Valley County's community wildfire protection plan acknowledges that wildfire hazard areas exist throughout the county. Therefore, wildfire mitigation actions are prudent to enable safe habitation in these fire environments. The Valley County fire working group recommends that a requirement for the development and approval of a wildland urban interface fire protection plan be added as an addendum to the Valley County subdivision regulations ordinance. The existence of said plan will assist the Valley County planning and zoning commission and the structural fire districts in satisfying the current subdivision regulation, subsection 10-3-2-6D7 of this title. (Ord. 10-07, 8-26-2010)
APPROVED: Refers to approval as the result of review, inspection or tests by reason of accepted principles.
ASPECT: Generally refers to the direction to which a mountain slope faces. For example: A slope that faces the sun in the afternoon has a westerly aspect or is a west facing slope.
DEFENSIBLE SPACE: Refers to that area between a building and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been modified to reduce the wildfire threat and to provide an opportunity for firefighters to effectively defend the building.
FORESTED: Idaho Code title 38, chapter 1 (Idaho forestry act) defines "forestland" as meaning "any land which has upon it sufficient brush or flammable forest growth of any kind or size, living or dead, standing or down, including debris or growth following a fire or removal of forest products, to constitute a fire menace to life (including animal) or property".
FUEL BREAK: An area, strategically located for fighting anticipated wildfires, where the vegetation has been modified or removed so that fires burning into it can be more easily controlled. Fuel breaks may divide fire prone areas into smaller areas for easier fire control and to provide access for firefighting.
PROFESSIONAL: Can include qualified professional forester, fire ecologist, or comparable experience. Professionals can be prequalified by the commission or recommended by the Valley County fire working group and kept on record at the planning and zoning office.
PROFESSIONAL FORESTER: An individual holding at least a bachelor of science degree in forestry from an accredited four (4) year institution. (This is consistent with Idaho state tax commission rule 960 of the Idaho administrative code, Idaho state tax commission, PDAPA 35.01.03, section 04.)
SLOPE: The variation of terrain from the horizontal; the number of feet of rise or fall per one hundred feet (100') measured horizontally, expressed as a percentage.
STRUCTURE: That which is built or constructed, an edifice or building of any kind or any piece of work artificially built up or composed or parts joined together in some manner.
VALLEY COUNTY FIRE WORKING GROUP: This group is given charter by the Valley County board of commissioners and is tasked with oversight of the community wildfire protection plan. This group is represented by local fire departments, SITPA, public land managers (USFS, IDL, BOR), bureau of homeland security, West Central Highlands RC&D, Valley County Natural Resource Consultants, etc.
WILDFIRE: An uncontrolled fire spreading through vegetative fuels, exposing and possibly consuming structures.
WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE AREA: That geographical area where structures and other human development meets or intermingles with wildland or vegetative fuels. (Ord. 10-07, 8-26-2010)
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