More prescribed burn managers needed

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Droplets of fire fell from the tip of a metal canister, as Adam Jenschke moved swiftly along a dry line of grass. His training rotation with the drip torch came just as the wind began to pick up.

"Trying to get as much education as possible, so I can apply it to the property that I manage,” Jenschke explained.

As manager of a Bandera ranch, recent fires on his neighbors’ ranch prompted him to travel north to just outside of Sonora to attend the Academy for Ranch Management. Prescribed burns topped the list of lessons.

"After this pasture's burned off here, it's going to be another barrier when we've got widespread wildfires coming through,” he said. “If this guy's (land is) on fire, we'll know that this pasture's been burned off already, and it's got fresh green grass and it will act as a burn break for these wildfires."

• Photos: Scenes from the Bastrop fires of 2011

Janschke joined a handful of others learning about one of the most powerful weapons in preventing mass disaster. While he set the blaze, others stamped out stray flames. Some wore backpacks full of water to shoot over the ground as another break. The rest circled the seven-acre site on four-wheelers to spot flare-ups.

But few in this group will go beyond the basic training to actually become a prescribed burn manager – someone who leads a team in burning off a wildfire’s fuel. The state has only 67 certified individuals, which is a significant increase from 14 who were on the job four years ago.

"(We need) double, triple, quadruple the amount of prescribed burning that's going on,” said Ray Hinnant, who helps lead the training. “We could certainly use more certified people."

Hinnant said there are several reasons Texans are hesitant to take on this role. First, it is a huge commitment of time and effort – two three-day sessions, each costing about $400.

"(You also need) three years burning experience, and 30 burns that they've been on,” he said. “Five that they've been the individual responsible. And they (must) carry the million, two million aggregate liability insurance."

Insurance for a prescribed burn crew can run a couple thousand dollars a year. A person can become certified as either private or professional. That extra cost can add up.

"Unless you know you can make money off of it, it's not worth doing it,” explained Dave Redden with the newly formed Prescribed Burn Alliance of Texas, or PBAT.

The alliance is made up of 11 smaller organizations with 600 volunteer members across the state. The group is now working to secure government grants to help offset the certification cost for burn manager.

Without that role, there are not that many fires for crews to set, as even a controlled burn can get out of hand without supervised know-how. Plus, the insurance is important to protect crews facing the fire.

Redden said PBAT is also working with insurance companies to explain that importance and possibly drive down prices. The risk increases, as someone with certification can actually burn during a burn ban.

But the likelihood of that exemption is great. Last year – at some point – 251 of Texas’ 254 counties were under a burn ban.

Finding someone in Central Texas with certification is difficult. There are only five total - two commercial in Kerrville and Center Point, and three private in Austin, Marble Falls and Fredericksburg.

Bastrop County has none, even after one of the worst wildfires in Texas history last year. According to the Texas Forest Service, the county saw 32 fires, and lost around 37,000 acres and nearly 1,700 homes altogether in 2011.

Neighboring Travis County saw much smaller numbers during that same time period: 12 fires, nearly 8,000 acres and almost 100 homes. It is why the Austin Firefighters Association is pushing the city of Austin to create a Wildfire Division.

“We were surrounded by fires last season,” said AFA President Bob Nicks. “We’re about 10 years behind when it comes to something like this.”

AFA said the proposed city budget currently does not reflect such a program, which he said could take $2 million. The city’s Public Safety Commission has been receptive in re-evaluation of such an endeavor, which would also include a certified burn manager.

Just a few weeks away from the one-year anniversary of the Bastrop fires, Central Texas is still missing what could be perhaps the best weapon against wildfires. Last year, there were 50 times more wildfires than people certified for a very effective way to prevent them.

In the aftermath of last year's wildfire season, the state created the Texas Wildfire Prevention Task Force, made up of more than 30 state, local and private entities. Headed up by the Texas Department of Agriculture, the task force’s main goals also included rolling out an online risk assessment map and prevention packets for communities