coordinate with each other and with local fire authorities. Public education and awareness, neighbors helping neighbors, and proactive individuals setting examples for others to follow are just some of the approaches that will be necessary to meet the fire safe goals in the community.

Property Owner Responsibilities

• Assure that address signs are visible from the road. Address characters should be at least four inches high, reflective, and composed of non-flammable material. Improving visibility of addresses will make it easier for those unfamiliar with the area to navigate under smoky conditions during a wildland fire.

Paradise Hills Volunteer Fire Department

• Distribute copies of the publication “Living with Fire” to all property owners. This publication is free of charge and copies can be requested from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
• Contact the Bureau of Land Management Winnemucca Field Office and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension for assistance with public education.

11.3 Summary of Recommendations

Table 11-2. Paradise Ranchos (Paradise Hills) Priority Recommendations to Reduce Wildfire Risks and Hazards

Responsible Party	Recommended Treatment	Recommendation Description
Property Owners	Defensible Space	Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around homes according to the defensible space guidelines in Appendix E.
	Community Coordination and Public Education	Assure address sign visibility from the road.
Paradise Hills VFD	Training and Equipment	Coordinate with BLM to ensure that volunteers receive ongoing wildland fire training and red card certifications.
	Public Education	Distribute copies of “Living With Fire” to property owners. Contact the BLM Winnemucca Field Office and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension for assistance with public education.
Humboldt County	Defensible Space	Revise codes and ordinances to require and enforce defensible space treatments on all lots in the interface area. Require provisions for fuel reduction treatment implementation and maintenance as a condition of new subdivision approval in the interface areas.
Nevada State Fire Marshal Nevada Division of Forestry	Training and Equipment	Provide firefighting training to Paradise Hills VFD to ensure that volunteers meet Firefighter I and II, and Basic Wildland Firefighter standards.
Bureau of Land Management	Training and Equipment	Coordinate with Paradise Ranchos VFD to ensure that volunteers obtain and correctly administer red card certifications.
	Fuels Reduction	Permit livestock grazing prior to seed maturity to reduce cheatgrass. Balance annual stocking rates with annual cheatgrass grass productivity.
Nevada Department Of Transportation	Fuels Reduction	Maintain 100-foot fuelbreaks on each side of Highway-95.

Figure 11-1 Paradise Ranchos (Paradise Hills) Fire History and Suppression Resources small | large | x-large

Table 11-3 Paradise Ranchos Wildfire Hazard Rating Summary