PD-17-00001 Marian Meadows Full Record with Index (2)

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Marian Meadows Rezone and Subdivision Final Environmental Impact Statement 3-149 Fire response to the steep eastern portion of the site would be slower because of additional distance as well as the steep grade. Access also could be impeded by conflict with residents fleeing from the area. Intense fires could make the single access road unusable due to the proximity of heat and flames. The distance of the single Easton Fire Station from the site is a potential factor in increasing response time when access is impeded by adverse conditions. The ability of the volunteer fire fighters to respond in a timely and effective manner depends on the availability and training of personnel. The presence of additional residential units theoretically increases the potential pool of volunteers. Tenure scenarios with larger components of seasonal residents reduce the potential pool of volunteer fire fighters. Full-time residents who commute to work at a distance from the community also reduce the availability of personnel during work hours. Retired residents may be available and willing to participate in the volunteer force, but may have physical and endurance limitations on their effectiveness, depending on age. In addition, the increase in population and number of responses in the community may increase the number of responses to an extent that the existing force experiences burnout, or simple unwillingness to commit the time needed. All these factors make it difficult to predict the availability of an effective force of volunteer fires fighters to respond to the increased exposure of the development. It is a safe assumption, based on the large number of fire departments manned by volunteer fire fighters operating in the state and nationwide, that adequate volunteers would be recruited and maintained to provide some level of response. The probability of effective response is higher in evening hours when more residents are likely to be home. Limits in the effectiveness of the volunteer fire force to respond will most likely be reflected in the manning levels of the initial and secondary response to incidents. It is likely that minimally manned equipment would be able to respond. If the number of persons responding is limited, the ability to effectively initiate and maintain operations may be limited. If inadequate personnel is available, suppression effectiveness is limited, the risk of fires spreading is increased, and the risk to fire-fighting personnel is increased. If personnel and equipment is limited, response can be requested from other fire forces in the vicinity. That response, however, would take additional time for deployment and travel. The ability of the Easton Fire District to effectively respond is also currently limited by having only one modern fully equipped fire truck. The second truck, which is 15 years old, can be considered at risk of failure to provide adequate service, if adequate personnel are available to operate it. Alternatives 1 and 2 provide the greatest potential exposure of fire risk and potential impacts requiring additional volunteer personnel, higher levels of training, and additional equipment. The steep eastern portion of the site provides an area of extreme wildfire hazard due to the location on a slope and the potential for wildfires to move more quickly uphill, heating fuels as it moves uphill and reinforcing the speed and heat as it moves. The potential for more than 200 units on this portion of the site places a large number of residents at risk. The site is at risk from wildfire initiated from human sources on the site (as are half of wildfires) and is also at risk from wildfires spreading from forest lands on the north, east, and south sides of the site. The single access provided to the steep eastern portion of the site also limits the