Wildfire Awareness

On August 16th, 2020, a thunderstorm composed largely of dry lightning ignited 24 small fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.  These fires, combined with intense wind conditions, formed the CZU Lightning Complex fires.  At maximum, the CZU fires spread as far South as Bonny Doon, only a few miles away from the UC Santa Cruz Main Campus.  On August 20th, the decision was made to fully evacuate the campus.  After a few days of careful monitoring alongside California Department of Forestry and Prevention (CalFire), the risk to campus was deemed low and people were brought back to campus in phases beginning August 25th.  

On August 18th, 2020, that same thunderstorm ignited what would become the SCU Lightning Complex fires.  Although much further away from the main campus, the fires did affect the UC-managed Lick Observatory in the mountains near San Jose, CA.

Also on August 18th, 2020, a suspected arsonist ignited the Dolan Fire, affecting UC Santa Cruz’s Big Creek Reserve in Monterey County.  

In combination, these three fires accounted for over 600,000 acres burned and thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed.  They represent only a portion of the increasing proliferation of wildfires in the Western United States.  The CZU Lightning Complex fires marked the first time in UC Santa Cruz history that the campus was evacuated.  

Santa Cruz County is no stranger to wildfires, but they have certainly increased in intensity and spread in recent years.  Below is a table that illustrates wildfires affecting the county since 1954.

What is a Wildfire?

A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire originating in rural areas that spreads quickly through vegetation and any available fuel.  Their behavior can vary drastically through conditions such as dry vegetation, humidity, topography, and wind.

The Wildfire Lifecycle

Wildfires follow a basic life cycle that includes ignition, growth, management, and extinguishment.  Each stage is described below.  It is important to note that the recipe for a fire is relatively simple, all that is needed is fuel, oxygen, and heat.  Every other variable or condition can make a wildfire more likely or more dangerous, but the wildfire itself follows a simple structure.

1. Ignition – Since oxygen is present all around us, the primary needs for a wildfire are fuel and heat.  This can include embers from burning debris, cigarette butts, unattended campfires, arson, and lightning strikes.  If dry vegetation surrounds this ignition source, it can quickly catch fire and move to the next stage.
2. Growth – The chief component of a wildfire’s danger is its growth.  A wildfire will quickly consume dry vegetation and spread to anything nearby that will burn.  This could be more dead vegetation, trees, debris, or flammable structures like homes. A wildfire’s growth is one of the most challenging aspects to predict, monitor, and combat.
3. Management – This refers to everything that firefighters do to combat the spread of the wildfire.  It includes using water and flame retardant to make it harder for the fire to find oxygen and fuel to continue growth.  It also includes using resources like fire breaks and control lines to create areas where there is no fuel for the wildfire to expand to.  
4. Extinguishment – A wildfire is considered fully contained when the entire perimeter of the fire is surrounded by a control line where the fire cannot spread to nearby fuel.  At the same time, any unburnt fuel within the control line is removed and remaining flames are subdued until there are no detected flames within the control lines.  

Wildland Fires and Prescribed Burns

To put it succinctly, all wildfires are wildland fires but not all wildland fires are wildfires.  ‘Wildland fires’ is a broader term that includes purposeful, controlled fires such as prescribed burns.  When fire officials can safely control environmental variables and minimize the danger of a fire getting out of control, they will initiate a prescribed burn to accomplish one or more of the following goals:

• Creating diverse habitats for plants and animals.
• Assist in the recovery of endangered species.
• Vegetation management and wildfire prevention.

Forests have evolved to include wildfires as a part of their lifecycle.  Numerous species can only thrive when a fire occurs by clearing out dead organic matter and increasing soil fertility.  Additionally, the controlled nature of prescribed burns allows for the risk of larger fires to be minimized by restricting their fuels.  

Further Reading:

• National Geographic, The Ecological Benefits of Fire
• National Park Service, What is a Prescribed Fire

The Wildland-Urban Interface

UC Santa Cruz exists in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), a designation for areas that connect largely undeveloped land full of vegetation to more developed areas where people live and work.  WUI areas nationwide are growing at a rate of approximately 2 million acres a year as human development continues.  A WUI area has an elevated risk of wildfires due to its proximity to the fuels that allow a wildfire to proliferate.  Considering any increase in risk to wildfires is a core component of any plans to further develop UC Santa Cruz.  

