In November, the IAFC’s Board of Directors approved the IAFC Wildland Fire Policy Committee’s (WFPC) concept to develop the Leave Early or Stay and Defend (LEOSAD) philosophy.
The basic premise of this new program: get homeowners to understand that they must be part of the structure protection solution within the WUI. There aren’t, and never will be, enough public and private resources available to protect every home, and large WUI fires will inevitably destroy many homes unless steps have been taken before and during the event to make them fire safe.
What It Is & What It Isn’t
This program represents a major paradigm shift for the media, local government, law enforcement, firefighters and the public. Many people within the fire service are optimistic about the program, but at the same time, many are pessimistic about its chances for success. The program relies heavily on educating the public on such items as:
- Situational awareness of the wildland environment where homes are located;
- Ignition zone awareness and basic wildland fire behavior;
- Retrofit measures available for the homeowner;
- Simple fire prevention measures a homeowner can take, including creating defensible space;
- How to create the basic elements for assisting firefighters, such as water supply and access;
- Preparing for an evacuation;
- Deciding whether to leave or stay; and
- Actions to take if the homeowner decides to stay, and the consequences of such a decision.
The public instruction will also include what LEOSAD is not:
- Blanket permission to stay;
- Guarantee of safety or property protection;
- A change in the way wildland fires are fought;
- One size fits all; and
- Providing the public with firefighting clothing and fire hose.
Firewise or “Fire Adaptive” Communities
The premise of the LEOSAD program is that most structure fires occurring during a wildland fire are not lost due to the flaming fire front, but rather by the “ember environment.” These embers penetrate hidden areas of a structure, causing small, incipient fires that often go undetected. With the limited number of firefighters “leap frogging” with the fire front, homes that are evacuated become unmonitored, thus allowing the hidden incipient fires to grow. After-action reviews have determined that these small fires have caused urban conflagrations by one home burning the next home and so on.
If the property owner follows the LEOSAD fire prevention provisions, the structure has a very high chance of surviving the fire regardless if anyone is present, which should be the overall goal. LEOSAD also recognizes that homeowners have a right to protect their property and in many cases have certain obligations, such as investment concerns and inability to evacuate livestock, pets or themselves.
How It Will Work
If LEOSAD is adopted, the evacuation warning will still be delivered via law enforcement and firefighters. Residents must then decide whether to leave early or stay and defend. They will need to make quick risk-vs.-gain decisions, because once they decide to stay, they have few options if they change their minds. Residents must also remember that once they leave, they usually cannot re-enter the closed area until the evacuation order is lifted.
The LEOSAD decision should be made upon the past public education instruction. Examples of why someone should not stay include:
- They don’t want to;
- They lack sufficient physical condition or respiratory condition to survive the fire;
- Their home is located in an indefensible area or they have no acceptable escape route; or
- They haven’t performed LEOSAD fire prevention principles to protect their property.
One of the most common questions fire chiefs and public agencies have about the LEOSAD program involves liability. The LEOSAD program does not force anyone to stay and defend. It simply provides the resident with enough information for them to make an informed decision.
The fire service recognizes that the term “mandatory” evacuation is not really mandatory; generally, law enforcement cannot forcibly remove you from your property, and we continue to witness a growing number of residents staying, oftentimes without any preparedness measures being taken. The decision to leave early or stay and defend is an individual decision; therefore, fire agencies don’t incur any liability.
Next Steps
The WFPC is currently attempting to flush out the LEOSAD program concerns and gain stakeholder buy-in. Efforts are being directed at creating a video tool to introduce LEOSAD’s tenets, along with a supplemental policy discussion tool. These tools and several research presentations will be presented at the IAFC Wildland/Urban Interface Conference in Reno, March 24—26. More details can be found at www.iafc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=854.
The WFPC plans to unveil the introduction tools by April 2009, then follow up with a stakeholder’s summit meeting to finish developing the respective lesson plans for media, local government, law enforcement, firefighters and the public. Full program implementation tools are expected in spring 2010.
The WFPC is asking for your support in developing the LEOSAD program. If you have any concerns about the program and/or would like to possibly be involved in the stakeholder’s summit meeting, send an e-mail to the WFPC staff assistant, Todd Clist, at TClist@iafc.org.
The bottom line: As suppression costs continue to spiral up, the public must become an active stakeholder in the WUI resolution process. LEOSAD is a viable program that recognizes the limitations of the fire service and helps reduce long-term suppression costs and property losses, but to truly be effective, it must be a joint public/private partnership.
