Swelling Summer Heat Sparks Wildfire Preparations

Although on-site wildfires are a constant concern, increased plant growth during this year's unusually cool and wet spring have made this fire season particularly risky. As evidenced by the massive wildfires in Arizona in June, unmanaged wildlands can readily spawn out of control fires.

Fortunately, the dedicated professionals of the Hanford Fire Department (HFD) regularly work on various fire prevention projects to keep workers, the environment, and property safe from devastating wildfires.

A significant, yet counterintuitive tool in HFD's fire prevention arsenal is fire itself. During periods of low fire risk in the fall, winter, and spring, HFD's Fuel Management team surveys the site and performs prescribed burns.

Prescribed burns involve fighting fire with fire by burning flammable plant materials that have collected or grown in firebreaks and other critical fire control areas. This tactic removes excess wildfire fuel from the site, and ensures that other fire prevention measures, such as fire containment lines, function as designed.

In the course of HFD's prescribed burning activities this year, Fuel Management has eliminated over 30,000 cubic yards of tumbleweeds from about 80 miles of fire containment lines and roadways throughout the site.

Unfortunately, fires are bound to occur on the Hanford site; however, HFD staff are always ready to respond to any fire that starts despite earlier fire prevention work.