MISSOULA — In the West, wildfire season often hits close to home. But, safety preparations can start there too. Friday morning, a “Home Resilience Workshop” hoped to spark homeowners to get ready for intense heat and fire seasons.
“We're not trying to give you this really prescriptive sort of thing, like ‘this is what you have to do.’ We want to talk to you,” said Missoula County home resiliency educator, Callye Foster. “We want to see what you're dealing with, what your circumstances are and we can come up with a good pathway or plan for you.”
The workshop kicked off with presentations, resources, coffee and donuts at the G.W. Marks Exploration Center. Speakers from Climate Smart Missoula, the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, Missoula County’s Office of Emergency Management and the Home Upgrade Hub shared tips about improving our homes and health.
They said that simple tasks in and around your home can have a big impact on fire risk. The Home Ignition Zone, an area that includes the home and about 200 feet of its surroundings, is especially important. Changes could be big, like replacing a flammable wooden porch, or small, like cleaning out the gutters.
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In her presentation, Olivia Anderson, a fire adapted communities coordinator with the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, said that even small steps can help protect your house, your community and your first responders.
"Helping each other out, getting up on a ladder, mowing your neighbor's lawn. Maybe they're super busy, maybe they don't have the ability to do that,” she said. “Just really helping each other out and working together because, if we're all mitigating our Home Ignition Zones, that's going to set us up a lot better."
Presenters also talked about the health risks posed by intense fire seasons and heatwaves. They recommend people reduce exposure to smoke and consider using an air filter system.
“We're just saying there are things we need to do, given that we have do have longer fire season that that ends up moving into the fall. Because, not everyone will experience fire directly, but everyone will experience smoke,” said Climate Smart Missoula executive director, Amy Cilimburg. “Obviously, there are things we can do to prepare and to keep ourselves healthy during the season.”
In addition to tips, the workshop presented resources to improve both homes and health. From online information to discounted air filters to free wildfire risk assessments, Western Montana has plenty available to make you and your home safer this fire season. More information can be found on websites for Missoula County, the Department of Natural Resources & Conservation and Climate Smart Missoula.