Air Quality 

Wildfires are closely associated with acute air quality concerns.  Wildfires spew complex mixtures of gases and particles into the atmosphere that can travel thousands of kilometers.  The primary concern with respect to wildfires are PM2.5, or particles that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers.  These particles in particular are easy to get into the eyes/lungs, and stay in the air for longer periods of time after being generated.  

Air Quality is measured using the Air Quality Index (AQI) which combines measurements of pollutants in the air including ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) measures the AQI using stations across the United States, including in Santa Cruz.  The UCSC Environmental Health and Safety department also maintains an additional monitoring station on campus.

The University of California has implemented a Systemwide AQI-Based Decision Making Matrix with the intent of adapting campus activities based on air quality health considerations for the campus community.  

Wildfire Frequency

The frequency of wildfires has been increasing over the past several years.  Additionally, the times of the year where a wildfire is likely to occur are expanding.  According to CalFire, climate change is a key component of this intensifying trend.  Low rainfall, drought, dry vegetation, and reduced snowpack combine with weather conditions such as low relative humidity, high winds, and warm temperatures to create the ideal environment for wildfire spread.

• See the Science: Climate Change and Wildfires

Wildfire Detection and Response

Wildfires are a rapid onset disaster and detecting them early can make an enormous difference in subduing them.  A range of tools are used to detect wildfires from wildfire spotters in high-risk areas to weather satellites scanning the land for ‘hot spots’ for fire officials to investigate.  

Below you will find an embedded map that overlays information from a NASA satellite to determine hot spots around the world.  Although not every hotspot is indicative of a fire, they can serve as a crucial early warning system to allow firefighting officials to investigate remote areas early in a wildfire’s life cycle.

• UC Santa Cruz is continuously investing in strategies to protect and preserve both our campus community and the nature we coexist with.  To this end, partnerships have been developed and strategies are always being sought out and implemented to make our space safer and resilient to the changing conditions we are experiencing.  On this page, we detail a few of our ongoing initiatives.
• Vegetation Management Plan
• In March 2021, UC Santa Cruz signed a partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CalFire) called the CalFire Vegetation Management Plan 10 Year Agreement.  This plan will generate new projects for vegetation management, controlled burns, and trail maintenance into the next decade.  
• Marshall Road Fire Break
• In 2020, a new fire break was created for the UCSC Main Campus.  A fire break is considered any obstacle to the spread of a fire.  In this case, the fire break is a road completely devoid of vegetation which will hinder a wildfire’s ability to grow past the fire break.  This fire break was recently maintained in anticipation of the 2021 wildfire season.  Below, you will see pictures of the fire break before and after maintenance.
• (side by side, before and after)
• Title 19 Vegetation Management Inspections
• Every year, the Office of Emergency Services sends staff to inspect the space around every campus building out to 100ft.  This inspection serves to check the defensible space around each building to ensure that there is no fuels that would allow a wildfire to easily spread to the building.  When OES identifies any hazards during an inspection, they work with Campus grounds on mitigation plans to remove or minimize those hazards.  Through their work, defensible space is enforced to the greatest degree and the safety of the campus community and first responders are prioritized.
• Public Safety Messaging
• In Fall 2021, the UC Santa Cruz Office of Emergency Services will begin broad messaging to all campus students, faculty, and staff about wildfire prevention and safety.  This messaging will include creating plans for what to do during a wildfire situation and what resources are available to students.
• Although wildfires can be started through weather-related effects like lightning, many fires around UC Santa Cruz have historically been ignited through student activities.  As a result, there will be messaging through podcasts, training, town halls, radio, and social media about the risks of illegal bonfires/barbecues. 
• Prescribed Burns
• UC Santa Cruz has routinely conducted controlled burns in various areas near campus.  These controlled burns are designed to minimize the amount of dried fuels available to exacerbate wildfire growth.  Prescribed burns are done routinely, with notification to the campus community in advance, and only after significant safety precautions are undertaken to ensure community safety.
• Campus-Wide Evacuation Planning
• The CZU Lightning Complex was the first fire from which UC Santa Cruz evacuated.  As a result, a thorough review is being undertaken by the Office of Emergency Services and several other campus departments to ensure that the campus’ evacuation strategies are community-centered and effective.  This review will include updates to our campus evacuation procedures that will be accessible to all members of our community.

