Sacramento AEG January Meeting 

Please join us to kick off the new year on Tuesday, January 22, 2018 at Aviator's Restaurant in Sacramento for a talk by Bill Kane on "Flexible Debris Nets for Post-Wildfire Emergency Mitigation".

Register Now! 

Flexible Debris Nets for Post Wildfire Emergency Mitigation 

William F. Kane and Mallory A. Jones

 KANE GeoTech, Inc., 7400 Shoreline Drive, Suite 6, Stockton, California 95219

william.kane@kanegeotech.com

Wildfires are a continuous threat in the western United States. In the past, homes, infrastructure, and roads were constructed without considering the potential dangers resulting from natural hazards. Now with large population centers, post-fire debris flows annually cause millions of dollars in damage and loss of life. This is especially true in California. The State currently lacks a comprehensive post-fire debris mitigation protocol. Current policy is to simply to prevent run-off and minor erosion. There is no standardized or accepted procedures in place to protect people, property, and structures from damaging and deadly debris flows. 

One response is to install flexible debris nets. These nets, developed in Europe, utilize high-strength steel wire mesh and have proven to be reliable and cost effective. These systems can be quickly installed to minimize or eliminate the dangers caused by post-fire debris flows. In addition, from an environmental standpoint they have a small footprint and can be constructed without building intrusive roads into hard-to-reach mountainous areas. They can be removed once vegetation is re- established or left as check dams to reduce the energy of future flows. In addition, they can be incorporated as part of a debris flow alerting system.

This presentation will briefly discuss nature of the post-fire debris flow hazard and focus on mitigation practice for protection. Case studies of several projects in Colorado, New Mexico, and California detailing the application of flexible debris flow nets protecting the public will discussed.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. William F. Kane received his B.A. (1975) in geology from James Madison University, and his M.S. (1981) and Ph.D. (1985) degrees in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. He is President of KANE GeoTech, Inc., Stockton, California, which he founded in 1997. KANE GeoTech is considered one of the leading engineering firms in the field of geohazards. It consults on a variety of geotechnical problems for public agencies and private industry, especially in the areas of rock and soil mechanics, ground subsidence, slope stability, and geotechnical instrumentation. An award winning professor, Dr. Kane taught civil engineering and engineering geology at the universities of Tennessee, Pacific, and Alabama-Huntsville. He has authored or co-authored dozens of technical papers and reports. Professionally, Dr. Kane is a registered professional engineer in 25 states and a registered professional geologist in Tennessee. He also conducts geotechnical engineering workshops in the U.S. and internationally, and has appeared as a geotechnical expert both in litigation and on national media outlets including CNBC and CBS radio and television.