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Red River County VFDs serious about wildfires
By Connie Beard
Published October 15, 2009
Northeast Texas has been blessed with near record rainfall this year. But when the rains stop and the sun comes out, the danger of wildfires quickly rises.
Representatives of the 11 Red River County volunteer fire departments are in Clarksville for the official signing of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan with the Texas Forest Service. The signing ceremony took place at 10 a.m. today in the Red River County Courthouse. Red River County Judge Morris Harville and Texas Forest Service Interim Director Tom Boggus were also on hand for the event.
Red River County was the location of one of the largest wildfires in Northeast Texas in the past 50 years. The 2006 White Rock Fire near Negley destroyed several thousand acres of timber, and required numerous local, state and federal firefighting resources to suppress.
The CWPP is a program developed by the Texas Forest Service as a way to customize wildfire plans for counties and communities at risk from wildfire.
A big part of CWPP is assisting in educating the local public on how to live with wildfire. The plan also assesses the resources and capabilities of the volunteer fire departments, and pursues grants for training and equipment.
“Making the county more aware creates a better appreciation of what the volunteer fire departments provide to the county,” said Lee McNeely, wildfire mitigation coordinator for the Texas Forest Service.
The 11 volunteer fire departments in Red River County are Annona VFD-Rescue, Avery VFD, Bagwell VFD, Bogata Fire & Rescue, Boxelder VFD, Clarksville FD, Cuthand Community VFD, Detroit VFD, Northwoods VFD, Pine Creek and Rosalie VFD.
Red River County will be the seventh county in Texas to implement a CWPP.
“Red River County is unique. It’s the first county to request an assessment from our agency,” McNeely said.
It’s also unique in that there are no federal or state lands within the county, according to McNeely. There is large private property ownership throughout the county, with many 5,000 plus-acre ranches.
“We had to develop a completely different approach for a county that is mostly privately owned,” McNeely said.
The Red River County CWPP process began in October 2007. The collaborative effort involved county officials, county fire departments and the Texas Forest Service.
During the past two years, each VFD has undergone a comprehensive wildfire assessment to determine values at risk from wildfire, firefighting capabilities, methods to reduce damage from wildfires and fire prevention techniques. The assessment process analyzed accessibility for fire equipment across the county, wildland fuels, housing density, water sources, hazardous materials and causes of wildfires.
“I’ve been able to meet with every department. We drove over most every major road in the county to better understand their needs,” McNeely said.
“Red River County was a high priority for a CWPP since the county suffers the most acreage lost to wildfires in Northeast Texas on an annual basis. We hope this plan will help increase awareness of wildfire issues in the county and result in fewer and less damaging wildfires,” McNeely said.
For more information on Community Wildfire Protection Plans and how individuals can protect their community from wildfire, visit http://texasfirewise.org.
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