Reflection by CL

I learned of the 2013 Fire Ecology class for educators through my husband who is a volunteer fireman and educator.  He was attending a fire mitigation class when he heard Shawna Crocker mention this class.  At first I was apprehensive about taking the class because I have never been too interested in this topic, and wasn’t too sure that it would apply to Social Studies.  I still decided to sign up and see what it was all about.  I am glad I did!

Immediately I learned that fire has always been a part of our history.  I also learned how it affects societies as a whole.  So my assumption that it wouldn’t apply to History/Social studies was wrong.  I realized that Fire Ecology relates all core subjects together, and blurs the lines between subjects.

The class never had a dull moment.  The entire week was packed with presenters and activities.  I honestly felt that the class could have been a couple of days longer than scheduled.  There is too much to learn and there is not enough time to learn it all. I am not a person who likes to just sit, so this was a great class for me to take.  While we did have to sit a lot, we were also able to leave the classroom and take field trips.  My favorite day was the first field trip.  We went to the Upper South Platte Water Shed office.  Theresa Springer spoke to us about the impact fires have on the watersheds.  This had never crossed my mind before.  I never took the time to think beyond the fire and it getting put out.  She spoke to us about the effect the Hayman Fire had on the watershed.  She then told us more about the recent Waldo fire and the effect it will have on the watershed and the surrounding communities. We left from there and headed to visit some homes in Cascade.  The homes were surrounded by a long tall wall of sand bags.  These were placed there to help buy the residents some  time to hopefully make it out safely.  We were also told how the town of Manitou Springs could be destroyed by flash floods. Since the class, I have seen flash flood warning for that area at least twice.  During one of the warnings, they received enough rain to cause major havoc and it closed down highway 24.  I watched a video of a Gazette videographer getting washed away in the mud river which covered highway 24.  After this presentation, I questioned whether it is better for a person’s home to burn or be saved.  It seems that if a home is saved, it is now involved in a whole new set of problems; i.e. mud slides and flooding.  These new problems can last for years.  I never knew of the problems present after a fire.

From Cascade, we drove to Blodgett.  Blodgett is an area that was involved in the Waldo Canyon fire.  We met a geologist who took us for a hike into the burn area.  There we learned about hydrophobic soil and how it occurs.  We tested soil to see whether it was hydrophobic.  As suspected, in places the soil was hydrophobic. Since the soil doesn’t accept water easily, it is no wonder that burn areas experience flash flooding.  Prior to this class, I thought that if there was flooding it was due to the lack of vegetation.

I also enjoyed the presenters.  Each one had something new to teach us.  My favorite one was Amy from Colorado Springs Fire Department.  She is in charge of the Mitigation program.  I was impressed with her slide show and knowledge.  She doesn’t force people to strict mitigation, but offers suggestions. The pictures of the homes that had mitigated prior to the Waldo Canyon fire definitely made an impression on me.  Mitigation is one of the keys to reducing the risk of losing a home in a fire.

I am glad I attended this class.  I learned a lot more than I will ever be able to teach.  I am hoping to raise my students awareness of the importance of fire and living with fire. I recommend all educators to take this class.  You won’t be sorry!