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[Austin Wildfire Prevention News Conference on August 25, 2026.]
I'M TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGE ANDY BROWN.UH, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR JOINING US TODAY.
I'M HERE WITH, UH, MAYOR WATSON, AND FOLKS FROM THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, AND, AND THE ESTS ACROSS THE COUNTY.
SO THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT JUST RECEIVED A BRIEFING FROM FIRE CHIEFS ACROSS OUR COUNTY ON VARYING TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY THAT HELP US BETTER IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO POTENTIAL WILDFIRE RISKS ACROSS OUR REGION.
WE ARE EXPERIENCING DANGEROUS HEAT ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS FORECASTING TEMPERATURES FOR THE IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND 1 0 4 TO 1 0 5 DEGREES TODAY, TOMORROW, YESTERDAY, THE DAY BEFORE.
AND WHILE THE EXTREME HEAT WARNING HAS ENDED, WE REMAIN UNDER A HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.
THE BIGGER CONCERN IS WHAT PROLONGED HEAT DOES TO OUR LANDSCAPE.
HOT DRY WEATHER PULLS MOISTURE OUT OF GRASSES AND OUT OF VEGETATION, AND WHEN THOSE FUELS DRY OUT, A SINGLE SPARK CAN BECOME A WILDFIRE.
THAT'S WHY TRAVIS COUNTY CURRENTLY HAS A BURN BAN IN EFFECT.
AS OF AUGUST 11TH, OUTDOOR BURNING IS PROHIBITED IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO TAKE CHANCES, AND WE KNOW THAT MOST WILDFIRES ARE PREVENTABLE.
PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY SET OUT TO START A WILDFIRE, I WOULD HOPE.
UH, SOMETIMES IT'S AN UNSECURED TRAILER CHAIN DRAGGING ON THE PAVEMENT.
SOMETIMES A CIGARETTE THROWN OUT OF A CAR WINDOW, SOMETIMES JUST A CAR PARKED IN TALL, DRY GRASS.
BUT ONE SMALL MISTAKE CAN HAVE DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES.
HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY GRASS FIRES ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THEY CAN SPREAD SO INCREDIBLY QUICKLY AND THAT PUTS HOMES, PROPERTY, LIVES, AND OUR FIREFIGHTERS AT RISK.
SO TODAY I'M ASKING EVERYBODY TO DO A FEW SIM.
FIRST, DO NOT BURN OUTDOORS WHILE THE BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT.
SECOND, DON'T EVER THROW A CIGARETTE OUT THE WINDOW OF YOUR CAR OR ONTO THE GROUND.
THIRD, CHECK YOUR TRAILER BEFORE YOU DRIVE.
MAKE SURE THAT CHAINS OTHER THINGS AREN'T DRAGGING ON THE PAVEMENT.
AND FOURTH, DON'T PARK YOUR CAR ON DRY GRASS OR DRIVE THROUGH TALL GRASS.
A HOT VEHI VEHICLE CAN IGNITE, UH, VEGETATION.
AND FIFTH, BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WITH ANYTHING THAT CAN CREATE A SPARK OR A FLAME.
THAT INCLUDES WELDING, CUTTING AND GRINDING, OUTDOOR FIRES AND FIRE PITS, AND ANY OTHER ACTIVITY THAT COULD IGNITE DRY VEGETATION.
WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS IS ALSO ABOUT WHAT YOU DO BEFORE FIRE STARTS.
KNOW HOW YOU'RE GONNA RECEIVE EMERGENCY INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE YOUR FAMILY, YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND YOUR EMPLOYEES KNOW WHAT THEY WILL DO.
IF A WILDFIRE THREATENS THEIR COMMUNITY, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS THROUGH WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.
THESE ALERTS CAN PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT WILDFIRES, EVACUATIONS, SEVERE WEATHER, AND OTHER EMERGENCIES.
I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE OUR FIREFIGHTERS, EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, DISPATCHERS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL.
THEY ARE READY TO RESPOND WHEN A FIRE STARTS, BUT THE BEST WILDFIRE IS THE ONE THAT NEVER STARTS.
EVERY TIME WE PREVENT A SPARK FROM BECOMING A FIRE, WE ARE PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES AND KEEPING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS OUT OF HARM'S WAY.
OUR FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE IS MONITORING CONDITIONS AND ENFORCING THIS BURN BAN.
OUR OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS COOR COORDINATING PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE EFFORTS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AS ALWAYS, WITH OUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS, WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICTS AND NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS.
BUT THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.
WE NEED EVERY RESIDENT, EVERY BUSINESS, AND EVERY VISITOR IN TRAVIS COUNTY TO TAKE WILDFIRE RISK SER VERY SERIOUSLY.
THE NEXT WILDFIRE COULD START WITH SOMETHING AS SMALL AS A SPARK.
SO LET'S MAKE SURE THAT SPARK NEVER HAPPENS.
PLEASE SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS, AND JUST WANNA THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'M ABOUT TO HAND IT OVER TO THE MAYOR, BUT, AND YOU CAN INTRODUCE, I GUESS, THE CITY FOLKS THAT ARE HERE.
BUT I WANT RECOGNIZE WE'VE GOT COMMISSIONER HOWARD, COMMISSIONER MORALES, COMMISSIONER ILIAN, AND COMMISSIONER SHEA.
WE'RE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT ANYTHING WHILE WE'RE UP HERE, THOUGH, UH, MAYOR, THANK YOU.
AND THANKS TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS AND, UH, FOR HAVING US HERE.
I MUST ADMIT ON THE WAY OVER, I, WE'VE DONE THIS AS EVERYBODY KNOWS A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT OUTSIDE, AND, UM, I'M SO HAPPY WE'RE INSIDE
UH, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
I'LL COME ANYTIME THAT YOU WANTED TO DO THAT.
UM, I, WE ARE, I AM HAPPY TO BE JOINED HERE TODAY BY OUR CITY MANAGER, TC BROAD ACTS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, RAMON BATISTA, WHO IS OVER PUBLIC SAFETY.
I APPRECIATE HIM BEING HERE AND JIM REDDICK, WHO HEADS UP, UH, AUSTIN'S DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
I'M VERY PLEASED THAT, UH, THEY'RE HERE WITH US AND I'M ALSO PLEASED TO BE JOINED, UH, WITH, AS THE COUNTY JUDGE HAS POINTED OUT ALL OF THE, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE PART OF OUR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SER SERVICES AND OUR FIRE DEPARTMENTS, UH, IN THE AREA.
UM, AS HE INDICATED, MY NAME'S KIRK WATSON.
I'M THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING A PART OF THIS AND YOUR,
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THE MEDIA'S ATTENTION TO THIS BECAUSE AS THE JUDGE HAS POINTED OUT, THIS IS VITAL INFORMATION TO OUR COMMUNITY AND TO THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, AUSTIN AND, AND ALL OF THIS REGION.EARLIER THIS MONTH, I WAS VERY HAPPY TO HOST A WILDFIRE SYMPOSIUM AND PRESS CONFERENCE AT CITY HALL TO TALK ABOUT WILDFIRE PREVENTION.
IT WAS A VERY WELL ATTENDED, UH, EXCELLENT GROUP OF EXPERTS HELPING US WITH THAT.
UM, AND IN BACK IN MAY, OF COURSE, WE HAD A WILDFIRE AWARENESS.
WE HAD WILDFIRE AWARENESS MONTH, AND WE HELD OUR ANNUAL NEWS CONFERENCE TO RAISE AWARENESS, UH, ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
AND THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS IS BECAUSE IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE REVISIT THIS TOPIC TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS AWARE THERE ARE WILDFIRES BURNING ACROSS THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
AND HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, AS THE JUDGES POINTED OUT, WE ARE AT AN EXTREMELY HIGH RISK SHOULD A SPARK TAKE HOLD.
IN FACT, AUSTIN, TEXAS RANKS FIFTH IN THE NATION IN THE NUMBER OF HOMES THAT ARE AT RISK OF FOR WILDFIRE.
THIS RECENT HEAT THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING, I MEAN, I MAKE JOKE ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT AT THE BEGINNING OF MY MY COMMENTS HERE, BUT WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE.
IT'S GOING TO, IT'S BEEN HERE AND IT'S GONNA CONTINUE IN THE COMING DAYS.
AND THAT COMBINED WITH THE BONE DRY CONDITIONS, UH, IS A GIANT RED FLAG, OR IT OUGHT TO BE A GIANT RED FLAG FOR ALL OF US.
JUDGE BROWN HAS SAID IT WELL, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM OTHERS.
UH, BUT MY TIME AT THE PODIUM, I WANT TO SAY, I WANNA STRESS A COUPLE THINGS THAT I THINK ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
WE CAN'T OVERSTATE THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE WARNING SYSTEMS. THE WARNING SYSTEMS ARE VERY IMPORTANT, AND RECEIVING THESE MESSAGES CAN LITERALLY BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.
SO WE NEED EVERYONE TO SIGN UP.
THE JUDGE MADE A REFERENCE TO THIS.
WE NEED EVERYONE TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THESE ALERTS THROUGH WARN WARN WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS AN IMPORTANT METHOD FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION TO YOU QUICKLY.
IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY WEATHER RELATED OR OTHERWISE, WARN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG.
PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO CUSTOMIZE WHAT ALERTS YOU WANT TO RECEIVE BY REGISTERING@WARNCENTRALTEXAS.ORG AND CHOOSE HOW YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THEM.
WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS CAN ALERT YOU VIA TEXT MESSAGE, PHONE CALL ON YOUR CELL PHONE CALL ON YOUR CELL PHONE, OR ON A LANDLINE OR EMAIL ANY WAY THAT IS BEST FOR YOU.
WE WANT YOU TO GET THOSE MESSAGES, AND PLEASE EVERYONE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE OPTED IN.
YOU NEED TO OPT IN TO RECEIVE WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS FROM THE INTEGRATED PUBLIC WARNING SYSTEM, WHICH WE ALSO SOMETIMES REFER TO AS IPA.
UH, YOU CAN TURN THESE ALERTS ON IN THE NOTIFICATION SETTING ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TURNED ON EMERGENCY ALERTS TO RECEIVE THESE IMPORTANT IPAS MESSAGES.
ALSO, I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE BOOKMARK THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ALERTS WEBPAGE, AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/ALERTS AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/ALERTS.
PLEASE, UH, BOOKMARK THAT DURING THE EMERGENCIES.
THAT WEBPAGE WILL PROVIDE YOU UPDATES ON THE SITUATION, WHAT ACTIONS YOU MIGHT WANNA BE TAKING, AND WHERE YOU CAN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
IN ADDITION TO REGISTERING AT WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS AND BOOKMARKING THE ALERTS WEBPAGE, I ASK THAT YOU FOLLOW OFFICIAL CITY ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR PREFERRED LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS.
GET A WEATHER RADIO THAT HAS A BATTERY BACKUP OR IS, IS HAND CRANK POWERED THAT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE ALL THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN, BUT THAT COULD BE VERY HELPFUL IN A TIME OF AN EMERGENCY.
AND SHOULD THERE BE AN EMERGENCY, HAVE A POINT OF CONTACT FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA TO LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE SAFE OR WHERE YOU'RE HEADED.
SHOULD YOU NEED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME, FINALLY CHECK IN ON YOUR NEIGHBORS AND KNOW IF THEY NEED SPECIAL ASSISTANCE OR HELP IN AN EMERGENCY.
YOU CAN RELY ON EACH OTHER AND YOU CAN PROVIDE ASSISTANCE UNTIL FIRST RESPONDERS ARRIVE.
I WANNA SAY TO THE MEDIA, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND FOR CONTINUING TO HELP US WITH, WITH KEEP THIS ISSUE FRONT OF MIND.
I KNOW THAT WE SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD, UH, BUT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW WE CAN'T KNOW AND WE CAN'T PREDICT EXACTLY WHEN AN EMERGENCY'S GOING TO STRIKE.
AND WE WANT TO KEEP THIS FRONT OF MIND.
UH, WE DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD.
SO THAT'S WHY THESE EVENTS ARE SO IMPORTANT AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE APPRECIATIVE THAT YOU'RE HERE.
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NOT SURE WHO THE NEXT SPEAKER, JIM.JIM, ARE YOU GONNA SAY, JIM, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SAY YOU'RE NOT GONNA TALK.
WHO'S GONNA TALK? YOU'RE GONNA TALK.
WHO'S IN ATTENDANCE TODAY, AND THEN THE TEAM BEHIND US.
I'M ROBERT ABBOTT, LAKE TRAVIS FIRE RESCUE.
UH, SEPTEMBER 4TH OF THIS YEAR IS GONNA CELEBRATE THE 15TH YEAR MARK OF THE STEINER RANCH FIRE, THE SPICEWOOD FIRE AND THE BASS ROCK FIRE.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT WERE VERY SIMILAR 15 YEARS AGO TO LEADING UP TO THAT DAY.
THAT DAY WE LOST QUITE A BIT OF PROPERTY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE LOST SOME ASSOCIATED LIVES WITH THAT, WHETHER IT WAS DURING A FIRE RIGHT AFTER THE FIRE OR DURING, DURING, UH, RECOVERY PERIODS.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THESE TIMES, WE DON'T CELEBRATE THIS AS A CELEBRATION.
WE DON'T CALL IT AN ANNIVERSARY, BUT WE DO CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE LEARNED QUITE A BIT FROM THOSE EVENTS THAT BROUGHT US HERE TODAY AS FAR AS COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMMUNITY IN ADDITION TO USING TECHNOLOGY DIFFERENTLY THAT WAS NOT AVAILABLE 15 YEARS AGO.
UH, STAFFING LEVELS ON OUR FIRST RESPONDER UNITS IN THE COUNTY AND THE CITY HAS INCREASED OUR LEVEL OF THE TRAINING, BOTH, UH, DURING IT FOR AN INCIDENT TO RESPOND TO AN INCIDENT AND THEN AFTER AN INCIDENT HAS IMPROVED.
UH, IN ADDITION TO ALL THE COMMUNITY MESSAGING AND EDUCATION THAT MANY STAKEHOLDER GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITIES, THE HOAS, THE, THE CITIES, OBVIOUSLY THE COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
UH, WE CAN'T DO WHAT WE DO TO PUT THESE FIRES OUT SHOULD THEY HAPPEN WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT STARTS AT YOUR OWN HOME, UH, HAVING A DEFENSIBLE SPACE AROUND YOUR HOME, BUT ALSO BEING PREPARED SHOULD YOU NEED TO EVACUATE, BUT ALSO BEING PREPARED SHOULD YOU NEED TO SHELTER IN PLACE.
UH, NOT EVERY INCIDENT DICTATES AN EVACUATION IS REQUIRED.
SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO SHELTER IN PLACE THAN IT IS TO EVACUATE.
AND IF YOU GET THE MESSAGE, THE MESSAGES WILL, UH, CONTAINED ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHAT TO DO SHOULD WE GET TO THAT POINT.
BUT OUR GOAL IS NOT TO GET TO THAT POINT AND THAT WHAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE TODAY.
AS YOU'VE HEARD THE JUDGE AND THE MAYOR TALK ABOUT THE WAYS WE CAN GET INTO A BAD SITUATION.
IT COULD BE CHAINS, IT COULD BE OUTDOOR BURNING, IT COULD BE CIGARETTES DISCARDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH TO GET THESE FIRES GOING.
AND AGAIN, WE REMIND EACH OTHER, WE'RE IN THE SAME SITUATION AS WE WERE 15 YEARS AGO WITH THE HEAT AND WITH THE LACK OF RAIN THAT WE'VE HAD.
SO, UH, PLEASE TAKE CREDENCE IN KNOWING THAT THE COMMUNITIES ARE PREPARED.
THIS, IT'S ON THE FOREFRONT OF OUR MINDS AS IT HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS.
AND WE DO SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD SOMETIMES, BUT IT'S A SONG THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PLAY, UH, TO REMIND PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T IN THIS COMMUNITY 15 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE DANGERS THAT WE EXPERIENCED.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF KENNEDY.
CHIEF ABBOT, JUDGE BROWN, MAYOR WATSON.
I'M ASSISTANT CHIEF WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER AS A COLLECTIVE GROUP HERE TO HELP PROTECT THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE ASKING YOU TO, UH, DO YOUR PART WITH OUR MESSAGING HERE.
THE WILDFIRE DIVISION IS TASKED IN PART WITH EDUCATING OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT RISK, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE TODAY TO DO.
UH, WILDFIRE IS A BIT OF A MISNOMER BECAUSE THE IMAGE FROM SOME IS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT A HEAVILY WOODED AND SPARSELY POPULATED AREA.
HOWEVER, THE REALITY IS THAT WILDFIRES CAN AND DO HAPPEN IN AND AROUND LARGE URBAN CITIES HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE WEEPING PARCELS AND SMALL PARK POCKETS OF GREEN SPACE THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
HOWEVER, THESE ALL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO FUEL A GRASS FIRE, A BRUSH FIRE, AND WILDFIRE, WHICH CAN SPREAD TO HOMES, BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS AND PLACES OF WORSHIP, AS WELL AS COMMUNITY CENTERS THROUGH BOTH FLAME AND EMBERS THAT CAN TRAVEL UP TO A MILE.
I CHALLENGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE GREEN SPACES AROUND YOU, AROUND YOUR HOME, WHETHER IT'S A PARK, WHETHER IT'S A WOODED AREA OR AN UNDEVELOPED PIECE OF LAND.
AND I SUSPECT WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU WILL SEE THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY WITHIN A MILE OF WHERE AN EMBER COULD EASILY LAND ON YOUR ROOF IN EVENT OR ON SOME SORT OF VEGETATION THAT IS BEAUTIFULLY ORNAMENTING YOUR HOME.
BUT WHAT WE WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE TIME IS NOW FOR EVERYONE TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND WE ARE HERE AS A PARTNER AND THOSE BEHIND ME AS PARTNERS TO HELP WITH THAT.
SO WITH AUSTIN, WE OFFER FREE STRUCTURED IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS, ALSO KNOWN AS SIZES.
WHEN WE COME TO DO A SIZE, A WILDFIRE ADVISOR WILL WALK THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR PROPERTY AND WILL PROVIDE YOU SOME PERSONAL GUIDANCE ABOUT HARDENING YOUR HOME AND YOUR PROPERTY AGAINST WILDFIRE.
THE A TX WILDFIRE HUB ALSO OFFERS A DO IT YOURSELF SIZE TOOL IF YOU PREPARE, IF YOU PREFER TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN.
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ALSO, WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DOWNLOAD THE READY SET GO GUIDE, ALSO FOUND ON THE A TX WILDFIRE HUB.THIS WILL HELP YOU CREATE AN ACTION PLAN THAT WILL ESTABLISH PREPARATION AND EVACUATION STEPS.
AND AS MENTIONED BEFORE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS.ORG FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS SO THAT YOU CAN STAY IN THE, KNOW ABOUT ANY INCIDENT OR ALL INCIDENTS THAT COULD AFFECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
WE CANNOT COMPLETELY PREVENT EMERGENCIES, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN PREPARE FOR THEM.
AND WITH THIS HOT WEATHER, I WOULD ALSO LEAVE WITH YOU TO HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE.
UM, WE ARE OBVIOUSLY FOLLOWING THE WILDFIRE IN NORTH TEXAS.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE MAYBE LEARNING FROM THEM OR IS THERE SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE TAKING AWAY FROM THAT SITUATION? MAY, UH, YOU WANNA TALK? SURE.
UH, SPECIFIC TO ATTACKS, UH, UH, IT'S, IT'S REQUIRED A STATEWIDE RESPONSE, WHICH A LOT OF OUR RESOURCES HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY HAVE BEEN MEASURED IN HOW WE PARTICIPATE IN THAT.
'CAUSE WE ALSO HAVE CONCERNS HERE.
SO WE HAVE A VERY SELECT CREW OF FOLKS ON THE T FMIS GROUP THAT WORKS WITH THE STATE, AND WE SEND THOSE UNITS OUT AND IT'S ON A ROTATING BASIS.
WE ARE ALSO VERY CAREFUL TO KEEP ENOUGH UNITS HERE AS WELL THOUGH.
AND THAT'S A VERY KEY POINT TO WHERE I WANT TO GO WITH THIS.
