Fire Prevention Week 2023 - Introduction

Hello again everyone! This week may look a little different for those of you who have been following us for some time, if you’re just joining us – welcome, let’s try something new together!

“Since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires. Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.” – National Fire Protection Association website, which also includes this neat little video on the history of the Great Chicago Fire (click that link if you want to give it a watch).

This week is Fire Prevention Week, and we would like to participate – with our own spin on things wildfire related. This year the National Fire Protection Association’s campaign is “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention.” Which focuses on educating folks about simple, important actions they can take while cooking to keep themselves and other safe. Obviously, we are a wildfire blog, so our posts will look different than what is on their website. However, if you’re interested in the cooking campaign, feel free to click here.

You might recall from one of our earlier posts that Pennsylvania has a bimodal fire season – well, we are starting into our second fire season here in the fall. So, let’s take the time this week to learn about how we can prevent unwanted wildfires and how fire can be an important part of maintaining diverse and healthy ecosystems.

Naturally over time litter collects on the forest floor, this can be a hinderance to the germination of many plants because the seeds can’t reach the mineral soil. Meanwhile new shrubs and seedlings begin to grow. As these get bigger, they obscure natural sunlight and can choke other species that aren’t adapted to shade tolerance.

Now, one of two things can be done here: a prescribed fire can be implemented under the supervision of experts, or it’s left alone.

What would that prescribed fire do in this ecosystem? Before excessive litter builds up a low-intensity burn occurs, removing all that litter and exposes the soil just enough for those seeds to germinate and grow. After the burn certain fire-dependent vegetation thrives, competition is reduced, destructive insects and diseases are controlled, and the build up of excessive fuels is eliminated.

Now, let’s rewind that tape and remove the prescribed fire. What happens then? More and more time passes without fire, resulting in a build up of excessive fuels on the forest floor, trees and shrubs grow larger – vistas close making the forest denser and darker. This makes it so fewer new species can prosper, creating a monoculture. Then when an unplanned fire finally occurs (this could be from a lightning strike or a careless individual) it finds enough fuel to turn into an intense, raging wildfire that can quickly get out of control. The aftermath of this kind of fire can be quite severe because more often than not a forest and all of its organic materials are completely incinerated, leaving very little behind. While the forest will eventually regenerate, but it could take years or even decades depending on the intensity of the fire that burned through.