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   AI6YR Ben (ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 09:24:58 JST AI6YR Ben

   Hmm, I have a lot more fire retardant paint left still, so I guess I will keep on going. (siding is painted, working on eaves). The big issue with paint (as usual) is how labor intensive it is, especially on the undersides of the eaves (up on a ladder, arms up...). After it's all painted, will need to cure for 4-5 days before top coat. Intumscent paint, which provides significant protection from ignition. #random #disasterpreparedness #painting #wildfires

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     Jim Hubbell (dougfir@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:37 JST Jim Hubbell

     in reply to

     • Bruce Heerssen
     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @ai6yr @bruce @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope
     If you want to read a book about what chapparal fires can be like, find a copy of The Esperanza Fire by John N. Maclean. I warn you now it is not a "feel good" story.

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     AI6YR Ben (ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:37 JST AI6YR Ben

     in reply to

     • Bruce Heerssen
     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Jim Hubbell
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @dougfir @bruce @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope 😬

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     AI6YR Ben (ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:38 JST AI6YR Ben

     in reply to

     • Bruce Heerssen
     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Jim Hubbell
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @bruce @dougfir @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope 😬

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     Jim Hubbell (dougfir@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:39 JST Jim Hubbell

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @ai6yr @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope
     Narrator: it's always dry.

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     Bruce Heerssen (bruce@darkmoon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:39 JST Bruce Heerssen

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Jim Hubbell
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @dougfir @ai6yr @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope
     Kind of like how Bruce Banner is always angry.

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     AI6YR Ben (ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:40 JST AI6YR Ben

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Jim Hubbell
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @dougfir @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope No forests here! We're all chapparal.

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     Jim Hubbell (dougfir@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:40 JST Jim Hubbell

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @ai6yr @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope
     The energy released in an acre of chapparal is about equal to a 1 megaton nuclear bomb. The only difference is the bomb releases it in a tiny fraction of a second where the chapparal releases over several minutes depending on wind speed and terrain.

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     AI6YR Ben (ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:40 JST AI6YR Ben

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Jim Hubbell
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @dougfir @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope Yep... quite the fuel source when dry. 😬

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     Douglas (douglasvb@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:41 JST Douglas

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @camless @MsMerope @ai6yr I've been wondering if the fire is already crowning before it gets to your defensible space with the ladder fules removed, does it make much difference? 🤔

     I'm thinking about how the Creek Fire blew through the crowns for several miles when it came out of Jose Basin and ran over the top of Pineridge with a multi hundred foot tall wall of flames.

     The house of a friend survived in that area because his water storage tank melted and deluged around the house 😬

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     Jim Hubbell (dougfir@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:41 JST Jim Hubbell

     in reply to

     • MsMerope
     • Douglas
     • Cadmus 🌲

     @douglasvb @camless @MsMerope @ai6yr
     Several years ago as I recall, the forest service had a big crown fire that was unstoppable until...it hit forest land managed by one of the Apache tribes (white mountain?). The crown fire dropped to the ground because of the tree spacing and became controllable. I don't remember the name of the fire.
     My Dad said the rule of thumb he used was the forest was thin enough if you could see 100 yards through the trees.

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     MsMerope (msmerope@sfba.social)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:42 JST MsMerope

     in reply to

     • Cadmus 🌲

     @camless @ai6yr

     this was interesting
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4JpOdS9ffI&t=645s

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     Cadmus 🌲 (camless@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:42 JST Cadmus 🌲

     in reply to

     • MsMerope

     @MsMerope @ai6yr Yep, defensible space does not mean cutting down trees. That's a huge myth that this Administration is perpetuating.

     It's ladder fuels, those that allow the flames to climb into canopies. Grasses, shrubs, vines, the GD poison oak that grows in central California...

     Like making a fire, it's hard to get a tree to burn, unless it's super dry and surrounded by debris. Just like it's hard to start a large log on fire, it takes steps and hot coals.

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     AI6YR Ben (ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:43 JST AI6YR Ben

     in reply to

     In normal times, defensible space clearance and mitigating attic vents (plus house insurance) would be enough. I don't think we're in normal times.

     (defensible space only works if 1. you have enough fire crews and 2. the wind isn't blowing at hurricane force ala the Eaton Fire).

     CALFIRE resources on defensible space:

     https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/

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     Cadmus 🌲 (camless@m.ai6yr.org)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Apr-2025 16:17:43 JST Cadmus 🌲

     in reply to

     @ai6yr Folks should look up Jack Cohen from the Missoula Fire Science Lab, his work has been integral for FireWise and other building resiliency recommendations.

     Fun facts about homes and wildfires:

     - spraying water on lawns and homes won't stop a flaming front from burning over your home, it'll evaporate long before the front passes. People die each year trying to save their homes. You're more likely to put a camp fire out by pissing into it than using a 3/4 hose that may lose pressure...

     - most homes don't burn from 'direct flame impingement', aka the flames touching the house, it's from decks, full gutters, soffits, and vents that are not covered with fine mesh. Same goes for vents under houses

     - decks burn if you have debris, wood piles, or shrubs/vegetation too close to the deck. If you keep all debris away, it's harder for them to catch fire. Not impossible, more difficult. Build a stone patio instead.

     - mulch beds can convey flames to structures, try to keep a good barrier between your house and the mulch.

     More info here: https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab