Texas Community Stories

Meadow Mountain is small community in northwest Austin consisting of 44 homes and 74 residents. What makes Meadow a unique Firewise Community is that the Austin Fire Department (AFD) took the lead working very closely with the Texas Forest Service (TFS) in guiding the community through the Firewise recognition process. The TFS and the AFD visited the community regularly to be sure it was headed in the proper direction in the mitigation of fuels in the area and the creation of defensible space. Community residents met frequently to assess their progress and determine their next steps. They removed all cedars less that six inches in diameter, created shaded fuel breaks on the area's steeper slopes (up to 150 feet downhill from homes), pruned all trees six to ten feet from the ground, kept grasses and wildflowers short during the dry times of the year, and started replacing the wooden decks with non-flammable building materials.

Residents are working together to prepare an evacuation plan that will identify people who need help; all residents will work together to evacuate pets from the yards and homes. The AFD developed a fire emergency response guide for the local residents on the topic of what to do in case of a fire.

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