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Get Ready for Spring Wildfires

Get Ready for Spring Wildfires

A busy and early spring wildfire season predicted for the Buckeye State

Weather conditions are aligning to produce a high number of wildland fires in Ohio in early 2016, and the spring fire season is predicted to kick off earlier than usual, according to forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. While the unusually mild fall weather across the state has been enjoyable, the same weather conditions will likely lead to a higher number of days primed for severewildland fire behavior this spring, resulting in fires that are more difficult to control and that burn more acres.

Conditions are predicted to be similar to those that occurred in the spring of 2009, one of the busiest wildland fire seasons in Ohio according to data from the State Fire Marshal’s Ohio Fire Incident Reporting System (OFIRS). In a typical year, April is by far Ohio’s busiest month for wildfires, with an average of 1,073 incidents reported statewide. In 2009, spring wildfire season came fierce and early, with 2,984 wildfires reported in March – four times the average for that month. Spring 2016 may bring similar conditions, with higher than normal fire activity coming earlier than normal.

Ohio’s fire departments need to be prepared for these potentially severe conditions. Although Ohio is not typically thought of as a state with a “wildfire problem,” we do respond to an average of 5,443 wildland fire incidents every year statewide. Each one of these incidents carries the potential for firefighter injuries and fatalities, as well as lost and damaged equipment, if not treated with appropriate tactics and due regard for safety.

Get ready for spring wildfires now. December and January are typically the least active months for wildland fires in Ohio, so get brush truck maintenance accomplished now and make any necessary purchases of wildland PPE and equipment while things are slow. Beginning in mid-February, be sure to monitor the daily wildland fire weather forecasts issued by the National Weather Service, as these will give a heads-up regarding near-term wildfire potential. And take full advantage of wildland fire training opportunities offered by the Ohio Fire Academy and the Ohio Division of Forestry.

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Prepared by: Jeremy Keller, Bellefontaine Fire & EMS and the OFCA Water Supply TAC

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