Ask Steve Frady at what temperature tin melts at and he'll correctly estimate between 425 and 475 F. Ask him then what temperature glass melts at and he will accurately approximate 1,400 to1,600 F.

Ask him how hot a wildfire is, though, and he'll tell you with certainty it can reach 1,800 to 2,000 F — hot enough to melt metal.

Frady, the public information officer for the Reno Police and Fire departments, is well aware of the conditions and necessary safety precautions during a fire, being a fifth-generation firefighter himself.

But Frady, who has 35 years experience with news reporting, also understands the dangers journalists face while covering fire stories, a topic addressed at his Brushfire safety class Thursday.

The one-day class, which Frady created in 1995, was held at the Regional Public Safety Office on Dandini Blvd. at 11 a.m., open to all local media to encourage an understanding of proper fire safety among journalists.

"We want to make you aware and know what's going on all the time," Frady said. "Because you're the only one who will keep you safe in the field."

With fire season fast approaching, Frady believes people — regardless of whether they are journalists — should always be aware of what is around them.

The chances of fire during the upcoming months will depend heavily on weather conditions, Frady said, as well as vegetation in the area, like sagebrush, that is conducive to the rapid spreading of fire.

These factors are all things people can look out for and prepare for, Frady said. Such precautions include removing cheatgrass, an easily ignited abundant grass in Nevada, and other brush from at least 30 feet from homes, thereby preventing a fire from flourishing.

"Cheatgrass really is the racetrack for wildfires," Frady said, citing that it can burn 3,000 acres in one hour.

Frady also spoke about understanding weather conditions. Typically over the summer, the Truckee Meadows experiences winds from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Frady said, making the spread of any fire in the area difficult to contain.

With the humidity at 13 percent or lower over the summer, extreme fire activity is expected, Frady said, and he urged people to take precautions since the spread rate of fire can be surprising.

"Fire always wants to burn up," Frady said. "You never want to be above a fire. It's not unusual for fires to spot (jump somewhere else) a mile or a mile and a half ahead. It goes fast."

Other important factors include being aware of the terrain, looking out for any rolling or falling debris like trees or tree branches and avoiding animals that are naturally scared and might hurt you while they are defending themselves, Frady said.

"But above all, follow your instinct," Frady said as a final rule. "If you feel like you should get out of somewhere, leave. Why put yourself in that danger?"

And while all local governments are facing imminent budget cuts that might affect fire protection funding this year, Frady said he is not worried because of the reliable collaboration among the several local departments.

"All the fire units, (Reno, Sparks, and Bureau of Land Management) work very closely together," Frady said. "We do a lot of training together and it's not uncommon to see several units working together on one fire."