UH, THAT TOPOGRAPHY UP THERE CAN, IN SOME AREAS BE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY AREA IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
AND THEN THERE'S OTHER AREAS WHERE IT'S PRETTY FLAT AND SOMETIMES IT WILL RUN PRETTY QUICK.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT FIRE.
WE ARE MONITORING IT IN A, FROM OUR STANDPOINT OF HOW THE WEATHER'S BEHAVING AND HOW THE CONDITIONS ARE SHAPING UP AND HOW THE FIRE IS BEHAVING AS WELL.
UM, THERE AGAIN, THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES TO THAT, BUT THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC OR, UM, UH, TOPOGRAPHY CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO WE, WE MONITOR IT, WE SEND RESOURCES, WE GET FEEDBACK, UH, BOTH IN DAILY REPORTS FROM THE STATE, BUT ALSO FROM OUR CREWS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
I I, I WOULD JUST ADD ONLY FOR THE PURPOSES OF, OF AGAIN, BEING A BROKEN RECORD SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY OUGHT TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT IN, IN CENTRAL TEXAS, THERE'S A LOT OF LEARNING THAT GOES ON AS A, AND YOUR QUESTION SUGGESTS THAT, BUT IT WAS AFTER THE, UH, BASTROP FIRE AND THE, THE REFERENCE TO STEINER RANCH AND BASTROP, UH, 15 YEARS AGO, WHICH IS HARD TO BELIEVE IS THAT WAS 15 YEARS, UH, 15 YEARS AGO.
IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS JUST YESTERDAY.
BUT, BUT IT WAS AS A RESULT OF THAT, THAT YOU START STARTED SEEING A REAL REGIONAL, REGIONAL COORDINATION, UH, IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
THERE'S A LOT LEARNED ABOUT THE COORDINATION LEVEL, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M VERY PROUD OF, OF, OF, OF HOW WE LEARN AND THEN ACT ON THAT.
IN ADDITION, UH, IT'S, IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY PROMPTED, UH, AT AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT WE, EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY AT AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS TRAINED IN WILDFIRE IN, IN HANDLING WILDFIRES.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN THE REST OF THE STATE AND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
AND THEN THE THIRD IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF TRAINING THAT GOES ON.
NOW THE CHIEF IS, IS, IS RIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE THE CONDITIONS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT, BUT PART OF THE TRAINING THAT OCCURS IS WITH OUR JOINT AGREEMENTS THAT WE HAVE SENDING PEOPLE TO OTHER PLACES WHEN THERE ARE FIRES.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE GILLESPIE COUNTY FIRE THAT RECENTLY HAPPENED, I GUESS THAT'S BEEN, UH, A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
NOW, AGAIN, THINGS FEEL LIKE THEY WERE JUST YESTERDAY, BUT, BUT THERE WERE FIREFIGHTERS FROM THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE REPRESENTED HERE THAT WENT THERE BECAUSE IT HELPS THEM WITH THEIR EDUCATION AND THEIR TRAINING.
SO YOUR, YOUR QUESTION IS A GOOD ONE.
AND, AND WE, WE, THERE'S A LOT OF LEARNING THAT GOES ON AND A LOT OF COORDINATION, SO THANK YOU.
UM, AS FAR AS RESOURCES, A FOLLOW UP TO THAT, UH, WHAT DO THE RESOURCES LOOK LIKE HERE? CITY, COUNTY? LIKE HOW MANY TRUCKS DO WE HAVE? DO WE HAVE HELICOPTERS? ARE WE MORE RELIANT ON STATE RESOURCES FOR THAT? I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT IS IT HUNDREDS THOU, YOU KNOW? YEAH, IT'S MEASURED BY THE HUNTERS DEPENDING ON WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT COLLECTIVELY.
WE HAVE BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, AND THAT'S HOW WE LOOK AT THIS.
WE, WE DON'T MAKE A LOT OF, UH, UH, TERRITORIAL ISSUES WHEN IT COMES TO THESE KIND OF, THIS KIND OF WORK.
WE HAVE AUTO AID RESPONSES, SO WE SEND THE CLOSEST UNIT, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE, THE COMMUNICATION EXPERTS GET AT THE DISPATCH CENTER.
THEY WILL SEND OUT THE APPROPRIATE RESOURCE BASED ON WHAT THEY KNOW.
