01/08/2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Anoka County Multi- Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan 4.2.1.12 Wildfires Wildfires are uncontrolled burning of grasslands, brush, or woodlands. According to FEMA, people start over four out of five forest fires. Negligent human behavior such as irresponsible smoking or not extinguishing campfires is the cause of many fires. The other primary causes of forest fires are lightning and arson. There are three different classes of wild -land fires. A surface fire is the most common type and burns along the floor of a forest, moving slowly and killing or damaging trees. A ground fire is usually started by lightning and burns on or below the forest floor. Crown fires spread rapidly by wind and move quickly by jumping along the tops of trees. Wild -land fires are usually signaled by dense smoke that fills the area for miles around. The potential for wildfire depends upon surface fuel characteristics, recent climate conditions, current meteorological conditions, and fire behavior. Hot, dry summers and dry vegetation increase susceptibility to fire in the fall, a particularly dangerous time of year for wildfire. Wild -land fires are wildfires in an area where development is essentially nonexistent except for roads, railroads, power - lines, and similar facilities. Urban wild -land interface fires are wildfires in a geographical area where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with wild -land or vegetative fuels. 4.2.2 Manmade Hazards 4.2.2.1 Attack An "enemy attack" is considered an attack of one sovereign government against another as a declared or undeclared act of war. Although the chances of a strike on the U.S. have greatly diminished, several countries throughout the world have developed nuclear capability. In addition, the possibility exists that a terrorist organization might acquire nuclear weapons. There are four primary potential effects experienced as the result of a nuclear bomb. Overpressure: is when a nuclear weapon explodes in the atmosphere, a blast or shock wave is created that initially moves at speeds higher than the speed of sound. INR /EMP: Initial nuclear radiation (INR) is radiation in the first minute after detonation and is hazardous to unprotected people within about 1.5 miles. Electromagnetic radiation pulse (EMP) is conversion of nuclear energy into electromagnetic frequency and occurs when a nuclear weapon is detonated outside of earth's atmosphere. EMP disrupts electrical and electronic equipment across entire unusable until repaired. continents. The equipment is