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Their fortress against fire Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell A stone, brick and concrete deck is just one of the fire precautions Bill Epstein and his family took in building their home high in the Ashland watershed. From left are Anna, 4, and Sarah and Bill Epstein. The Epsteins are among thousands of Rogue Valley residents who accept fire danger as part of rural living. A safe life in the woods requires extreme measures By Paul Fattig Before building their home high in the Ashland watershed, Bill and Sarah Epstein deliberately chose a defensive position. Like the thousands of Rogue Valley residents who opt to live in rural areas on the edge of fire district protection or beyond, they know that life in the Southern Oregon woods can be risky during the hot, dry days of late August and early September. Indeed, in 1994, the year they were building their home on their 420-acre parcel, the Hull Mountain Fire at the other end of the Rogue Valley burned eight rural homes and killed one firefighter in late August. As if they needed a reminder of the fire danger lurking in the parched August woods, the 400-acre Antioch Road Fire earlier this month burned one rural home and threatened others. "We�re in the outer edge of the urban forest interface, the last house between town and the woods," said Epstein, an eye doctor. "We knew that�s where most fires begin, from people throwing cigarettes from vehicles or from camping. "My wife and I had a lot of discussions about what would be safest," he added. "We knew it would be foolish not to be prepared." Before building their home in 1994, they substantially reduced the risk by seeking advice from seasoned firefighters before building. They chose fire-resistant materials such as a concrete roof and stone siding, even a brick deck. They installed huge water tanks and cleared the area immediately around the home of vegetation. And they obtained fire insurance, knowing ultimately that evacuation in the face of an approaching large fire is the most prudent course. The Epsteins are within the outer limits of Jackson County Fire District No. 5, which covers some 15,000 rural homes outside the incorporated communities of Ashland, Talent and Phoenix. "There are a lot of things working against you if you do live way out there," observed district Fire Chief Dan Marshall. There is no pressurized water system for fighting fires, forcing firefighters to battle the blaze with limited water. Access is frequently a problem. And there is normally a delayed response time because of the distance firefighters need to cover to get to the fire. "As you get in higher terrain, you go from light fuels to moderate, then to heavy forest," Marshall said. "If the fire really gets going in the heavier brush and trees, it�s real hard to stop." Fire agencies pool resources to protect rural homes Like many rural fire districts, Fire District No. 5 has a policy that, unless it is responding to a mutual aid agreement or a Conflagration Act declared by the governor, it will only respond to structure fires within the district. "The reason we don�t respond beyond our jurisdiction is because people in the district pay $3.19 per thousand for our protection," Marshall said. "They are our customers." Today, anyone building a home beyond fire district boundaries in Jackson County is required by law to request annexation into the nearest fire district. That was not the case during the 1960s and 1970s, resulting in homes being built in dangerous fire areas, Marshall noted. Historically, fire districts protect rural structures while the Oregon Department of Forestry protects private, county, state and Bureau of Land Management wildlands. However, that historic line has become somewhat blurred as more homes pop up in local woodlands, said Dan Thorpe, Medford Unit forester for the ODF. "It�s no longer a forest fire for us � it�s a fire among dozens of houses," Thorpe said. "There were 24 houses actively protected during the Antioch fire that are not in rural fire districts. "They (districts) came because of a mutual aid with our department," he added. "We could not have saved those houses without help from those districts." Many fire districts, fire departments and agencies pool their personnel and equipment in mutual aid agreements. For instance, protection of the Ashland watershed includes a mutual aid pact with fire suppression agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service. The latter will release its final environmental impact statement for its Ashland Watershed Protection Project late next month. The project is an effort to reduce the watershed�s fire hazard. As number of rural homes increases, so does fire danger Before the arrival of European settlers in the Rogue Valley, lightning-caused fires periodically burned off large chunks of forestlands. American Indians also torched forests to improve hunting. Through most of the late 19th century, settlers saw fires as a tool to clear brush and trees. But that attitude changed as more people moved into rural areas in recent decades. Unfortunately, many have left trees and brush near their homes that provide a fuel ladder for fires to climb. "Right now is crunch time in terms of being hot and dry," Marshall said. "If we can get through the next three or four weeks, we�ll be out of the woods." Although firefighting experts urge residents to clear a fire-proof zone around homes, they stress that now � a period of extreme fire danger � is not the time to remove vegetation since that very activity can spark a fire. Fire restrictions currently ban noncommercial mowing of dry grass or using power saws. Fire districts and the ODF offer a videotape citing recommended steps to increase fire protection at rural dwellings. They are also willing to send experts out to discuss safety tips. But that type of preparation should be done in the late fall or spring, Marshall said. "You need to do what you can, but in a situation like the Hull Mountain or Antioch fires, you need to get out of the area so fire crews can get in there," he added. Being prepared for fire is part of rural living, homeowners say That sounds reasonable to John Luthy, a Sams Valley area resident who was standing by to leave during the Antioch Road Fire. "We had two vehicles packed and ready to go," said Luthy, a retired city manager and educator. "We packed our insurance papers and everything, just as everyone else was." Their house is protected by Jackson County Fire District No. 3. The annual threat of late-summer forest fires is something most rural residents accept as part of their lifestyle, said Luthy, who lives on a nine-acre parcel. "You just think about it ahead of time and prepare." Preparation includes building a fuel break around your home as well as making sure there is access for firefighters and an escape route should a fire threaten, he said. "I think everybody who lives out here is conscious of those precautions," he said. "You have a plan. Of course, you hope it never happens." A ham radio operator, Luthy moved to the rural area so he could erect his antennas without bothering neighbors. "We don�t want interference from other people�s televisions," he said. "We also have several large dogs that like to bark at the moon. Nobody seems to mind except the coyotes. "It�s fun to blend in with nature instead of paving it over," he added. Epstein agreed. "There is so much natural beauty and wildlife out here," he said. In addition to hiring a forester to thin the forest on their acreage to reduce the fire hazard, the Epsteins built a home that is definitely not fire-friendly. And they installed a 1,600-gallon tank for domestic water and an 8,000-gallon tank that can be used by firefighters should a fire threaten. "The best approach is to choose a defensive space and consider how much you can reduce your risk," Epstein said. "Then you hope that, when a fire comes, the winds don�t produce a crown fire. "We do carry fire insurance," he added. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. 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