Firefighters were burning piles of spruce branches all over the Anchorage Hillside this May.
Each stack needs to be 6-feet tall and 6-feet wide, according to Ethan DeBauche, a fuels specialist with the state Division of Forestry and Fire Prevention.
“It’s more than throwing a massive amount of sticks on the ground,” he said.
The specific way of piling up the branches helps them burn all the way back down. When it comes to wildfire mitigation, there are specific ways to do pretty much everything. For example, to make sure a prescribed burn is fully out, DeBauche said firefighters stick their bare hands into the remains of a fire.
“If a firefighter can't keep their hand in there for around five seconds, it's too hot to abandon and they’ll keep putting it out,” he said.
This work is part of a huge, ongoing effort to reduce wildlife danger across the municipality. More than 82% of residential areas in Anchorage are forested, which puts the city at risk of wildfires. But it’s been a long time since anyone’s come in to trim spruce branches and burn underbrush like this. Nearly two decades ago most wildfire planning came to a halt when federal funds dried up, said Doug Schrage, chief of the Anchorage Fire Department.
Then last year, the city got more than $4 million from the federal government for wildfire mitigation. The fire department used the money to create new positions and that team started a collaboration between local and state agencies, all working together to reduce wildfire risk. They’re doing that by clearing out brush and trees in the wild parts of the city, holding a town hall and starting a public education campaign. They’re sharing resources and responsibilities.
Schrage said it feels like a new era.
“It's really becoming a bit of a community effort in that way,” he said. “And I love it.”
He said wildfires in California and Hawaii have shown just how necessary preparation is. Those fires killed dozens over the past few years and displaced thousands. They destroyed swaths of city — even whole towns. Schrage said he wants to know he’s done everything in his power to prevent that from happening here.
“That's something that keeps me awake in my current role,” he said. “And so the weight of that responsibility compelled me to do something.”
There’s still a lot to do, he said, but the city is more prepared than it has been in a long time.
The recent weather has also helped. A fairly snowless winter had it looking like it could be a bad year, because a lack of snow meant the ground would be dry during the summer months. Then a rainy spring brought the risk level down to average — but average isn’t great in a city that has all three things fires depend on.
First, Schrage said, fire likes to burn uphill, putting the city’s steep slopes at risk. Second, the city’s wildlands have lots of dead trees and underbrush that act as fuel. And the area’s sometimes windy, dry weather is fire friendly.
Schrage said there have been some close calls in recent years. He spoke about risk at a town hall in May alongside representatives from about a dozen agencies.
Norm McDonald with the state Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the crowd that climate change is also complicating wildfire risk. He said all of Alaska is seeing warmer and drier conditions.
“As a kid who grew up in Alaska, I can tell you firsthand of the snow and the cold winters we had, compared to what we’re seeing now,” he said. “I think a lot of you, if you’re lifetime Alaskans, have witnessed that as well.”
The fact that people are building more and more homes in forested areas — what firefighters call the “wild urban interface” — is also upping wildfire risk.
“People want to live off the road, out of the communities, you know, they want to have their slice of Alaska, which we all understand,” he said.
Saving human life is the number one priority, Schrage said, so a lot of work goes into making sure those wooded residential areas are protected.
There are more than a dozen ongoing or planned projects in the municipality as part of the multi-agency collaboration. They use various approaches to fire management.
Take the Campbell Airstrip Road. It’s the only way in and out for a community of about 250 homes. The municipality is working on a three mile long fire break with nearly 150 feet of land on either side of the road — there’s no underbrush and very few trees. The lack of fuel would slow fires, making it possible to evacuate residents.
A project clearing trees and underbrush in South Anchorage’s Forsythe Park is finished.
Also on the list are a bunch of smaller firebreaks all over the municipality. Those still need approval, and some still need funding.
Back on the Hillside last month, firefighters used chainsaws to cut lower limbs off spruce trees. That’s to make it less likely fire will climb up those branches and into the canopy, where it’s harder to put out, DeBauche said.
He said the goal is to leave the area ready for the public — no little tree limb stumps to stab a biker and clearer sight lines on trails to avoid surprising a moose.
Despite the ongoing noise and smoke, he said folks in the neighborhood have been supportive.
“We've even had some pies, some homemade pies delivered to the crew who was camping,” he said.
That appreciation goes a long way, said Jon Glover, chief of the Anchorage Fire Department Wildfire Division.
“As a guy that used to run a chainsaw in the woods, it’s nice when the public comes out and tells you thanks,” he said.
He said there are lots of other things people can do to help too. The Anchorage Fire Department has tips for making sure your home and property are less likely to go up in flames if there is a wildfire. That includes checking your property for dead trees or grasses that might dry out quickly and become flammable. Glover noted that there are likely many people in your neighborhood who can’t prepare their own homes. He recommended reaching out to community councils to find out who needs help.
Presenters at the town hall also stressed that during a wildfire it’s important to evacuate sooner rather than later. The municipality has various disaster communication systems which include texting “Anchorage” to 67283. The municipality also has a tiered alert program that lets residents know the current risk level.