OR IF WE'RE GETTING MORE INT INTELLIGENCE SOMEWHERE ELSE, UH, WE WILL SEND OUT BRUSH TRUCKS AND ENGINES IN A SMALL PACKET, OR WE WILL SEND A LARGER RESPONSE DEPENDING ON WHERE THE FIRE IS, DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF CONDITIONS.
A LOT OF THE DEPARTMENTS ARE STAFFING UP THIS WEEKEND AND INTO THE WEATHER WHERE WE PUT ADDITIONAL FOLKS ON THESE UNITS, MINIMAL STAFFING IN THIS COUNTY.
AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART AS FOUR PERSON PER ENGINE COMPANY OR POOR LADDER TRUCK.
AND WE CAN PUT A BRUSH TRUCK ON TOP OF
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THAT, OR WE CAN PUT A A, A NUMBER OF BRUSH TRUCKS ON THERE.DO WE HAVE HELICOPTERS? WE DO.
WE DO HAVE STAR FLIGHT AND WE ALSO HAVE STATE RESOURCES SHOULD WE NEED IT.
WE ALSO HAVE THE, UH, ADDITION THIS TIME AROUND WITH DOZERS.
SOME OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAVE DOZERS THAT WILL HELP CUT FIRE LINE SHOULD THEY BE NEEDED.
WE HAVE THAT WORKING AS WELL IN ADDITION TO THE TRAINING THAT EVERYBODY IS CAUGHT UP ON.
UH, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ARE ALL OPERATING AT THE SAME TRAINING LEVELS, UH, SAME TRAINING, CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES.
AND WE COMMUNICATE DAILY, UH, ON WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CITY, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COUNTY.
I THINK WE HAVE FOUR COUNTYWIDE THAT, UH, CHIEF BAILEY MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS, I THINK A COUPLE YEARS AGO WE HAD THE FIRE BY THE SOUTHEAST SERVICE CENTER THAT THE STATE FORESTRY SERVICE CAME IN AND HELPED US WITH BULLDOZERS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY OTHER WILDFIRES AT THE TIME.
BUT I THINK THE THOUGHT AMONG THE, THE FIREFIGHTERS WAS THAT WE NEEDED SOME OF OUR OWN IN CASE THERE ARE OTHER FIRES HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME ALSO, THAT WE CAN OFFER THAT TO OTHER FOLKS.
AGAIN, IF WE'RE NOT BEING, UH, IF WE DON'T HAVE A FIRE, BUT SOMEONE ELSE DOES WITH THE, UH, WITH ALL THE FIRES GOING ON AROUND THE COUNTRY, THE BIG AIRDROP VEHICLES THAT COME IN, ARE WE IN LINE FOR THOSE? ARE WE THOSE GONNA BE AVAILABLE IF, IF WE HAVE SOMETHING BIG HAPPEN? YEAH, THOSE ARE STATE RESOURCES AND, UH, WE DO COORDINATE ON A DAILY BASIS.
I, AS I GO BACK TO THE OTHER QUESTION, WE DO COORDINATE THE NEED.
THE STATE ALSO ASSESSES THE NEED ON WHERE THOSE RESOURCES ARE ASSIGNED AT ANY MOMENT.
THE STATE IS MOVING THOSE RESOURCES AROUND THE STATE AS THEY'RE NEEDED, WHETHER IT BE AIR RESOURCES WITH THE LARGE, UH, PLANES OR HELICOPTERS OR DOZERS.
UH, AND WE, WE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOCAL, WE PARTNER WITH THE STATE ON THAT.
IT, IT, AN EXAMPLE WAS WE USE ONE OF THOSE PLANES AT, AT STEINER RANCH.
UH, BUT THAT WAS ABOUT 12 HOURS.
I WANNA SAY IT WAS THE STATE REQUESTED RESOURCE.
SOMETIMES THOSE PLANES ARE STATIONED AT AUSTIN STROM, SOMETIMES THEY'RE STATIONED AT ANOTHER FACILITY THAT THE STATE HAS DEEMED, UH, MORE APPROPRIATE BASED ON SIZE AND NEED, BUT THEY'RE ALWAYS MOVING THOSE UNITS AROUND.