Ivins, Santa Clara fire officials present wildfire risk map and homeowner mitigation guidance

Fire officials from Ivins and Santa Clara presented a wildfire risk assessment and homeowner mitigation guidance at a joint town-hall meeting at Rocky Vista University, laying out a color-coded map of local risk areas and practical steps residents can take to reduce the chance that a wildland fire will ignite or threaten homes.

Chief Dan Kazier, fire chief for Santa Clara–Ivins Fire and Rescue, led the presentation of the risk map and described its color coding: “green, meaning that we feel like it's a low, low risk. Yellow is the moderate risk, or medium risk. And then the red is more of a high risk.” Kazier said the map is a “living document” that can change as fuel mitigation work—such as removal of vegetation or installation of buffers—is completed.

The map and officials’ remarks focused on three elements that influence local wildfire threat: proximity of vegetation and fuels to structures, the type of fuels (fast-burning sagebrush and grasses versus slower but hotter-burning juniper and pine), and where homes meet natural vegetation—the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Kazier cautioned that ember attack is the most frequent cause of home ignition in many fires and emphasized the role of…