Summit County’s fire districts say they’re prepared for hot, dry weather conditions that are expected to increase wildfire dangers across the state this summer, with district leadership at all three agencies committing to ongoing collaboration and coordination with each other to better protect all residents.
County Fire Warden Bryce Boyer in an update to the Summit County Council this week said fire activity has been picking up across Utah over the last two months, but Summit County hasn’t had any burns breach the 10-acre mark so far.
However, other areas of the state have already had wildfires stretching more than 400 acres, Boyer said, which is why it’s important for local departments to stay vigilant this year.
“They’re not expecting (conditions) to get any better as it goes. We will probably see it getting a lot drier,” Boyer said. “We’re in drought conditions. It’s not as bad as … the rest of the state, but we’re in that orange (area) where it’s persisting or expected to increase.”
Bryce said the current conditions in Summit County are closer to what he would expect to see in late June, not mid-May. Meteorologists across the state have predicted temperatures will rise to above average levels this summer while precipitation levels will decrease unless there’s a significant monsoon season.
Specifically, Boyer said Summit County should have “normal fire behavior” for the remainder of the month, with “above normal fire behavior” predicted for June, July and August.
There have been some benefits to the low snowpack, though.
Boyer said cheatgrass, an invasive plant species found throughout Utah, hasn’t grown as much over the winter as it would in typical years. The stunted growth is helpful in Summit County because cheatgrass often facilitates the spread of wildfire, becoming an appealing source of fuel as the plants dry out in the hotter months.
“That’s how we had that big fire in Parleys,” said Park City Fire Chief Pete Emery, referring to dry grasses in hot conditions. “Every instinct of a driver is, if your car catches on fire, pull into the high grass. We feel we’re in a good position, and we’re really starting to mitigate that.”
Boyer said he expects most wildfires in Summit County this year to be at higher elevations where there’s more timber, but state agencies have already added more aircraft to their command posts, which should make firefighting operations in difficult terrain slightly easier.
“There are some shortages on the federal side, so it’s balancing that out, but (the aircraft) are exclusive to the state primarily,” Boyer said. “They will be kept in-state whereas the federal resources can be moved out of state.”
Summit County has 147 red-carded firefighters, or firefighters specifically trained to handle wildfires, spread throughout its three fire districts, as well as AI-powered cameras trained to detect smoke and make reports to dispatchers.
There are only a handful of cameras in the county so far, each positioned on a mountain peak for a better view of the area. Emery said the cameras are helpful, but there are still some issues to work out, including training the system to recognize controlled burns.
The North Summit Fire District has also crafted an agreement with the Wasatch Peaks Ranch Fire District, a special fire district in Morgan County tied to the area around the private Wasatch Peaks Ranch Ski Resort. North Summit Fire Chief Ben Nielson said the district had 16 wildland firefighters stationed nearby to provide support in case of a fire, with the Summit County agency providing paramedicine services to the community in return.
“Candidly, I think they’re going to be very quick versus some state units coming from the valleys or anything like that,” Nielson said.
South Summit Fire District has expanded since last summer, adding two more full-time firefighters to its staff for a total of six. South Summit Fire Chief Scott Thorell said the new hires mean the district could staff all three of its brush trucks in the event of a wildfire if necessary.
“We tried to recruit mostly from within our community so in bigger incidents we can call back personnel if needed,” Thorell said.
County Emergency Manager Kathryn McMullin also touched on emergency communications with residents, telling the County Council that the department’s methods are becoming more efficient, especially when it comes to evacuation alerts and time sensitive information.
“We are seeing improved numbers in the ability to reach cell phones within a geographic perimeter,” McMullin said. “With all incidents, there’s a little bit of a lag in the cell phones we can reach depending on if they’ve been out of the area or in the area, so that’s getting better at all times. We believe we can get to about 95% of people doing a geographic alert.”
McMullin praised the three fire chiefs and their respective departments for being open to collaboration with the county and with each other, saying there is a stark difference in how the agencies communicate compared to others across the state.
“It just goes to the mission of taking care of citizens,” Thorell added. “I think we all don’t care what the boundaries are. We care about how to get the job done.”
County Council Vice Chair Roger Armstrong thanked the districts for being proactive in their planning and mitigation efforts, saying it benefits residents to know they’re protected.
“Sometimes these things just blow up quickly, and they travel, especially if the winds are blowing hard. It’s stunning how quickly it can move,” Armstrong said. “Identifying those critical areas, evacuation plans, making sure the (homeowners associations) in those areas are aware of their evacuation plans … all of that is going to be critical for this season and seasons to come.”
Summit County residents can sign up to receive emergency alerts by visiting summitcounty.info/notifyme, and non-emergency information on wildfires, including weather conditions and current restrictions, is available by texting SCFIRE to 91896.
Wildfire information is also available at summitcounty.info/fire.