9.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

Warm Springs Valley is located directly east of Palomino Valley and southeast of State Route 445 (Pyramid Lake Highway). The valley is situated at the base of the west slope of the Pah Rah Range. The community boundary is shown in Figure 9-1. The community hazard assessment resulted in classifying Warms Springs Valley in the High Hazard Category (66 points). A summary of factors that contributed to the hazard rating is included in Table 9-3. Primary factors that determined the hazard rating in Warm Springs Valley included the potential fire behavior related to topography and vegetative fuels, limited water sources within the community for fire suppression, limited fire suppression resources, and inadequate address signage throughout the community.

9.1.1 Community Design

The wildland-urban interface area in Warm Springs is characterized as an intermix condition. There is no clear line of demarcation between wildland fuels and the residential structures in the community. Most of the residences are located on lots greater than ten acres in size.

• Access: State Route 445, the Pyramid Highway, is the primary transportation route providing access to the community. The road is greater than 24 feet wide, which provides adequate space for two-way vehicular travel and for fire suppression equipment to maneuver. Secondary roads in many of the canyons on the east side of the valley have road grades greater than five percent and dead-ends with little or no turnaround areas for fire suppression apparatus.
• Signage: All street signs are adequately signed and easily visible, however almost twenty-five percent of residential addresses are not easily visible from the road. Clear and visible street signs and residential addresses are important in locating homes during low visibility conditions that occur during a wildfire.
• Utilities: All utilities are above ground. Power lines have been properly maintained minimizing the possibility that arcing may start fires in nearby vegetation. In some cases the recommended ten feet of vegetation clearance did not exist around propane tanks.

9.1.2 Construction Materials

Most of the homes in the interface are built with non-combustible or ignition resistant siding such as medium density fiberboard, stucco, or brick. Almost all of the homes have roofs of non-combustible material such as tile, metal, or composition. Approximately fifteen percent of the homes observed have unenclosed balconies, porches, decks, or other architectural features that can create drafty areas where sparks and embers can be trapped, smolder, ignite, and rapidly spread fire to the house.

9.1.3 Defensible Space

Approximately eighty percent of the homes surveyed in the Warm Springs Valley Community have landscaping that meets defensible space guidelines to protect the home from damage or loss during a wildfire.

9.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

Fire protection for the Warm Springs community is provided by the Palomino Valley Auxiliary Fire Department, Station 29, which is part of the Reno/Truckee Meadows Fire District. The Bureau of Land Management also has a seasonal fire station in Warm Springs, the Palomino Station, which is staffed by career firefighters from May through October. Resources near the community that can to respond to a reported wildland fire call are summarized in Table 9-1.

Table 9-1. Warm Springs Valley Initial Attack Wildfire Suppression Resources

Type of Resource	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Engine Type 3	2	Bureau of Land Management (Palomino Station)
Engine Type 3 Engine Type 4	1 1	Palomino Valley Auxiliary Fire Department (Truckee Meadows Station 29 - Palomino Valley)
Source: Roy Slate Reno FD and Capt. Robert Hilfer Bureau of Land Management on 9/21/04 and 9/22/04

Reno Fire Department responds with resources from the closest available career staffed station according to their standard wildland fire dispatch. Additional resources are available upon request from local, state, and federal agencies through mutual aid agreements as described in Section 4.1.1.

Detection and Communication

Fires are reported in Washoe County through the 911 system, which connects the call with the Washoe County 911 Center. Washoe County 911 notifies the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center of wildland fires. The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center notifies the Volunteer Fire Departments, the Nevada Division of Forestry, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Forest Service of fires through the use of pagers and radios.

Communication frequencies are currently compatible between agencies. When the federal agencies go to narrow band digital radios, the volunteers will no longer be able to communicate with the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service.

Water Sources and Infrastructure

The community of Warm Springs has no fire hydrants or other water available for firefighting resources. There are private wells in the area. The estimated round trip time to refill fire apparatus is over 45 minutes away.

Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

The volunteers and career firefighters from Reno Fire Department are required to have at least forty hours of basic wildland training and they are required to attend eight hours of annual wildland refresher training. The Department meets the National Wildfire Coordinating Group 310-1 wildland requirements for training. Approximately half of the total volunteer firefighters are certified to respond to wildland fires. The Department is in the process of providing additional training for career Captains and Chief Officers. Many Reno Fire Department members are trained to a higher level and are certified through the red card system, but this is at the discretion of the individual.

Financial Support

The Palomino Volunteer Fire Department is funded through the Truckee Meadows General Fund.

Community Preparedness

Warm Springs is included in the Washoe County All-Risk Emergency Plan.

9.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

Vegetative as well as dead and down fuels combined with topographical features contribute to the potential fire hazard around wildland-urban interface communities. Fuel hazard maps for the Warm Springs Valley wildland-urban interface and representative fuel hazard photo points are provided in Figures 9-2 and 9-3.

