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Attitudes and Perceptions on Fire Policy and Burn Bans in Texas
Preliminary Report: Jan. 13, 2009Texas Farm Bureau
Survey commissioned by Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI)
Survey administered by Texas AgriLife Extension Service – Institute of Renewable Natural Resources
GoalsProvide snapshot look at how LOCAL
officials understand and perceive issues
Identify if disparity exists between counties and within counties on attitudes, implementation, perceptions
Focus areas for improvement
– Policy– Education– Outreach
Areas of Effort• Burn Bans and their implementation
– How they are initiated and removed– Levels of comfort in role – Decision factors and process
• Government Code– Level of guidance– Level of knowledge (self perception)
• Prescribe Fire and its use• Willingness and desire for outreach, education,
and tools
Areas for Analysis• Differentiate responses by role/position in the
county• Differentiate responses regionally (spatial and
geographical)• Interface between policy and ecology
– Management based on policy– Management based on ecology
• Qualitative measures– “how do you feel”– Levels versus absolutes– No right or wrong answers
Survey Design
• Attempt to limit bias in wording • Some questions asked multiple times, but
asked in differing ways• Attempt to eliminate questions where
respondents are “lead” to the answers
Survey Returns
81 (22%)
12 (3%)
33 (9%)
12 (3%)
18 (5%)
218 (59%)
Responses total: 369 Counties: 127
Keetch-Bryam Drought Index
County Officials
Local Fire Officials
Local Prescribed Burn Specialist
County Attorney
State/Federal Officials
1= least important
5= most important
What do Burn Bans Protect?
Human Life
County Infrastructure
Homes and Buildings
Vegetation
Watershed integrity
Business, Urban structures
Agriculture commodities
329 (90%)
247 (90%)
354 (97%)
238 (90%)
176 (48%)
223 (61%)
314 (86%)
Burn Ban vs. Prescribed FireSimilar question to what is protected/benefits from a burn ban. Except this time, the area of emphasis is prescribed fire
Burn Ban vs. Prescribed FireSimilar question to what is protected/benefits from a burn ban. Except this time, the area of emphasis is prescribed fire
When the “Good” goes “Bad”
28 (8%)
224 (63%)
110 (31%)
76 (22%)
Hmmm, what happened here? If 365
people took the survey, and only 225
answered this question what else might
that indicate?
How Can We Help
• Designed to help multiple partners in determining how their client programs fit into the survey results
• Designed to be a broad look at common topics in order to begin asking more detailed questions
• Designed to invoke action programs (more geared toward outreach)
Example: County Official Tenure
• Survey results– County commissioners avg. years of service = 7– County judge avg. years of service = 7
• Agency outcome (hypothetically)– AgriLife -Establish curriculum that can be administered over a 3
year period at V.G. Young Institute – TDA – Offer CEU/Certification credits to Commissioner Courts
for attending Burn Ban and Prescribed Fire management techniques
– FB???? Field day visits on property managed by prescribe fire? Policy development on encouraging “certification” for county officials?
Guidance to Agencies/Organizations
What additional resources would be helpful in your decision process for IMPOSING a burn ban?
Improved fire behavior models
Guidance from agencies (TFS, NRCS, TDA, TPWD,TCEQ)
Hands on workshops and classes
Online workshops and classes