About
About FireSafe
FireSafe Montana is a private, non-profit organization coordinating and supporting a statewide coalition of diverse interests working together to help Montanans make their homes, neighborhoods, and communities fire safe. The organization was formed over 38 years ago by foresters, wildfire experts, and community leaders after devastating wildland fires destroyed homes and properties in communities that were unprepared for the dangers of living in fir prone areas. Wildland fire has always been, and will remain to be, a part of the ecosystem., thus our axiom that we must “Learn to Live with Wildland Fire”.
FireSafe Montana actively encourages and assists in the development of local FireSafe councils across the state. These councils are key to raising public awareness of local wildland fire threats and issues, motivating residents to take positive action, and providing access to the expertise and resources homeowners need to get the job done. When people take personal responsibility for applying and maintaining Firewise practices on their property, they greatly increase the chances of their homes surviving a wildfire.
Through its public information programs and materials, website, newsletter, and special events, as well as its active involvement in federal, state, and local fire mitigation efforts, FireSafe Montana is working hard to reduce the potential loss of life and property from wildfire in Montana.
Mission
To assemble diverse interests in a coalition that will work together on solutions to reduce the loss of lives and property from the threat of fire in and around Montana communities.
Mobilize Montanans to make their homes, neighborhoods, and communities fire safe.
Goal
One of our first goals is to assist in the formation and development of local FireSafe Councils across the State of Montana. FireSafe councils work throughout the state to address neighborhood wildland fire threats. These councils help provide the awareness, motivation, expertise, and resources that will help Montana communities survive wildland fire.
FireSafe Councils and Hazardous Fuels Mitigation Task Forces
Flathead FireSafe Council
Flathead FireSafe Council Serves Flathead County and the Reservation.
This Council was spearheaded by Curtiss Matt the Fire Prevention Coordinator for the Salish and Kootenai.
To contact the council regarding upcoming events and projects please call:
Ali Ulwelling, Forestry Assistance, Montana DNRC @ 751-2246
Mike West, Fules AFMO, Tally Lake RD, Flathead NF @ 758-3539
Northwest Montana Hazardous Fules @ 892-8155
Lincoln Chute, Flathead County Fire Service Area Manager @ 758-5563
Park County FireSafe Coalition
Park County FireSafe Coalition was created in 2011.
The Park County FireSafe Coalition (PCFSC) is a sub-committee of the Park County Fire Council and a member of FireSafe Montana.
The PCFSC’s mission is to provide regional support for FireSafe Montana objectives at the local level through resources, education, and awareness of personal responsibility. FireSafe Montana’s main objective is to mobilize Montanans to make their homes, neighborhoods, and communities fire safe. The coalition consists of representatives from Park County, Park County Rural Fire Department, Wilsall Fire Department, Northern Rocky Mountain RC&D, MSU Extension, and the US Forest Service.
The goals of the Coalition are:
- To implement FireSafe programs
- To provide fire education through information sharing and resource support with local fire departments and community groups
- To develop PCFSC visibility in the community
- To reduce hazardous fuels
If you are interested in gathering more information about or becoming involved with the PCFSC, please contact Greg Coleman, Park County Fire Warden, 406-222-4100 ext. 4176, or at gcoleman@parkcounty.org. We are working with your local Fire Departments to help your home, subdivision, and/or community become more safe and aware prior to a wildland fire even
Northwest Montana Hazardous Fuels Program
NW Montana Hazardous Fuels
Landowners’ Guide to Cost-Share Funding
The treatment of hazardous fuels is one of the most proactive ways to reduce potential loss of life and property in the event of a wildland fire. By following Firewise™ practices, creating defensible space, and treating fuels, you can lower your fire risk while increasing the chances that fire protection agencies can effectively deal with a wildland fire should it occur. Cost- share funding is available now in some areas to help landowners with the cost of reducing their hazardous fuels.
GETTING STARTED – for general information and to find out if your property is in one of the current priority treatment areas, contact us at:NW Montana Hazardous Fuels, FEPC, 919 Elk Park Road, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
HOW DOES THE COST-SHARE PROGRAM WORK?
- After you call or write, we’ll send you a short form to fill out giving us some basic information about you and your property – your name and mailing address; the location. legal description, and a map of the subject property; driving directions to the site; etc. Forms are also available on the websites of two of our community partners:
the Whitefish Area FireSafe Council: http://www.wafsc.com/docs/App_Home_Eval.pdf
and the North Fork Landowners’ Association Fire Mitigation Committee http://nflandowners.com/docs/2012_Home_Evaluation_Application.pdf
- On receipt of the initial contact form, one of our Community Foresters will make an appointment to visit your property and discuss your wildfire mitigation concerns with you. The forester will recommend an appropriate treatment, prepare a cost estimate, and explain the cost-share guidelines. Recommendations generally involve thinning and pruning of trees and disposal of woody fuels. General forest health issues also will be discussed. There is no charge for this site evaluation.
- If you decide you want to proceed with the recommended treatment, the forester will draft a project agreement specifying the work to be performed and other terms and conditions, including cost-share requirements.
- You will then be responsible for completing the work − doing it yourself, hiring a professional contractor, or some combination thereof. If you request it, the forester can provide a list of contractors who have indicated an interest in doing such projects. Inclusion on the list does not constitute an endorsement of any listed contractor or his/her qualifications and experience. Getting competitive bids, checking references, and looking at previous work done by any contractors you are considering employing is highly recommended. For your own protection, you should (at a minimum) make sure that the contractor you hire has full and proper liability insurance and workers compensation coverage.
