JeffCo Health Department Update

Public Health is many things, and the work of public health is done by many people. Jesse Hauer has over 15 years of fire management experience including time spent working for Montana DNRC and Helena College as an adjunct Wildland Fire Instructor. During that time, he also served as a firefighter and leader for Lincoln’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department. Working for FEMA as a Community Relations Specialist during Hurricane Katrina/Wilma provided Jesse with additional emergency response skills. For the past eight years, Jesse has worked to expand his skillset to help prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from all kinds of hazards in his role as Jefferson County’s Public Health and Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Coordinator. I am appreciative of his contribution to our public health team. Below is his message related to wildfire season. Be well!

It’s summertime in Jefferson County. The spring season was cool and damp creating a green environment for us to recreate in so far this year. Eventually things will dry out as it does every summer and fuels will become available to burn. Temperatures will rise, relative humidity will fall into the low teens, and the wind will wisp away the moisture fuels give off through evaporation. It is the same cycle that the valley has experienced since the beginning of time. At least it’s a dry heat, right? Grasses become a duller green, start to seed out and eventually turn brown. Rotten logs will give off dust when kicked, and live vegetation’s moistures will fall to critical percentages becoming susceptible to fire. It seems we have lived with this reality in the west since we settled here.

Fire can manifest two different ways, naturally or human caused. Nature, through lightning, starts many fires. These aren’t preventable, but through aggressive initial attack by wildland, volunteer, and professional fire agencies, most are kept below 10 acres and out of the headlines. It truly is a testament to the coordination of detection and suppression efforts of the paid and volunteer fire agencies.

The other cause of wildland fire is 100% preventable and that is human caused. Escaped debris burns, campfires, arson, fireworks, cigarettes, faulty spark arrestors on recreational vehicles, blown transformers and other negligent behavior during fire season are all lumped into that human caused category. Human-caused fire has the largest variation of causes of the two and the occurrence of which are largely unpredictable. In my time as a fire manager, we had three to ten human-caused fires to one lightning fire depending on the year. Human-caused fires always outnumbered naturally caused fires.

We ask that the public be careful recreating in the woods and removing debris from your property.

• Make sure your campfires are mixed with water when you’re done and ensure they are “dead out.” Feel the coals to make sure they are cool to the touch, mix them with the wet dirt underneath, and feel again.

• When burning debris, make sure your burn permit is activated to see if you are okay to light it off.

• Never leave your burn pile(s) unattended and have water available to suppress if you feel it is getting to be too much. Do not hesitate to call 911 if your burn is getting out of hand. Inspect your recreational equipment before adventuring into the woods. Make sure spark arrestors are in good condition.

With your help and diligence, fire suppression crews can focus on those naturally caused lightning fires and not have to worry about the human-caused variable. If you would like to volunteer, contact your local fire department or emergency medical services program. Volunteers and auxiliary are desperately needed in most rural areas in Montana. Training is provided and a great way to give back to the community. I personally volunteered with my old community’s fire department for 15 years before I changed chapters in my life. Truly a rewarding experience like no other.

Air Quality During Wildfire Season

Eventually, some fires escape that initial detection, and suppression effort and become long-duration incidents. These incidents can affect the air that we breathe and can become a health emergency. Fires as far as California and British Columbia also can deteriorate our air quality with the amount of particulate matter that they put up in smoke and the way they travel using prevalent air currents. We could have a cool, green summer, but New Mexico is on fire, and we could be getting their smoke depending on the winds.

Montana DEQ has an activity recommendation table for air quality. Go to http://www.todaysair.mt.gov to see where the day’s air quality rates. If you’re relatively healthy, your smoke tolerance might be higher; however, if you or a loved one is 0-17 years old, have a chronic condition listed in the table, are pregnant, or are an older adult, you may want to consult the guideline to see the recommendations on smoke exposure.

There is also a table for recommended outdoor school activities. We realize Jefferson County doesn’t have an air quality monitor, but there is one in Helena, Butte, and Bozeman. Use the one that is relevant to your area. Visibility distance is another way to measure. The website gives a good description of how to measure using that method. If there are any questions about air quality in your area, DEQ has an Air Quality main phone number 406-444-3490.