The home of David and Diane Saugey has been selected as the Arkansas FireWise Home of the Month for March, 2008.

The home, nominated by Chad Noles, Ranger III for Garland County, is located at 1173 Highway 298 near Jessieville.  David currently serves as a wildlife biologist on the Jessieville/Winona/Fourche ranger district, Ouachita National Forest. 

This model FireWise home exhibits outstanding defensible space around the entire home due to many years of hard work thinning timber, cutting underbrush and removing ladder fuels. In addition, David has been conducting spring fuel reduction burns every couple of years between the Weyerhaeuser Company property line and his driveway on the west side of the home.

The home is surrounded by heavy timber on the Weyerhaeuser tract on the west and south sides of the home, located downhill from the homel.  Aware of the risk from a wildland fire threatening the home from the south, southwest or west, the Saugeys have reduced the risk by establishing defensible space from the home to the property line.  There is an estimated 100 feet in the southeast corner, gradually widening to 200 feet in the southwest corner, and increasing to 300 feet on the west side.  The two-acre control burn to reduce fuel extends the defensible space from the mowed area back to the property line. 

The rock siding and composition shingles on the home also greatly reduce the risk of ignition from firebrands that might be blown from a wildland fire on the Weyco tract of heavy pine timber.