June 2003

The June Arkansas FireWise Home of the Month belongs to Joan and Sam Thompson Jr. of Hot Springs Village. The Thompsons have done a great job of making their home Firewise, and even contacted out-of-state landowners for permission to the make their neighbor's lot safer.

The Thompsons realized they did not have enough land on their own lot to provide 30 to 100 feet of defensible space. So they obtained permission from their out-of-state neighbors to remove brush, ladder fuels, dead timber and ground litter from their property. Notice the short shrubbery and lack of ladder fuels around the home, and the concrete walkway provides an excellent firebreak.

Gary Wokaty, Hot Springs Village Fire Marshal, and Sam Thompson are pictured in front of the home. In the photo, note the wide driveway and well-marked street address on the mailbox.