Fire report: Life over structure

thedesertsun.com | Fire report: Life over structure

A new report in the aftermath of the deadly Esperanza wildfire says firefighting needs to emphasize "the priority of life over structure protection."

As wildfire-fighting agencies attempt to learn lessons from the blaze, one of the most difficult changes firefighters may have to make is fighting their instincts and letting homes burn, Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley said Monday.

"You get these situations where if firemen are going to be in great peril, they just have to let those structures go," he said. "And these guys are not built to do that."

Reba Coulter, executive director of the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council, a citizen group that encourages homeowners to be proactive in protecting their homes, said she doesn't expect firefighters to put themselves in danger to defend her Crestview Drive house.

"Human life is far more important than any home," she said.

Changing the culture, not just among firefighters but in society's expectations of them, "is going to take serious effort," he said.

"We very seldom congratulate people or give them great acknowledgement for bringing their crew back alive with three homes burned down," he said.

"What's going to happen when (a news helicopter) has a picture of an engine crew sitting on their butts as a home burns up because it wasn't safe to go into it? Do you think that's going to go over well?"