23.1 Risk and Hazard Assessment

The Silver Knolls community is located northwest of Stead and east of Cold Springs. The community is situated at the base of the east-facing slopes of the Granite Hills. The community boundary is shown in Figure 23-1. The community hazard assessment resulted in classifying Silver Knolls in the Moderate Hazard Category (55 points). A summary of factors that contributed to the hazard rating is included in Table 23-3. Primary factors that determined the hazard rating in the Silver Knolls community included the high number of homes constructed with flammable roofing materials and limited fire suppression resources.

23.1.1 Community Design

The wildland-urban interface area in the Silver Knolls community is characterized as an intermix condition. There is no clear line of demarcation between wildland fuels and the residential structures in the community. About sixty percent of residences are located on lots less than one acre in size and forty percent of residences are located on lots between one and ten acres.

• Access: Red Rock Road is the primary transportation route providing access to and from the community. The road is greater than 24 feet wide and provides adequate space for two-way vehicular travel and for fire suppression equipment to maneuver. Secondary roads on the east side of Red Rock Road have road grades greater than five percent.
• Signage: All of the street signs in the community are easily visible. Ninety-three percent of the 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 areas of the community. Proper maintenance minimizes the possibility that arcing may start fires in nearby vegetation. In some areas of the community, the recommended ten feet of vegetation clearance does not exist around propane tanks.

23.1.2 Construction Materials

Almost all of the homes in the interface are built with non-combustible or ignition resistant siding such as medium density fiberboard, stucco, or brick. Seventy-one percent of the homes have roofs of non-combustible material such as tile, metal, or composition. Approximately ten percent of the homes observed had 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.

23.1.3 Defensible Space

Approximately 93 percent of the homes surveyed in the Silver Knolls community have landscaping that meets defensible space guidelines to protect the home from damage or loss during a wildfire.

23.1.4 Suppression Capabilities

Wildfire Protection Resources

The Silver Knolls Volunteer Fire Department as part of the Reno/Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District provides fire suppression services. The Silver Knolls VFD reported having six volunteers that have been trained in wildland fire suppression at the time that interviews were conducted for this report. Suppression resources within the community for response to a reported wildland fire near Silver Knolls are shown in Table 23-1.

Table 23-1. Silver Knolls Initial Attack Wildfire Suppression Resources

Type of Resource	Amount of Equipment	Cooperating Partner (Resource Location)
Engine Type 1 Engine Type 3	1 1	Silver Knolls Volunteer Fire Department (Truckee Meadows Station 21)
Source: Roy Slate and Marty Scheuerman Reno FD. Bill Howe, Silver Knoll Vol. Chief

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 US Forest Service.

Water Sources and Infrastructure

Silver Knolls has five fire hydrants that are operated by gravity from one water tank. The tank is operated by an electric pump with no emergency backup generator. The estimated round trip time to refill fire apparatus from additional water supplies is approximately ten to 45 minutes away depending on the location of the fire within the community.

Fire Protection Personnel Qualifications

Volunteers in the Silver Knolls Volunteer Fire Department are trained to various levels. Six volunteers have at least forty hours of basic wildland training and are certified to respond to a wildland fire.

The Reno/Truckee Meadows 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 Silver Knolls Volunteer Fire Department is funded by the Truckee Meadows Fire District.

Community Preparedness

Silver Knolls is included in the Washoe County All-Risk Emergency Plan.

23.1.5 Factors Affecting Fire Behavior

The terrain surrounding homes in the Silver Knolls community is characterized by hillsides ranging between eight and twenty percent slope with an east-facing aspect. The prevailing wind direction is from the south and southwest. The burned areas in the Silver Knolls community are dominated by big sagebrush and rabbitbrush with a grass layer of crested wheatgrass. The fuel loads were estimated at one ton per acre and considered a moderate fuel hazard.

23.1.6 Fire Behavior Worst-Case Scenario

The worst-case scenario would be a fire starting south or southwest of the community with strong winds, greater than twenty miles per hour, blowing from the southwest on a high hazard day. Fire would be driven through moderately dense brush and quickly threaten numerous homes. If this fire were to occur during normal workday hours many of the volunteers could be unavailable, causing a delay in fire resources arriving on the scene for structure protection.

23.1.7 Ignition Risk Assessment

Silver Knolls has a high ignition risk. There is a significant history of wildfires and fire ignitions surrounding the community. High ignition rates are due to a tendency for heavy lightning in the area during the summer and moderate to high vehicular traffic.

23.2 Risk and Hazard Reduction Recommendations

The hazard recommendations for Silver Knolls focus on creating and maintaining defensible space and community fuel reduction projects.

23.2.1 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.
• Maintain the defensible space as needed.

Reno/Truckee Meadows Fire Department

• Conduct courtesy inspections of home defensible space measures.

23.2.2 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 tree limbs from power lines.

Reno/Truckee Meadows 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.

Washoe County Recommendations

• Reduce vegetation and maintain roads by mowing all vegetation to a height of no more than four inches for a distance of twenty feet from the edge of the pavement on both sides of the road. Remove biomass and dispose at an appropriate site. Reseed treated areas with fire resistant species such as recommended in Appendix E to minimize cheatgrass and noxious weed invasion.

23.2.3 Fire Suppression Resources and Training

Reno Fire Department Recommendation

• Meet annually with the Nevada Division of Forestry and 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.

23.2.4 Community Coordination

Property Owner Recommendation

• 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.
• Develop and enforce ordinances regarding fuel reduction and defensible space requirements for wildland-urban interface areas. Require defensible space implementation and maintenance on all developed lots and fuel reduction on all vacant lots within the interface area. Require approval by the appropriate fire agency of completed fuel reduction treatments prior to issuance of building permits for new wildland-urban interface 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.

23.2.5 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

• 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.

23.3 Summary of Recommendations

Table 23-2. Silver Knolls 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	Ensure that residential addresses are visible from the road.
Utility Company	Fuels Reduction	Reduce and maintain vegetation in power line corridors. Maintain fifteen feet of clearance around utility poles.
Washoe County	Fuels Reduction	Reduce vegetation and maintain a minimum of twenty feet of clearance from the edge of all county roadways in the community.
	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, water supply, and emergency access. Develop and/or enforce county laws, regulations, and ordinances for defensible space and fuels reduction that include absentee homeowners, vacant lots, and new subdivisions. 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/Truckee Meadows Fire Department	Defensible Space Treatments	Conduct courtesy inspections of defensible space conditions and assist with implementation of 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.
	Resources and Training	Meet annually with the Nevada Division of Forestry and the Bureau of Land Management to discuss and update pre-attack plans for the community and test radio coverage and compatibility.
	Public Education	Distribute copies of the publication “Living with Fire” to all property owners.

Table 23-3 Silver Knolls Wildfire Hazard Rating Summary

Figure 23-1 Silver Knolls Fire History and Suppression Resources small | large | x-large