Although an ideal situation would find all prevention measures sufficient to prevent a wildfire, there is always a chance that one will ignite and force a response effort.  The best way to navigate a wildfire situation is with preparation and advance notice.  

Receive Alerts

All students are automatically enrolled in our emergency alert system, CruzAlert, at the time of their enrollment.  However, it is crucial that your information is up to date.  Anytime that your information changes, make sure to update your CruzAlert Profile by accessing your CruzID Manager.  

The Santa Cruz Fire Department (SCFD) and the CalFire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit (CZU) both tie in their dispatch alerts and deployments to PulsePoint.  PulsePoint is an application that allows anyone to see what participating agencies have been deployed to and what incidents are occurring around them.  You can learn more about PulsePoint and download the Respond app to stay informed!

Santa Cruz and Benito Counties also use a service called Reverse 9-1-1 to notify community members of emergency situations occurring within the area.  The service is provided by OnSolve Code Red.  You can create a managed account to receive alerts via SMS and use the Code Red app to customize alerts and details.  The app allows you to set custom alert radius and opt in to specialized alerts to enhance your situational awareness while in the area!

One of the best resources to stay up-to-date with the latest information from CalFire itself is through their CZU Twitter handle.  In addition to helpful tips, this twitter handle will include pertinent information about ongoing evacuation orders and the status of any wildfires within the operational area.  

Finally, most phones are automatically registered with the Emergency Alert System (EAS).  This system allows emergency services organizations to inform you when there are major emergencies nearby and when you should take action.  Check your phone settings to verify that your emergency alerts are enabled.

Learn the Dangers

You may recognize the ‘Today’s Fire Danger’ sign that is installed at both entrances to the UCSC Main Campus. A variety of factors contribute to our overall assessment of fire danger. To learn more about how these dangers are determined and what each rating means, please see our Fire Danger Sign page.

Understanding Evacuations

When a hazard presents sufficient danger to a community, alerts will be sent out to begin the process of evacuating a community.  Alerts will generally use two terms to describe the action you need to take:

• Evacuation Advisory – A hazard exists such that an evacuation may be necessary to protect life and property, as a result you should prepare to evacuate.
• Evacuation Order – An imminent danger exists to life and property and you must evacuate immediately.  

Generally speaking, an evacuation advisory will come before an evacuation order is issued. However, this is not universally true. Wildfires are sporadic and can change behavior rapidly. As a result, an evacuation order may be the first announcement issued.

The University of California system offers another mechanism to allow for a campus wide evacuation. The Chancellor may make a Declaration of Emergency. In such a case, the campus leadership has determined that an emergency of significant magnitude exists and provides campus safety officials the authority to mandate and enforce an evacuation. Any such declarations will be articulated through the CruzAlert system.

• See the CZU Lightning Declaration of Emergency from 2020.
• California Penal Code §409.5 and §830.2

Assembling an Emergency Supply Kit

Put together your emergency supply kit long before a wildfire or other disaster occurs and keep it easily accessible so you can take it with you if and when you have to evacuate.

Emergency Supply Checklist

• Three day supply of non-perishable food and three gallons of water per person
• Copies of Important documents (driver’s licence, student ID, employee ID, birth certificates, passports, etc.)
• An extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash or travelers checks
• Cell phone and chargers
• Flashlight and  extra batteries
• Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Prescriptions or special medications (blood pressure medicine, insulin, epipen, etc.)
• Extra glasses or contact lenses/supplies
• Map of the local area marked with at least two evacuation routes
• Sanitation supplies (toothbrush, tooth paste, soap, toilet paper)
• Change of clothing
• Pet food and water
• Items to take if time allows:
• Easily carried valuables
• Family photos or other irreplaceable items
• Personal computer information on hard drives and disks
• Chargers for cell phones, laptops, etc.

Return to Campus

• When the campus and surrounding communities are no longer facing an immediate threat of a wildfire, you may be notified that the evacuation order has been lifted.  However, you should not return to the campus just yet.  Before it is safe to resume normal operations and lodging, campus officials need to perform inspections and safety assessments.
• Furthermore, the process of preparing the campus for a wildfire situation often means that essential resources including natural gas lines and electrical systems are deactivated.  Preparing the campus for normal operations requires some time and there will be a notification sent out to all members of the campus community when it is safe to return.