Facilitating smooth emergency responses and evacuations by building neighborhoods and suburbs wildfire-smart from the start
By Mary Kyle McCurdy | 3.5-minute read
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Creating safer, more wildfire-resilient communities involves planning ahead. Thankfully, Oregon has the tools to do just that.
In last week’s Wildfire Wednesday article, we described how Oregon’s land use planning program offers many tools to reduce wildfire risk and to keep Oregonians and our communities safer if a wildfire does occur. Two of those tools come from our 19 statewide planning goals: natural hazard planning (Goal 7) and transportation (Goal 12).
The Department of Land Conservation and Development’s (DLCD’s) Wildfire Adapted Communities Recommendations Report offers detailed insight into how we can make our communities safer using land use planning. Two recommendations directly address integrating Goals 7 and 12 through wildfire-informed transportation planning. We believe it is time for the legislature to fund DLCD and local governments to carry these out:
Last week, we described Recommendation 2: Cities and counties assess and improve transportation networks for safe evacuation and firefighting response. Today, we are going to look at Recommendation 3: Cities and counties review and amend local land use codes for new development to ensure safe evacuation and efficient firefighting response. In other words, this is “wildfire-smart from the start,” building subdivisions and neighborhoods that are easier to evacuate and less fire-prone. Many of these principles can also be retrofitted into existing neighborhoods and subdivisions.
- For new subdivisions, design streets that are connected, to provide multiple routes for safe evacuation of residents and visitors and efficient emergency response.
- For existing subdivisions where most streets are not connected (common in subdivisions where cul-de-sacs predominate), look for opportunities to connect streets. This can even be with walking and bicycling trails or roads that are not normally open to vehicles but can be in an emergency.
- Ensure all parts of a subdivision or neighborhood, including retail and other employment areas, schools, medical centers, and the like are well-located near connected streets.
- Require ingress and egress streets to be of sufficient grade and width for emergency equipment.
- Design manufactured home parks and other areas that have multiple buildings with at least two points of ingress/egress.
- Ensure proper implementation of Oregon Fire Code standards for site access and driveways, hydrant placement, and water supply.
- Establish wildfire-informed requirements for temporary uses, such as larger-scale outdoor events. For example, require more than one route for ingress and egress that can handle both safe evacuation and fire fighting equipment; provide firefighting equipment on site; ensure adequate onsite signage and other communication of evacuation routes; and take other steps as recommended by the local fire district and/or Oregon State Fire Marshal.
- In wildfire-prone areas, incorporate features such as roads, parking lots, parks, trails, golf courses, and other natural and built features as wildfire break and buffers.
- Prohibit flammable plants and landscaping features and publish a list of plants that are acceptable.
- Incorporate setback and siting standards to minimize development on or atop steep slopes.
- Establish buffers from adjacent wildland areas.
Building wildfire smart from the start does not cost more; rather, it is about using thoughtful, wildfire-informed design. Many of these principles can also be retrofitted into existing neighborhoods and subdivisions. Local governments should incorporate these as relevant into their own zoning codes for new developments, and take advantage of opportunities to add them to existing neighborhoods.
Next Wildfire Wednesday: The cost of using wildfire-smart materials.
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