The terrain in the wildland-urban interface area of the community is generally flat and adjacent to hills with slopes greater than thirty percent. The portions of the valley with less than eight percent slopes have slightly west and north facing aspects. The prevailing winds are from the south and southwest. High wind speeds are common especially during summer afternoons. High speed, erratic winds are possible in the canyons associated with adjacent hills. There is a significant history of large fires on the west side of the community and lightning-caused fire ignitions on the hills east, south, and west of the community.

The dominant unburned vegetation along the west side of the community consists of sparse Utah juniper with a Wyoming big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, desert peach, Mormon tea, and spiny hopsage shrub layer. Cheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and basin wildrye are the dominant grass species in the area. Fuel loads were estimated to range between three and six tons per acre and were considered a high fuel hazard.

Vegetative fuels in the areas that burned in the 1980’s west of the community consist of big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, desert peach, cheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and basin wildrye. The vegetation is generally less than two feet in height and was considered a low to moderate fuel hazard. Fuel loads were estimated at less than one ton per acre.

The valley bottom is characterized by farm and ranch land, with low to moderate fuel hazards. Native vegetation adjacent to homes predominantly consists of sagebrush, rabbitbrush, spiny hopsage, desert peach, and greasewood. Cheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and basin wildrye are the dominant grasses. Fuel loads in the native shrublands were estimated between one and two tons per acre and were considered a low to moderate fuel hazard.

9.1.6 Fire Behavior Worst-Case Scenario

The worst-case scenario for this valley would be a fire starting in the southwest portion of the community on a high hazard day, with strong winds from the southwest, greater than twenty miles per hour, pushing fire across the valley and up west-facing slopes, threatening homes. The fire could run upslope into heavy pinyon juniper and brush on the east side of the valley. There are many homes in the canyons on the east side of the valley, with only one-way in and out. A fire burning up one of these canyons could block the evacuation of residents. These people may be forced to shelter-in-place.

9.1.7 Ignition Risk Assessment

Warm Springs has a high ignition risk rating. There is a significant history of wildfire and fire ignitions within and surrounding the community. There is a tendency for heavy lightning in the area during the summer and moderate vehicular traffic.

9.2 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 of the community, businesses, and local governments. The recommendations for Warm Springs focus on fuels reduction on private property and community awareness.

9.2.1 Defensible Space Treatments

Defensible space treatments are an essential first line of defense for residential structures. The goal of the treatments is to significantly reduce or remove flammable vegetation within a prescribed distance from structures. (Refer to Appendix E for the recommended defensible space area). Defensible space reduces the fire intensity and improves firefighter and homeowner chances for successfully defending a structure against oncoming wildfire.

Property Owner Recommendations

• Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation to create defensible space around homes according to the guidelines in Appendix E. This area should be kept:
  • Lean: There are only small amount 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.
• Store firewood a minimum distance of thirty feet from structures.
• Clear all dead plant material and combustible materials a minimum of five feet from the exterior of all structures.
• Mow or remove brush growing against fences in the community. The minimum distance for clearance should be ten feet in grass and 25 feet in brush.
• Enclose areas under wood decks and porches when possible or maintain these areas to be free of weeds and other flammable debris. Box in eves and cover ventilation openings with very fine metal wire mesh to prevent embers from entering the attic and crawl spaces.
• Clear all vegetation and combustible materials around propane tanks for a minimum of ten feet.
• Clear weeds and brush to a width of ten feet along both sides of the driveways.
• Maintain a minimum clearance of thirty feet from the crown of trees that remain within the defensible space zone. Keep this area free of smaller trees, shrubs, and other ladder fuels.
• Trim and remove tree branches a minimum of four feet from the ground to reduce ladder fuels on all deciduous and coniferous trees within the defensible space zone. Prune all dead and diseased branches.
• Prune all tree branches to a minimum distance of fifteen feet from buildings, paying special attention to around chimneys.
• Install spark arrestors on chimneys.
• Mow grass within the defensible space zone to maintain a maximum height of four inches.
• Thin sagebrush and other shrubs to a spacing between shrubs that is equal to twice the shrub height.
• Immediately dispose of cleared vegetation when implementing defensible space treatments. This material dries quickly and poses a fire hazard if left on site.
• Where possible, irrigate all trees and large shrubs that remain in close proximity to structures to increase their fire resiliency. This is especially important during drought conditions.
• Maintain the defensible space as needed.
• Abandoned trailers and structure should be removed or boarded up to prevent sparks entering and igniting the structure.
• Where cheatgrass has become dominant within the defensible space zone, areas should be mowed prior to seed maturity or treated with an application of a pre-emergent herbicide.[4] Treatments may need to be repeated for several years to ensure that the seed bank of unwanted annual grass seeds has been depleted. Refer to Appendix E for a recommended seed mixture and planting guidelines that can be used in conjunction with cheatgrass removal.

