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After a few years of putting all
of the pieces in place, Groom Creek Fire District is nationally
recognized as a Firewise Community USA. We are the 120th
community in the country to receive this recognition which
coincides with the Firewise Arcview recognition that we received
a few years ago. We are only the 6th community to have received
both recognitions.
Firewise Around Your Home - learn new ways of increasing
the savability of your home during a wildfire
Being identified as a Firewise
Community USA provides us an edge when applying for fuels
reduction project funding. The recognition will help to prioritize
projects that are being completed on the private and public
lands within the area. Our ultimate goal is to have Groom
Creek removed from the Federal Register list of communities “At-Risk” from
a major wildland fire conflagration.
We will achieve our goal only
through the continued efforts of our residents and our fire
district personnel who have strived to make the past and
current fuels management projects successful. A community
Firewise Board has been established and is made up of community
members and fire district representatives. These members
have the responsibility to define future projects and apply
for the annual renewal of the recognition. Current Members
are: Jan Woodward, Dennis Erickson, Chris Starr, Mary Lou
Huff, Anna Cano, Ernesto Manzanedo and Todd Bentley. If you
are interested in participating on this community board,
please call the fire station at 928.778.6519.
We
must expend $2 per capita on fuel reduction projects to continue
to receive this recognition. With our current Hazardous Fuels
Reduction Project (and the proposed projects) we should easily
be able to ensure this for a few years to come. Projects
such as the Dumpster Project, Chipper Assistance, Senator
Highway Project and the Defensible Space Project will be
continued as long as the funding is available and the support
and participation from the residents of this area remains.
If you have any recommendations
for future fuels projects or would like to comment on the
current projects, please come to a Fire District Board meeting
held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the
fire station located at the corner of Friendly Pines Road
and Spur Lane.
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