Posted: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:09 PM - 16,641 Readers

By: Brian Sanders

Wildfire season is approaching Central Texas again.  Last year, a fire in Steiner Ranch burned more than 150 acres, and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes.  Now the neighborhood is hoping to be better prepared in case of another wildfire.  They asked Travis County for help, but the options are limited.

The same landscape that makes Steiner Ranch beautiful is binding it.  The neighborhood is surrounded by Lake Austin and the Balcones Canyon Land Preserve, preventing further road development.  Right now, Quinlan Park Boulevard is the main artery in and out of the community.

Nathasha Collman was forced to evacuate during last September's blaze.

"We sat in traffic for about two hours," said Collman.  "That was just getting out to FM 620."
Now she heads the neighborhood's fire-wise committee, which surveys the area and looks for ways to better protect the people and property against future wildfires.
 
"They [residents] are very concerned if there's another fire," said Collman.  "About how we're going to get out of the neighborhood."
 
She contacted Travis County for them to come up with a plan together.  A big challenge is the terrain, and the cost to cut through the land.
 
"We can't infrastructure our way out of the secluded beauty of western Travis County," said Travis County Pct. 2 Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt.
 
The latest proposals to improve wildfire safety range from construction of a new bridge over Lake Austin to shelters-in-place.  The latter is infinitely more manageable and mobile.
 
"Since we can't predict where they [wildfires] will be," said Eckhardt.  "The most effective planning, is the type of planning that's mobile.  This is one of the few instances, where the cheapest response, in all likelihood, is also the most effective response."
 
The plan is also to use existing infrastructure for evacuation staging areas.  The Steiner Ranch community center, golf course, and school campuses are well protected and can act as evacuation hubs for people until the roads are clear.
 
Education is also key to their safety.  The fire-wise committee is encouraging residents to clear brush and low-hanging branches around their homes.  They also recommend iron fences instead of wooden pickets.
 
Commissioner Eckhardt's office is also implementing similar measures for other communities in western Travis County, including River Place, Comanche Trail, and those along the Pedernales River.