16.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

The Lemmon Valley community is located north of Reno and north of US Highway 395 between Stead and Golden Valley. The community boundary is shown in Figure 16-1. The community hazard assessment resulted in classifying Lemmon Valley in the Moderate Hazard Category (41 points). A summary of factors that contributed to the hazard rating is included in Table 16-3. Primary factors that determined the hazard rating in Lemmon Valley included inadequate address signage and limited fire suppression resources.

16.1.1 Community Design

The wildland-urban interface area in Lemmon Valley 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 between one and ten acres in size.

• Access: Lemmon Drive is the primary road providing access to the community from US Highway 395. The road is greater than 24 feet wide and provides adequate space for two-way vehicular travel and for fire suppression equipment to maneuver.
• Signage: All street signs are easily visible, and 88 percent of residential addresses are 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 not been properly maintained in all cases. Proper maintenance minimizes the possibility that arcing may start fires in nearby vegetation. In some cases the recommended ten feet of vegetation clearance does not exist around propane tanks.

16.1.2 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. Ninety-seven percent of the homes have roofs of non-combustible material such as tile, metal, or composition. Approximately eighteen 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.

16.1.3 Defensible Space

Approximately 74 percent of the homes surveyed in the Golden Valley community have landscaping that meets defensible space guidelines to protect the home from damage or loss during a wildfire.

16.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

The Lemmon Valley Volunteer Fire Department provides the primary fire protection in the Lemmon Valley community as part of the Reno/Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. The Lemmon Valley VFD reported having twelve volunteer members at the time that interviews were conducted for this report. Lemmon Valley VFD resources that are available to respond to a reported wildland fire are summarized in Table 16-1.

Table 16-1. Lemmon Valley Initial Attack Wildfire Suppression Resources

Type of Resource	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Engine Type 1 Engine Type 3 Engine Type 4	1 1 1	Lemmon Valley Volunteer Fire Department (Reno/Truckee Meadows Station 23)
Source: Roy Slate and Marty Scheuerman Reno FD

Reno Fire Department responds with additional resources from the closest available career staffed station according to their standard wildland fire dispatch. Other local, state, and federal resources are available upon request through mutual 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 the US Forest Service.

Water Sources and Infrastructure

Lemmon Valley has fire hydrants within 1,000 feet of structures with a minimum flow capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute in most areas of the community. Fire hydrants are gravity operated. The community water system has a total water storage capacity of over 1,000,000 gallons, supplied from wells. There is no emergency back up generator to pump the wells in the event of a power outage.

For areas without hydrants, the estimated round trip time to additional water supplies to refill fire apparatus is approximately twenty minutes.

Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

Reno/Truckee Meadows volunteer and career firefighters 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.

Approximately half of the total volunteer firefighters are certified to respond to wildland fires. Reno Fire Department is in the process of providing additional training for career Captains and Chief Officers. They do not use the red card system. 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 Lemmon Valley Volunteer Fire Department is funded through the Truckee Meadows general fund.

Community Preparedness

Lemmon Valley is included in the Washoe County All-Risk Emergency Plan.

16.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

The terrain throughout the wildland-urban interface area of Lemmon Valley is generally flat, with less than eight percent slopes. The prevailing wind direction is from the south and southwest with high winds common especially during summer afternoons.

The vegetative fuels in the Lemmon Valley community primarily consist of Wyoming big sagebrush and rabbitbrush with an understory of bottlebrush squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, and several perennial and annual weeds. The fuel load was estimated at two tons per acre and was considered a moderate fuel hazard.

16.1.6 Fire Behavior Worst-Case Scenario

The worst-case scenario would be a fire starting in the southeast end of the community on a high hazard day with strong winds, greater than twenty miles per hour, blowing from the south-southwest. This would push the fire north into many older homes. Brush and yard debris will carry the fire through the area quickly threatening many structures.

16.1.7 Ignition Risk Assessment

Lemmon Valley has a high ignition risk rating. There is a significant history of wildfire and fire ignitions within and surrounding the community. High ignition rates are attributed to the tendency for lightning storms during the summer and moderate to high vehicular traffic.

16.1.8 Existing Mitigation Projects

In June of 2003, as part of the North Valley Fuels Treatment Project, the Bureau of Land Management completed a fuel reduction project for the Lemmon Valley and Sun Valley communities. Fuelbreaks 100 feet wide were constructed using mechanical treatments to reduce juniper and shrub cover (USDI 2003). The treatment area in Lemmon Valley, shown in Figure 16-2, was approximately thirty acres.

In April 2005, the BLM Carson City Field Office completed a fuel reduction project on the north and west sides of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Hungry Valley community east of Lemmon Valley. An area 3.1 miles long and 150 feet wide was mechanically treated to reduce shrub and juniper density (M. McQueen 2005 pers. comm.). The project area covers approximately 56 acres and is illustrated in Figure 16-3.

16.2 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 Lemmon Valley are focused on community clean-up and defensible space.

16.2.1 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 around 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.
• Install spark arrestors on chimneys.
• Remove or board up abandoned trailers and structures to prevent sparks from entering and igniting the structure.
• Treat areas to control the invasion of knapweed. Refer to Appendix E: Russian Knapweed Fact Sheet for more information about treating this noxious weed.
• Maintain the defensible space as needed.

Lemmon Valley and/or Reno Fire Departments

• Conduct courtesy inspections of home defensible space measures.

16.2.2 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.

Utility Company Recommendation

• Reduce and remove vegetation to maintain clearance around power lines. Clear vegetation within fifteen feet of utility poles near the community. Remove all trees from beneath power lines.

Lemmon Valley Volunteer Fire Department and Reno/Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Recommendation

• Remove or mow vegetation within ten feet of all fire hydrants to improve visibility and access for firefighters.
• 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.

Bureau of Land Management Recommendation

• Periodically retreat the 2003 fuelbreak constructed in Lemmon Valley and the 2004 fuelbreak constructed in Hungry Valley to maintain and/or further reduce shrub and juniper density.

16.2.3 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.

16.2.4 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.

Lemmon Valley Fire Department

• 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.

16.3 Summary of Recommendations

Table 16-2. Lemmon 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 homes 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.
Utility Company	Fuels Reduction	Remove trees and thin shrubs beneath power lines and utility poles. Maintain fifteen feet of clearance around utility poles.
Bureau of Land Management	Fuels Reduction	Retreat the 2003 and 2004 fuelbreaks in Lemmon and Hungry Valley as necessary to maintain fuel load reductions by thinning shrub and juniper density.
Washoe County	Community Coordination	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. 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.
Lemmon Valley Volunteer Fire Department Reno/Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District	Defensible Space Treatments	Conduct courtesy inspections of defensible space conditions and defensible space treatments on private property.
	Fuels Reduction	Remove vegetation within ten feet of fire hydrants. Develop and promote regular brush clearance and biomass disposal, and continue to enforce the open burn permit programs.
	Public Education	Distribute copies of the publication “Living with Fire” to all property owners.

Table 16-3 Lemmon Valley Wildfire Hazard Rating Summary

Figure 16-1 Lemmon Valley Fire History, Suppression Resources, and Critical Features small | large | x-large
Figure 16-2 Lemmon Valley/BLM Mitigation Projects small | large | x-large
Figure 16-3 Hungry Valley BLM Mitigation Projects small | large | x-large