By Heath Druzin
The Salt Lake Tribune
BOISE, Idaho - Idaho is taking a large chunk of this year’s national firefighting budget, and wildfire managers say some of the communities they are defending have done little to protect themselves.
The federal government has spent an estimated $125 million to fight large wildfires in Idaho this summer, 12.5 percent of the $1 billion spent so far nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Fire managers say much of that money goes to equipment and firefighters who increasingly find themselves hosing down homes ahead of flames rather than battling wildfires head on.
''The bottom line is you’ve turned these firefighters, these highly trained and experienced firefighters . . . into a very expensive maintenance crew,’' said Jim Smalley, manager of Firewise, a national program that educates homeowners on how to protect their property from wildfires.
Most homeowners in Idaho’s fire-prone communities have not taken steps such as clearing trees and brush around their homes to protect their property, said David Olson, a spokesman with the Boise National Forest who has more than 30 years experience in wildland firefighting.
''Point protection’’ has been the jargon term of this fire season in Idaho. It means defending specific areas where structures stand - often at the expense of fire suppression - and this year, protecting homes rather than putting out flames often has been the focus for fire crews in the state.
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