Firewise Communities and Boards Arkansas FireWise Home of the Month Arkansas FireWise News Publications

 

Home of the Month

The home of Donna Hartsfield, located Faulkner County, was selected as the May 2009 Arkansas FireWise Home of the Month.

To submit a nomination, e-mail us or call (501) 296-1940.

 

Honor Roll
Arkansas FireWise is pleased to share a listing of agencies and businesses that have Firewise structures. To submit a nomination, e-mail us or call (501) 296-1940.

 

Recognition Days
Three recognition ceremonies were held in 2008 for recognized Firewise Communities/USA in Arkansas — Lake Hamilton, Mount Magazine State Park: FireWise on the Mountain and Ashley County. One recognition ceremony has been held in 2009 for Ashley County at the Arkansas State Capitol.

 

Matt Simpson is new FireWise Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arkansas FireWise is pleased to welcome Matt Simpson as its new FireWise Coordinator. Simpson has a long list of accomplishments and has been a firm supporter of FireWise, bringing in the communities of Diamondhead, Lake Hamilton, and Red Oak.

 

Retirement of Arkansas FireWise Coordinator

 

 

 

 

David Samuel, FireWise Coordinator of six years, officially retired on Jan. 31, 2009. His wife, Arkansas Forestry Commission co-workers, and friends joined in the celebration of this new phase in David's life. To view his fairwell luncheon, click here.

 

National Firewise Leadership Award
Patricia and Tony Siciliano, Arkansas FireWise consultants, received a National Firewise Award for State Leadership recognizing their outstanding efforts in reducing the wildfire risk in the wildland/urban interface.

 

Recognition and Renewals
Firewise Communities/USA recognition and renewal applications can be downloaded by clicking on the link above.

 

Arkansas FireWise celebrated its 100th recognized community, a milestone the organization honored on Oct. 4, 2008, at Lake Hamilton. The Lake Hamilton Fire Department is also celebrating it's 50th anniversary as well as being honored as the state's 100th FireWise community since the program's inception, two great accomplishments.

For the story on Lake Hamilton's FireWise Day and anniversary along with additional photos, click here to visit Lake Hamilton's webpage.

For more information about the mapping techniques being using in Lake Hamilton and the surrounding areas, click here to view the story in the August 2008 FireWise In Action Newsletter.

The goal of Arkansas FireWise is to spread information that will enable Arkansans to become more "Firewise" and fire-safe when living in or near forested or undeveloped areas.

Firewise is a cooperative effort of federal, state and private agencies and organizations to promote fire safety in the wildland/urban interface. The primary Firewise belief is that it is unnecessary to lose homes or other buildings to wildland fires if those structures are built and maintained according to simple Firewise principles.

Firefighters cannot be everywhere when a wildland fire occurs. However, if homeowners follow Firewise suggestions, homes and buildings can survive wildfires without any firefighters there to protect them.

The first step to becoming Firewise is to create a lean, clean and green defensible space extending 30 feet from your home on all sides. (This area should be extended farther if the structure is located on a slope.) The goal is to break the chain of flammable fuel between your home and the wildland area. Examine your yard, and ask "what can catch fire and carry this fire to the house?"

Make your landscape "lean" by removing or isolating highly-flammable plants, and creating vertical and horizontal separations between plants and plant groups. Prune trees and shrubs periodically to remove ladder fuels that could carry a grass fire into the tree canopy. Also, be sure to prune any tree limbs hanging over your home. Added protection can be provided by incorporating gravel or paved walkways to create a fire break.

"Clean" up your property by removing dead plants and plant materials such as leaves, twigs and branches. Remember to remove fallen leaves and twigs that may accumulate in gutters or on the roof.

Keep your yard "green" be selecting plants with high-moisture content leaves, low oil or resin content, limited foliage, few dead branches, and lower overall height when landscaping. Keep your lawn well-watered, and select trees with open and loose branching patterns. Be sure to space flammable conifer trees at least 30 feet between tree tops to reduce the risk of crown fire.

You can landscape for fire protection while maintaining a natural look to your surroundings. Work with the plants native to the site, using the patterns found in nature. The placement of plants and trees is just as important as the species when planning for fire safety.

For added protection, be sure to screen under decks with 1/8-inch metal wire mesh to prevent the accumulation of leaves and debris that can easily ignite.

For more information about Arkansas FireWise or to request a community site visit, please contact one of the representatives below.

 

Matt Simpson, FireWise Coordinator
(501) 296-1872
Matthew.Simpson@arkansas.gov

Natalie Canard, Information Officer
(501) 603-3545
Natalie.Canard@arkansas.gov
or
firewise@arkansas.gov

3821 West Roosevelt Road
Little Rock, AR 72204
Phone: (501) 296-1940
Fax: (501) 296-1949

The Arkansas Forestry Commission offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

 

Firewise Communities and Boards
Over one hundred Arkansas communities have been recognized for their efforts to reduce the wildfire risk to homes, and the program continues to grow daily. Learn more about Arkansas' Recognized Firewise Communities/USA, Community Boards in Progress and Arkansas FireWise State Parks.

 

FireWise in Action

The
November 2008 Arkansas FireWise newsletter is now available.

 

 

 

 

Living with Wildfire: A Guide for Arkansas Homeowners
Newly revised copies of the Arkansas FireWise Homeowners Guides are now available.

 

 

Community Wildfire Protection Plan Template (CWPP)
Click on the link above to download an Adobe PDF version of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan template.

 

Publication Archives
Previous issues of FireWise in Action and other Arkansas FireWise publications can be found on the publication archives page.

 

Be Firewise
Learn more about protecting your home and property from wildland fire by reading Firewise FAQs and Firewise Inside & Out.

 

Arkansas Forestry Commission
For more information about fire danger, burn bans, wildland fire, forest management or trees in the urban forest, please visit the Arkansas Forestry Commission web site.

 

 

Arkansas Wildland Fire Academy: Basic Fire

 

 

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