Austin Area Firewise Alliance partnered with Mayor Kirk Watson to host its first wildfire symposium at City Hall on Wednesday.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders, firefighters and neighborhood volunteers are encouraging residents to take steps now to reduce their wildfire risk, warning that protecting Central Texas from future fires will require a community-wide effort.
The message came Wednesday during a Wildfire Symposium at Austin City Hall, where local and state agencies shared strategies for preventing wildfires and improving emergency response. Officials said recent rainfall has temporarily lowered fire danger, but it has also fueled vegetation growth that could become wildfire fuel in the months ahead.
Mayor Kirk Watson said wildfire preparedness remains one of his top concerns.
“A lot of things keep me awake at night, but one of the things at the top of that list is wildfire,” Watson said.
Firewise communities work to reduce risk
One neighborhood already putting wildfire prevention into practice is northwest Austin’s Meadow Mountain community.
Board member Vicki Landon helped establish the neighborhood as Austin’s first Firewise community in 2004. Residents work together to identify hazards around their homes and reduce the chances that wind-driven embers will ignite structures.
“Embers start more fires, 90% of fires, as opposed to the direct flame front coming through,” Landon said. “So that 5 feet is what we most have to look at. What is combustible around your home?”
Neighbor Kent Hurst said he has already begun making upgrades after moving to the area about a year and a half ago.
“We have a cement roof,” Hurst said. “We have Hardie plank siding, and our new deck is fire resistant, if not fireproof.”
Lessons from Bastrop continue to shape Austin’s response
Watson said the 2011 Bastrop Complex Fire, which killed two people and destroyed roughly 1,600 homes, fundamentally changed how Austin prepares for wildfires.
Since then, every Austin firefighter has received wildfire training, and many gain additional experience by assisting with fires in other parts of the country.
“There was a renewed commitment to how we go about coordination, multi-agency coordination,” Watson said. “Austin firefighters are all now trained in wildfire.”
How residents can prepare
Officials said residents living in wildfire-prone areas should:
Harden their homes against wildfireCreate an emergency kitKnow their evacuation routeLearn their property’s wildfire risk using the city’s interactive wildfire mapRequest a free wildfire risk assessment through Austin Fire Department by calling 311Consider organizing or joining a Firewise communitySign up for emergency alerts through Warn Central Texas
Landon said wildfire preparedness is a shared responsibility.
“We’re very much in this same boat together,” Landon said.