June 5 workshop to help citizens be ‘fire wise’

By Josh Presley

Being “fire-wise” is important all the time, but especially during the dry summer months.  With that in  mind, the Mississippi Forestry Commission  is presenting the “How to Have a Firewise Home” workshop on June 5.

 
The purpose of workshop, which will be held at the Ladies Building at the Union County Fairgrounds, is to teach participants to better recognize fire risks around their homes, businesses, and communities.  
George Rowland, coordinator for Mississippi Resource, Conservation, and Development, said that this is part of a new initiative by the Mississippi Forestry Commission to make communities more fire-safe, and that everybody in the community is a part of the process.  
“A lot of the things covered in the workshop are common sense items, such as having clear street signs and road marks for fire responders, as well as roads wide enough for fire trucks to go down,” Rowland said.  “There are a lot of things you can do around your home and the workshop is here to make you aware of things you can prevent.”
Rowland said that with droughts across the Southeast, people need to be more aware of the risk for fires.
“Recently the drought monitor showed that Georgia, Alabama, and, of course, Texas, are considered to be in a severe drought,” he said.  “So here in Mississippi we’re right in the middle.  In fact, the northeast edge of Mississippi was included in the drought area.”
Rowland said that it has been more dry this spring than it usually is so early in the year and that, while the hope is that Mississippi won’t have a drought, if we do and have high winds and fire, green grass will burn along with all the timber we have in the state.
Leslie Blackwell, Firewise Coordinator for the Mississippi Forestry Commision, will be the speaker at the event, and will present some films, along with a powerpoint demonstration.  
“He’s got a powerpoint where he shows a house and lets the audience look at it and try to decide where the fire hazards are, then he clicks on it and shows them how they can improve it,” Rowland said.  “He goes over the whole house and yard and shows the audience how to be more fire-wise.”
The workshop will begin at 5:30 p.m. on June 5 and last until 8:30.  There will be a meal served beforehand but pre-registration is required to receive a meal.  To pre-register contact the Union County Soil and Water Conservation district office at 662-538-0030, Ext. 3.  The deadline for pre-registration is Monday, June 4, at noon.  
Rowland said that although pre-registration is required to receive a meal, any homeowner that wants to come for the workshop is welcome to come.