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Consultants present draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Fairbanks North Star Borough
Summary
Consultants on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan said the borough’s draft — five documents and an interactive map — is in public comment; the plan prioritizes resident mobilization, power-line and road mitigation, water resources, and projects targeted for federal grant requests.
Tom Marsh, CEO of Bentel, told the Assembly Regional Emergency Service Advisory Committee on Monday that consultants are nearing completion of a draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for the Fairbanks North Star Borough and have opened a public-comment period ahead of borough review.
The draft package includes a main plan and four appendices (about 50 pages in total), plus an interactive GIS map that lists mitigation recommendations as discrete projects, Marsh said. "These plans provide a scientific analysis of fire behavior," Marsh said, adding that the plan is written to help the borough prioritize projects and improve odds of securing federal grant funding, including CWDG grants.
Why it matters: The consultants’ analysis found no moderate- or low-risk communities under the borough’s internal hazard scale; the plan is meant to guide which neighborhoods should be prioritized for mitigation and which projects are most likely to be competitive for grant funding.
Marsh emphasized the CWPP’s scope and limits: it targets the wildland‑urban interface and provides recommendations rather than regulations. "It is not a legally binding document in the sense that our recommendations do not have the power of law," he said. The plan pairs landscape‑scale recommendations with homeowner guidance on the home ignition zone and structure hardening (Appendix B), and a mitigation table in Appendix D that lists implementers and priority levels.
During questions, Marsh said the plan uses LANDFIRE vegetation data and on‑the‑ground assessments to differentiate vegetation types such as black spruce, birch and aspen and to inform hazard ratings. He described recommended actions ranging from utility right‑of‑way clearance (noting cooperation with the local utility referenced as GVEA) to community mobilization programs to help residents, especially vulnerable or elderly homeowners, reduce fuels.
Marsh pointed to a local example of successful mitigation: a large firebreak near Murphy Dome built in 2014 that the presenter said helped contain a later fire and showed how properly designed defenses can work. He also described the platform’s live feeds (satellite heat signatures from NIFC/NOAA) and GIS layers that show ‘‘critical response zones’’ where land managers prioritize response differently.
Next steps: Marsh said the CWPP is in a public comment period and that consultants expect most stakeholder input within "three to four weeks," with final deliverables submitted by borough staff for approval and a recommended practice of annual refreshes so the plan remains a "living" document rather than requiring costly full rewrites.
The presentation closed with staff noting the consultants can help post the documents and maps to borough web pages and run outreach sessions for residents.