- After you have selected a contractor and before s/he has begun work on your project, a meeting should be arranged among you, the forester, and the contractor, so that there is a shared understanding among all parties of the work to be performed and the specifications to be met. If questions regarding the treatment prescription arise, or if unexpected events or conditions are encountered while work is on-going, the forester should be notified immediately so that any necessary clarification or modification of the project agreement can be made.
- When work on the project has been completed, you will need to request an on-site inspection by the forester, who will either verify that the agreed-upon work has been completed according to the specifications in the project agreement or will identify incomplete work items that need further attention. When all work has been satisfactorily completed, you and the forester will both sign a project completion form.
- You may satisfy your cost-share requirement in cash or in-kind, or in some combination of the two. In-kind contributions include the value of work that landowners do themselves as part of their projects (examples, limbing, piling, brush removal). Some projects may require the removal of sawlog-size trees, although grant funds cannot pay for such removal. However, contract work obtained in exchange for those trees can be used as part of the landowner’s cost-share requirement.
- When the project completion form, together with satisfactory documentation showing you have met your cost-share requirement (a signed receipt from your contractor showing that s/he has been paid by you) is received by FEPC’s Northwest Montana Hazardous Fuels office, a cost-share reimbursement check will be issued.
WHAT WILL MY PROPERTY LOOK LIKE WHEN THE WORK IS COMPLETED?
- Each property will have its own unique look. The underlying intent, however, is to space trees so that fire will not spread from crown to crown and a fire on the ground will not climb into the crowns.
- Generally the work involves thinning, pruning, and slash disposal. Trees will be thinned so that there is 10 feet between the crowns. Tree trunks may be 12 to 20 feet apart, depending upon their size. Lower tree branches will be removed 8 to 10 feet above ground level. Woody fuels on the ground and slash greater than two inches in diameter will be disposed of through burning, chipping or mulching on-site, removed from the property, or some combination thereof.
- Looking at other properties where thinning and other hazardous fuels treatments have been conducted may be helpful to you in visualizing the post-treatment appearance. The forester also may have some “before” and “after” pictures from previously completed projects.
Glacier County FireSafe Council
Glacier County FireSafe Council encompasses the Blackfeet Reservation, East Glacier, Babb, St. Mary, Heart Butte, and Cut Bank.
The Glacier FireSafe Council main contact is Bruce Running Crane. His email address is brucerc@blackfeetfire.org and can be reached by phone at 406-450-2552.
On going projects:
Hazardous Fuels Reduction with assistance from the BLM and the North Central RC&D.
Alternative Emergency Access Route over BNSF Railroad Tracks for East side of Glacier National Park.
Painted Rocks FireSafe Council
Painted Rocks FireSafe Council is located on the West Fork of the Bitterroot.
Please contact Bob Mutch: bobmutch@montana.com
Painted Rocks FireSafe Councils works closely with the Painted Rocks Fire Distrit. Please contact Charles Scripps at 406.349.0068.
Hazardous Fuels Cost Share Grants are available through the Bitter Root RC&D
FAQ
What is FireSafe Montana?
FireSafe Montana is a private, non-profit organization coordinating and supporting a statewide coalition of diverse interests working together to help Montanans make their homes, neighborhoods, and communities fire safe.
What is the wildland-urban interface (WUI)?
The wildland-urban interface refers to the line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels. Wildland fires can burn in the WUI, especially in many areas of Montana. Local jurisdictions can establish their own more specific definitions of the WUI in their Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP).
Why is it important for homeowners in the WUI to be prepared prior to a wildland fire?
Homeowners who take proactive steps to mitigate the risk of home ignition due to a wildland fire have a better chance of their home surviving the fire than those who do nothing to their property. Such action also reduces the likelihood of your home contributing to an urban conflagration.
The key is in reducing the ignition potential of your home. Our hope is that as you prepare your home for survivable space, your neighbors will do likewise and a contiguous nature of each property will provide a larger, more defensible space.
What are “Firewise” concepts?
The Firewise approach emphasizes community responsibility for planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance. http://www.firewise.org
What are some ways homeowners can mitigate risk from wildland fire?
Firewise techniques that homeowners and communities utilize include using fire-resistant plants in their landscaping, thinning trees and brush, building with ignition-resistant materials, choosing building sites away from slopes and coordinating with firefighters and other fire management teams to develop emergency plans.
Do I need to cut down all my trees in order to be “fire safe?”
No. Clearing out dead vegetation and thinning trees and brush can actually result in improved aesthetics of your property. Opening up the tree canopy allows for grass and wildflowers to flourish in the sunlight.
What is survivable space?
A structure in the Wildland Urban Interface chances of surviving a wildland fire are greatly increased by incorporating fuel management techniques, hardening the structure in its construction characteristics and materials, minimizing firebrand receptive beds, such as, debris, pine needles, firewood stacks, etc., and performing regular maintenance. Nothing provides a guarantee that a structure will survive a wildland fire. Our use of the term “survivable space” is a reference to this combination of topographical location of the building site, design, construction, and fuel/vegetation management to limit the ignition zone around the structure. This will provide the best chance for a structure to resist loss and/or major damage during a wildland fire, on its own, without direct suppression intervention by firefighters.
Whose responsibility is it to provide my property with survivable space?
It is every property owner’s individual responsibility to create survivable space around their structures. It is every community’s responsibility to work with their neighbors to make their neighborhoods safer and more resistant to wildfire.