Firewise Forum - Events
Breakfast with Firewise
The community of Harbor Isles in Sarasota County, Florida, recently achieved Firewise Communities/USA recognition status. As luck would have it, I was in Florida at the same time that the community's recognition ceremony was scheduled. Florida state forestry WUI specialist Patrick Mahoney made a few phone calls and the residents of Harbor Isles responded. And how!
Spontaneity and again, luck, were in our favor for this event. The national Firewise program is developing Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for release in 2008 and we needed more footage of WUI residents and community mitigation activity. A video crew met me on site and we were treated to a fantastic breakfast prepared and served by a 30-person committee. For their efforts, Patrick rewarded them with Smokey Bear bandanas, which they wore proudly.
Some 200 or so folks showed up for breakfast, an all-veterans color guard and the Pledge of Allegiance, and a Firewise presentation by Patrick Mahoney. County Commissioner Shannon Staub, City of North Port Fire Marshal Michael Frantz and Fire Chief Bill Taffe were among the notable officials in attendance - along with 2 TV news reporters and a newspaper reporter for the North Port Sun. Our own video crew captured the ceremony and presentation of the community signs and plaques. We interviewed Commissioner Staub and Marshal Frantz and then raced off to the home of Sam and Jeanne Avallone to document Firewise in action.
Sam, Jeanne, Rose Beach, Don Ninekirk, and a cast of thousands (OK, several) converged along the backyard area bordering several homes - and the overgrown wild preserve. A swatch of mitigated land was the backdrop for a staging of Firewise action involving rakes, machetes, clippers and pruners. Our video producer set the stage with Rose and Don as our PSA spokespeople and the rest of the volunteers putting those rakes and clippers in motion. I was happy to let the pros and the volunteers do their job, while I took my own photos and chatted with the neighbors (you know, networking, schmoozing, same thing). I was sorry to have to leave as I was having a grand time. The Harbor Isles visit reminded me how great our Firewise community residents are and how much fun we all can have with Firewise. Stay tuned for the PSA releases in 2008!
posted by Michele Steinberg at 12/05/2007 02:17:00 PM
GOOD TIMES WERE HAD AT BACKYARDS
& BEYOND
My e-mails have been coming in non-stop containing kudos for the Firewise Communities conference in Denver that occurred two weeks ago. Mostly, folks told me they learned more than they ever expected to and the only thing that frustrated them was that they wished they were two people so they could go to every session they wanted to attend.
People liked the very cool keynote speaker, James Mapes, because he prepared all of us for the week that was coming. He even bit into a lemon in front of all of us...a brave man! And we became smarter about wildfires relationships with homes when we listened to Jack Cohen (USDA-Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Lab) in another general session.
Wildland/urban interface fires in Montana, Texas and Wisconsin were recapped and described---and we even heard about spotting ignitions from space. Communications, collaboration, landscaping, community events and participation, and, of course, technological application----sessions concerned with all of these topics were learning opportunities for conference attendees. And there was so much more.
How we networked! We greeted each other at the daily luncheons, and made new friends at the social hours and the banquet. We saw our cohorts receive Firewise Leadership Awards and were happy for them.
Now we have transported our knowledge back to our homes and workplaces and are marking our calendars for November 6-8, 2008----Tampa! If you have suggestions that will make the 2008 conference a success for you, please share them. We want to know.
- Judith Leraas Cook, Project Manager
Firewise Communities/USA
Backyards & Beyond
Coming to you live from Denver at the National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Education Conference, "Backyards and Beyond." Nearly 450 emergency managers, residents, community leaders, and Firewise state liaisons shared their own stories and learned from each other through more than 70 educational sessions. Are you doing the math? Lots to cover. Can't touch it all here, so we'll just focus on the theme of recognition for past and current activities.
Attendees shared the achievements of their programs in daily sessions, and this year marks the five year anniversary of eleven communities that were part of the initial Firewise Communities/USA pilot program in 2001.
More kudos... Friday evening unveiled the winners of the inaugural Firewise Leadership Awards, recognizing outstanding efforts to promote a cooperative approach to reducing the loss of lives, property, and resources in the wildland/urban interface. Round of applause for:
TWO Regional Award Winners: the Arkansas Forestry Commission Firewise Program; and Jim Harrell with the Florida Division of Forestry
TWO State Award Winners: Arizona Firewise; and Bobby Young with the Texas Forest Service
THREE Local Level Award Winners: Anchorage (Alaska) Fire Department; Marc Titus, Washington DNR NW; and Linda Ford, Taos Pine Ranch Firewise Community
Chances are there are others you know who might be deserving of an award. GREAT. The Firewise team wants to hear from you in January when we open up the awards for 2007 nominations. Stay tuned.
It's never too soon to plan ahead. Don't miss out on the 2008 conference at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa Florida November 6-8, 2008. Details will be posted soon at www.firewise.org.
Finally, in the words of NWCG WUI Fire Working Team chair Alan Dozier, fire chief for the state of Georgia who spoke up on a challenge from fellow WUI Working Team member Wayne Ching from Hawaii:
"Aloha, y'all."
By Maureen Rootz
Firewise Communications Team