Fwd: Re: Sprawl and the Cost of Fire Services

[Ken Medlin <dev-plan@moscow.com>]

Subject:     Re: Sprawl and the Cost of Fire Services
Sent:        10/15/19 9:15 PM
Received:    10/18/99 10:34 PM
From:        DPlum65@aol.com
To:          smartgrowth@onenw.org

[Note to Visionaries:  Passed along to you as being of significant 
interest to our own community development concerns and criteria.  
'Smartgro' is a PCEI project.  Ken Medlin]

=====  A message from the 'smartgro' discussion list  =====

Interesting article.

Coming home from a recent trip to the McCall we decided to short cut 
through 
the Dry Creek/Hidden Springs area since the highway traffic had been 
heavy 
and very slow.  It was after dark, but it appeared that an enormous 
wildfire 
had occurred right up to the sprawl development and for many miles 
beyond.  
With dry hills surrounding this project it looked like it wouldn't have 
taken 
much of a windstorm to have suffocated and roasted these people.  I don't 
remember seeing any news reports that covered how extensive the burn was, 
or 
how close it came to housing.

A Statesman article in regard to a Lucky Peak foothills fire this summer 
mentioned that if there had been another foothills fire at the same time 
firemen would not have been able to get either fire under control.  One 
wonders about the current (and past) drought and water pressure issues, 
not 
to mention the vastness of the wildfire prone acreage dotted with 
expensive 
homes that would require defending.  Seems the 1996 8th Street wildfire 
suppression effort was running very low on water, something which was 
mentioned only once by the news and never heard again.  Would be 
interesting 
to have the universities assign cost/benefit analysis exercises 
addressing 
our sprawl and blight, including fire suppression costs.  Maybe get in 
front 
of our problems instead of being dragged under by them.

C. Cole



------------------------
William K. Medlin
Dev-plan associates
930 Kenneth Street
Moscow ID 83843
208/892-0148
dev-plan@moscow.com