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Improper use of power equipment sparks about 1,600 fires a year, including several that have taken weeks of aerial firefighting to douse. (AP/ File 2008) |
Getting smart about sparks
California calls for caution with power equipment
LOS ANGELES - Fire Captain David Sadecki was on his way to an emergency call last summer when he noticed a man on a tractor mowing tinder-dry grass in a field during the hottest part of the day.
Sadecki and his crew later returned to confront the man.
"He was just trying to clear this field for his boss," recalled Sadecki, of Santa Barbara, Calif. "But he was doing it at the wrong time, in the heat of the day. All it would take is one spark to start a fire."
As California enters another fire season, officials say it's still all too common to find property owners and their employees unwittingly threatening themselves and their neighbors.
More than 1,600 fires are started each year by people improperly using mowers, weed trimmers, tractors, and other power equipment to clear vegetation. Improper use of power equipment - working without spark arresters, for example, or trimming or cutting during the hot afternoon hours - is the single largest factor in accidental blazes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire).
Most are quickly extinguished. But a few grow into roaring wildfires that destroy homes, tax the state's firefighting capacity, and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
In May, flames from the Jesusita wildfire in Santa Barbara roared across mountaintops for nearly a week, destroying 80 homes and injuring 32 firefighters. Authorities believe the blaze, which cost an estimated $20 million to fight, was sparked in the early afternoon of May 5 by someone using power equipment to clear brush on a hiking trail.
It's a problem born in part by state laws requiring property owners to clear dead vegetation from open fields and to create a 100-foot buffer around homes in advance of fire season, said Daniel Berlant, a Cal Fire spokesman. People trying to meet that mandate often don't take proper precautions when using brush-clearing machinery, he said.
"We preach all year round about creating defensible space and clearing brush before wildfires start," he said. "What we see often is homeowners doing it at the wrong time."
Yard maintenance should always be done before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m., when temperatures are lower and humidity is higher, fire officials say.
In wilderness areas, spark arresters are required on gasoline-powered machines, including tractors, harvesters, chain saws, and trimmers.
Metal blades striking a hard object can start a fire, so visible rocks should be removed. Officials advise carrying water to douse sparks and to use spark shields on trimmers and mowers.
Cal Fire promotes the safety message each spring with public-service announcements on radio and television, Berlant said.
Fire-prevention specialists talk to homeowners at fairs, festivals, and home and garden shows to underscore the importance of responsibly using power equipment.
Over the last five years, the state has spent an average of $26 million annually on fire prevention, which includes public education campaigns, said Janet Upland, a Cal Fire deputy director.
That figure could dip significantly in coming months as the state deals with a budget shortfall of up to $24 billion, said Cal Fire Chief Del Walters.
Santa Barbara County Prosecutor Jerry Lulejian said he doesn't think it's a matter of creating more laws. There are plenty on the books that strike a balance between potentially dangerous activities and people's responsibility for those activities, said Lulejian, who has prosecuted several cases involving blazes.
But people are either ignorant of the law or don't understand that their activities could ignite a fire, he said.
That was the case with a couple of ranch workers who accidentally started the Zaca wildfire in 2007, one of the largest in state history. On July 4, foreman Jose Cabrera and Santiago Cervantes were using grinding tools to repair a watering trough when a spark flew at least 10 feet, igniting the blaze. It burned for nearly two months, consuming almost 375 square miles of wilderness and costing an estimated $118 million to fight.
The pair were unaware that they needed a hot-work permit. Cabrera pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of negligence for using the grinder.
"If people took their obligations seriously, there would be no civil or criminal charges for what happens on their property," Lulejian said.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