Reno Fire Department

• Conduct courtesy inspections of home defensible space measures.

9.2.2 Fuels Reduction Treatments

Fuel reduction treatments are applied on a larger scale than defensible space treatments. Permanently changing the fuel characteristics over large blocks of land to one of a lower volume and altered distribution reduces the risk of a catastrophic wildfire in the treated area. Reducing vegetation along roadways and driveways could reduce the likelihood of blocking access and escape routes, help contain the fire perimeter, and improve firefighter access and safety for protecting homes.

Reno Fire Department Recommendation

• Develop and promote a program for cleaning weeds and debris from around structures and fences in the community and for biomass disposal. Continue to enforce the permit process for open burning.

9.2.3 Fire Suppression Resources and Training

Reno Fire Department Recommendations

• Meet annually with the Bureau of Land Management to review pre-attack plans and to coordinate firefighting resources and response procedures including testing radio compatibility and coverage. Upgrade radios to new narrowband/digital technologies as needed to maintain communications with the federal agencies.
• Install a 15,000 gallon water tank for fire suppression.

9.2.4 Community Coordination

Property Owners Recommendations

• Form a local chapter of the Nevada Fire Safe Council. The Nevada Fire Safe Council facilitates solutions to reduce the loss of lives and property from wildfire in Nevada’s communities. Through the establishment of a local Chapter, local communities will become part of a large network for sharing information including notification of programs and funding opportunities for fire mitigation projects such as those listed in this report. The Nevada Fire Safe Council will accept and manage grants and contracts on the Chapter’s behalf through its non-profit status. The Nevada Fire Safe Council will provide assistance and support to communities to complete fire safe plans, set priorities, educate and train community members, and promote success stories of its members. To form a local Chapter or for more information contact the:
  

  Nevada Fire Safe Council
  1187 Charles Drive
  Reno, Nevada 89509
  www.nvfsc.org

• Ensure that residential addresses 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 caused by a wildland fire.

Washoe County Recommendations

• Continue to require all future development in the County to meet the National Fire Codes with regard to community design, building construction and spacing, road construction and design, water supply, and emergency access. Refer to Appendix F for an example of fire safe recommendations for planning new developments.
• Facilitate coordinated and collaborative efforts at the County and State levels for consistency in fire safe community planning and enforcement of fire safe ordinances in a unified manner.

9.2.5 Public Education

A public education program that explains fire safe measures in clear and emphatic terms will have an impact on residents of the wildland-urban interface. Informed community members will be more inclined to make efforts to effectively reduce wildfire hazards around their homes and neighborhoods.

Reno Fire Department Recommendation

• Coordinate the development of an emergency evacuation plan with designated safe zones and instructions for sheltering in place for the Warm Springs Valley community.
• 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.

Property Owner Recommendation

• Participate in public education opportunities and become knowledgeable of emergency evacuation procedures.

9.3 Summary of Recommendations

Table 9-2. Warm Springs Valley Priority Recommendations to Reduce Wildfire Risks and Hazards

Involved Party	Recommended Treatment	Recommendation Description
Property Owners	Defensible Space Treatments	Remove, reduce, and replace vegetation around home according to the defensible space guidelines in Appendix E.
	Community Coordination	Form a local chapter of the Nevada Fire Safe Council. Ensure that residential addresses are visible from the road. Participate in public education opportunities and become knowledgeable of emergency evacuation procedures.
Washoe County	Community Coordination	Continue to require that all future development in the County to meet the National Fire Codes in regards to construction materials, road design, water supply, and other fire department needs. Facilitate coordinated and collaborative efforts at the County and State levels for consistency in fire safe community planning and enforcement of fire safe ordinances in a unified manner.
Reno Fire Department	Defensible Space Treatments	Conduct courtesy inspections of defensible space condition and defensible space treatments on private property.
	Fuels Reduction	Develop and promote regular brush clearance and biomass disposal, and continue to enforce the open burn permit programs.
	Fire Suppression Resources and Training	Meet annually with neighboring fire agencies to discuss and update pre-attack plans for the community. Install a 15,000 gallon water tank for fire suppression.
	Community Coordination and Public Education	Coordinate development of an evacuation plan for the community with designated safe zones and instructions for sheltering in place.
		Distribute copies of the publication “Living with Fire” to all property owners.

Table 9-3 Warm Springs Valley Wildfire Hazard Rating Summary

Figure 9-1 Warm Springs Valley Fire History and Suppression Resources small | large | x-large
Figure 9-2 Warm Springs Valley Fuel Hazard Classification small | large | x-large