1. Georgia’s Forest Action Plan
A Road Map for Georgia’s Forests
We would like to thank
The National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils
(NARC&DC), The US Forest Service, and The Georgia Forestry Commission
Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D Council
The Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D Council
hopes this workshop will help our citizens
become more involved with
Georgia’s Forest Action Plan

2. Fire Adaptive Communities
Get Involved: Assessment, Awareness, Action

4. Most people think wildfires only
happen out West?

5. Think again….

6. WILDFIRES ARE A PART
OF YOUR COMMUNITY
Naturally occurring in Georgia’s ecosystems for
centuries

7. Are you ready?
Is your house ready?
“With adequate planning and
cooperation among varying
interests, wildfires can occur
without disastrous loss of life,
property, and resources. “

8. • Wildfires can put dozens (even hundreds)
of homes at risk simultaneously.
• Firefighters may not have the resources
to protect each home.
• Residents can take action to increase
their homes’ chances of surviving a
wildfire.

9. All of our Counties must be
proactive
• Makes your house and community fire ready with
programs like Firewise Community USA.
Examples of actions include:
Remove fuel from forest floor
Use prescribed burning practices when needed
Create buffer zone around houses

17. Good fires prevent bad ones.
• Prescribed Burns: Controlled burns used in
forest management
• Fire is an essential, natural process:
• Replenishes soil nutrients
• Removes dead and dying vegetation
• Creates conditions for healthy re-growth

18. Fire-prone communities earn Firewise
Communities/USA recognition status by
meeting the following criteria:
• Complete an assessment and create a plan that
identifies locally agreed-upon solutions that the
community can implement.
• Create Firewise task force, committee, commission or
department which maintains the Firewise Community
program and tracks its progress or status.
• Observe a Firewise Communities/USA Day each year
that is dedicated to a local Firewise project.

19. Continued..
• Invest a minimum of $2.00 annually per capita (in
kind) in local Firewise Communities/USA efforts. (Work by
municipal employees or volunteers using municipal and
other equipment can be included, as can state/federal
grants dedicated to that purpose.)
• Submit an annual report to Firewise Communities/USA,
documenting continuing compliance with the program.

20. Wildland Urban Interface
An increasing population is moving
from the urban setting to rural areas
adjacent to wildland. This makes
development planning and proactive
fire prevention tactics a must.

21. Defensible Space

22. Develop an Evacuation Plan

23. Understanding Wildland Fire
and Preparedness
Working with Towns County Fire Department

24. Understanding the Threat of
Wildland Fire
• The Threat of Wildland Fire in Our Area?
•
Some Examples in Towns county
• Escaped debris burns are the number one cause of wildfires in Georgia
• 5,420 burn permits issued from July 1,2012-June 30,2013 in Towns
• Cedar Knob Fire, Young Harris, 800 acres
• Whiskey Mountain Fire, Hiawassee City Limits, 115 acres

25. Understanding the Threat of
Wildland Fire
• What Drives Wildland Fires in our Area?
• Hardwood leaf litter
• wind
• steep slopes
• low relative humidity
• Careless people

26. Towns County Example

27. When Structures Become Fuel
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
March 2013

28. The Ready, Set, Go! Program
• RSG Personal Wildland Fire Action Plan
• Family and Property Preparation
• Checklists for Disaster Preparation;
what to do as a Fire Approaches;
and Emergency Supplies if you have to leave

29. Ready, Set, Go! Program Tenants
• Ready – “Prepare for the Fire Threat”
• Defensible Space: Easy Steps You Can
Do Now to Safeguard Your Home
• Firewise Communities

30. Ready, Set, Go! Program Tenants
• Defensible Space: Easy Steps you can do Now to
Safeguard Your Home
• Remove leaf litter (dry leaves/pine needles) from yard, roof, and gutters.
• Remove combustible material and vegetation from around and under decks.
• Remove woodpiles and other combustible materials.
• Remove dead and dying vegetation.
• Remove and reduce “ladder fuels” (low level vegetation that allows fire to
spread from the ground to the tree canopy).
• Consider Firewise landscaping techniques.

31. Ready, Set, Go! Program Tenants
• Set – “Situational Awareness when
a Fire Starts”
• Preparing the Home for a Fire
• Inside and out preparation-Page 9
• Alert family and neighbors
• Know the current fire danger (November, March, April)
• Stay tuned to current information
• When you’re Set-Go!
• And don’t look back!

32. Ready, Set, Go! Program Tenants
• Go – “Leave Early”
• Leaving Early Makes it Safer for You, Your Property and
Responding Firefighters
• Where to Go: designated safe zones

33. Ready, Set, Go! Program Tenants
• What if you are Trapped by a Moving
Fire Front?
• Action Guide Checklist: Page 9
• What to Wear
• What to Do

34. A Challenge We Can Face
• Prepare Your Family and Home
• Understand Wildland Fire
• Ensure The Safety of You and Firefighters
• Be a Partner in the Wildland Fire Solution

36. Check out our website:
www.townscountyfireprevention.wordpress.com