Last week, I talked to FOX 7 about the wildfire risk for Austin and Travis County. The Austin metro area ranks 5th in the county for wildfire risk. Homes and neighborhoods in District 10 are particularly at risk for the kind of large fires that are affecting California right now.
I’ve been deeply engaged with the Firewise Alliance community work in our district for at least a year. My HOA had an assessment in 2023 that illustrated to me both the importance of collaborative preparation - and that our communities still have a lot to do to prevent and prepare for wildfire.
I encourage you to join and learn more about our Austin Area Firewise Alliance chapter. They can support you and your neighbors to make your community wildfire-resilient. The next quarterly meeting is Tuesday, Feb 11, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Huffman Hall at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church (8134 Mesa Dr., Austin 78759).
It’s my goal to work with the Austin Fire Department (AFD), the Firewise Alliance, and our neighborhoods to increase the number of Firewise Communities and help residents prepare for wildfires through education and programs.
Two immediate steps you can take to prepare for wildfire and reduce the risk to yourself, your family, and your home:
Sign up to get emergency messaging including wildfire evacuation messages. Make sure to keep your information up to date! The quicker residents evacuate, the quicker our firefighters can actually start fighting a fire.
Request a free Structural Ignition Zone Evaluation (SIZE) from the APD Wildfire Division. A wildfire specialist will come to your house, answer your questions, and make recommendations about hardening your home to prevent damage and loss of life.
Wildfire prevention is a huge priority for me and I’m glad to report that Austin and Travis County are better prepared than most municipalities, thanks in large part to the work of my predecessor.
Last year, Austin Energy adopted an artificial intelligence (AI) system to better detect wildfires called Pano AI. This system monitors the 437-square-mile service area of Austin Energy, covering most of Travis County and parts of Hays, Williamson, Bastrop and Burnet counties.
As of last summer, every Austin firefighter has completed the “Responding to the Interface” wildfire training, a program specific to fires in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) environment that is so prevalent in our district. Austin is the first large city in the nation to achieve this goal.
AFD is about 1300 people strong, including 1096 uniformed firefighters, 53 fire stations, and 68 fire trucks (4 firefighters per truck). We also have a dedicated Wildfire Division: a team of 12 civilians and 15 firefighters that work tirelessly to prepare our residents, parkland, and businesses to reduce the risk of a catastrophe.
District 10 can sleep easy knowing that we have 9 fully-staffed firetrucks dedicated to our district and are scheduled to cut the ribbon on the new Canyon Creek joint Fire/EMS station this year, which will reduce response times.
There is, of course, a land use element to wildfire prevention and preparedness. The number one risk to homes during a wildfire is embers from the fire, but the number two risk is structure-to-structure - AKA density. I plan to work with my colleagues on Council to update the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code to protect residents and businesses from wildfires. To learn more about the WUI and find out if your home is inside the WUI click here.
For more information, you can view wildfire risk by address and geographic area and visit the Austin-Area Wildfire Hub. The Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Action Guide and the Firewise Landscaping Handbook are both available references, as well.
If you want to dig deeper, the Austin/Travis County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update will return to Austin City Council for adoption this year, based on the City’s 2019 Wildfire Prevention Audit.
