Wildfire preparation, smoke impacts focus of forum

Reducing wildfire risk in Whitefish and public health impacts from smoke are the focus of a forum on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Whitefish City Hall.

The session begins at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers,and is sponsored by the Whitefish Fire Department and Whitefish Climate Action Plan Committee.

“Preparing for the Fire Next Time” will offer a panel discussion about how to improve the safety of homes located in the wildland-urban interface in Whitefish and the Whitefish Fire Service Area. Panelists will discuss community protocol for responding to unhealthy air quality conditions and steps to improve indoor air quality during poor air quality days.

Panelists include Whitefish Fire Marshal Travis Tveidt; Ali Ulwelling with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and coordinator of FireSafe Flathead; Mike West, assistant fire management officer with the Flathead National Forest Tally Lake District; Hillary Hanson, Flathead County public health officer; and Amy Cilimburg with Climate Smart Missoula.

“All of Whitefish is considered part of the Wildland-Urban Interface,” Whitefish Fire Chief Joe Page said. “While you may not have a huge number of trees in your yard or around your home, the fact is that we all live within range of an ember shower. Embers from a nearby wildland fire are what burns down homes.”

The city fire department also provides residential fire protection for homes in heavily forested areas outside city limits.

“There are a number of things we can all do to reduce the risk from a wildland fire,” Page said. “Sometimes people are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem and feel they can’t do everything, so they give up. We’re here to tell you that every little bit helps and some of the small simple steps will have huge benefits.”

Tveidt and Ulwelling will discuss actions homeowners, neighborhoods and the community can take to prepare for the next fire season. West will discuss fuel management programs on the Flathead National Forest. Hanson will discuss what the county is doing to address public health impacts from wildfire smoke, and Cilimburg will talk about Missoula’s new initiative to protect vulnerable populations during smoke-filled summers.

The new Montana Climate Assessment, published last month by scientists from Montana State University and University of Montana, anticipates a future of hotter, drier summers with longer and more intense fire seasons in western Montana.

The Whitefish Climate Action Committee, appointed earlier this year by Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld and the City Council, has identified fire risk and wildfire smoke as significant vulnerabilities in and around Whitefish as climate change is projected to accelerate in the coming decades.