Wildfire Safety
What to Know About Wildfire Safety...
The Warm Springs Mesa is located in an area called the wildland-urban interface (WUI). This is a zone of transition between wilderness and land developed by human activity—an area where a built environment intermingles with a natural environment.
Human settlements in the WUI are at a greater risk of catastrophic wildfire. Late one night in June of 2016 the Table Rock Fire (see video below) surrounded the entire Warm Springs Mesa subdivision. We weren’t ready. There was no warning system, the fire and police departments weren’t communicating, and the residents didn’t know what they needed to do.
Our goal is to help you better prepare for an emergency. This will provide you with preparations you can make to defend your property from fire and actions to take in case of fire on the Mesa.
Know How to Respond:
After the Table Rock fire, an all-volunteer group led the development of Mesa Emergency Safety Actions (MESA). This program is designed to develop awareness and offer training so residents know their options and what actions to take in an emergency. It utilizes neighbor-to neighbor communications (pods) as a key aspect of our response.
Important steps you can take now:
1. Sign up for Ada Alert to receive fire and evacuation alerts
2. Watch the MESA Training Video (video currently under construction)
3. Read the MESA Action Guide and participate in your “pod”
Assess Your Risk:
We are not helpless to the risks of wildfire, but your participation is required. There are changes you can make to help your home to withstand the brunt of a wildfire without the assistance of firefighters. One example: make it ember resistant. Embers can travel several miles ahead of a fire, even more in extreme wind. Even one ember can start a fire than can quickly consume a home. Click here to find out what you can do.
1. Get an Ada Fire Adapted Wildfire Home Safety Evaluation
2. Free removal of branches and other fuel (sign up required)
3. Checklist for home/property wildfire vulnerability (with guidance)*
The Mesa is a Firewise Neighborhood:
The Firewise USA® program provides simple, effective steps to help communities reduce the risk of destruction from wildfire. Our participation in the national Firewise USA® recognition program began June 30, 2010.
Under the leadership of KC Shedden, the WSMNA received grant money to clear tons of fuel (invasive grasses, trees and shrubs within and around the Mesa) in 2024, 2025 and 2026. For more details on the national Firewise program, visit http://www.nfpa.org.
Read the Mesa Firewise Report here.
MESA Program Resources:
*From the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Additional Resources: Watch Duty is a non-profit, non-partisan, and non-government organization focused on disseminating public safety information in real-time from verified sources. Active and retired firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders diligently monitor radio scanners and collaborate around the clock to provide up-to-the-minute life saving information. PulsePoint is a 911-connected app that can immediately inform you of emergencies occurring in your community. Ada Alert is an emergency notification system that gives Ada County residents a fast, more secure way to receive critical information during wildfires, missing vulnerable adults, severe weather, and other emergencies. Learn how Idaho Power may perform a public safety power shutoff (PSPS) in a crisis. Learn about safety at the Intermountain Gas website. Learn more about the Boise Fire Department “Ready, Set, Go” evacuation process.