Megafire presentation set

A presentation about mega fires will cover the conditions that lead up to such fires and how they can be managed or mitigated.

The Sweetwater County Fire Department, Rock Springs Fire Department, North 40 Productions, US Forest Service, Wyoming Rural Firefighter Association and Wyoming Fire Chief’s Association is pleased to bring the “Era of Megafires” by Dr. Paul Hessburg.

The event will take place at the Historic Broadway Theatre, Thursday at 7 p.m.

The firefighters are asking for nonperishable food items in lieu of any admission fees for this event to go towards those less fortunate in Sweetwater County.

Each year, the Wyoming Rural Firefighters Association and the Wyoming Fire Chief’s Association meet for a symposium in a different county each year.

This year, the Sweetwater County Fire Department is hosting the meeting in Rock Springs.

As part of the fire meetings and education this year, the department is hosting Dr. Paul Hessburg and his presentation on “Era of Megafires” as part of agenda. Hessburg is a research landscape ecologist with Pacific Northwest Research Station. In this 60-minute multi-media presentation, Hessburg explains that over the past decade, the number of large, severe wildfires has been on the rise.

These megafires are wildfires that burn more than 100,000 acres; they can destroy or severely damage human communities, wildlife habitat, and natural resources.

This special presentation conveys the conditions that lead to megafires and how they might be managed or mitigated.

“I thought it would be real cool to offer his program to the public the evening before he presents it to the fire service agencies of Wyoming as well and so we are making this offer to anyone who wishes to attend,” Sweetwater County Fire Warden Mike Bournazian said.

“A future without wildfire isn’t an option,” Hessburg said. “So, what kind of future do we want for our forests? The goal of this project is to share a vocabulary and increase the understanding and ability of ordinary citizens so that they can enter into local discussions and planning for a more certain future for public forest lands.”

“With all the major wildfires we had this year and in the previous years here in Wyoming it is quite evident that these are the fires of the future and what we are currently seeing in California only magnifies that reality,” Bournazian said.

Since June, 2016, the presentation has reached 86 cities and towns and more than 25,000 citizens.

“That makes it very appealing to all of us in that we can hear firsthand his work and have opportunity to ask questions at its conclusion which is something that very rarely happens for this type of presentation,” he said.

For more information and updates, visit the Era of Megafires website: https://www.eraofmegafires.com or contact Sweetwater County Fire Warden, Bournazian at bournazianm@sweet.wy.us.