FireWise
Community Wildfire Planning & Response
For 20 years, ARCD has partnered with the Tennessee Division of Forestry in the administration and management of the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program. Each year, communities across the state work to make their land more wildfire resilient through mitigations practices. Each community works with a contractor wildfire mitigation specialist to develop an implementation plan. The Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program is a competitive process for communities culminating with the Tennessee Division of Forestry reviewing applications and awarding grant funds. ARCD facilitates the awarded contracts between the communities and manages the flow of funding for reimbursements on mitigation activities.
Image from Knoxville News Sentinel
Grants funds are used for the following practices and more:
- widening streets
- fire resistant street signs
streets signs that designate to emergency services which streets are throughways and which are deadends - installing dry hydrants
- installing hookups so firetrucks and hoses can connect directly to swimming pools or other water sources if hydrants aren’t present
- removing invasive plant species that are prone to spreading fires
- removing brush and other organic materials that are prone to spreading fires
- creating communication plans for communities in high risk areas on how to effectively notify residents of safe passageways
- supplying work materials such as gloves and wood chippers
- To learn more about this program, visit
Firewise
Latest News
by RC&D | Aug 9, 2021
Hazard Mitigation and Community Education Grants are provided by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry to communities, groups, and organizations to make their homes safer from wildlife. Examples of program recipients are cities, towns, and communities with a risk or potential for loss from wildland fires. Communities who have developed a Community Wildfire Prevention Plan (CWPP) are eligible for funding to implement hazard mitigation and community education projects identified in their CWPP.
The ARCD is pleased to partner with the Division of Forestry on the administration and managment of these grants. All applications are reviewed and selected for funding by the Division of Forestry who then provides the ARCD with direction regarding approved community grant expenditures.
by RC&D | Aug 12, 2019
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry will be providing access to federal grant funding for communities and volunteer fire departments to be better equipped for wildfire.
Communities who have developed or are in the process of developing a Community Wildfire Prevention Plan (CWPP) will be eligible for the Hazard Mitigation Assistance program. The 100% reimbursement grant offers up to $20,000 in funding for communities to implement wildfire prevention practices and community education projects in their CWPP.
The Hazard Mitigation Assistance program provided $279,763 in 2018 to assist in the development of 15 new Community Wildfire Protection Plans, implement projects to reduce dense, hazardous flammable vegetation, and facilitate best practices for Tennessee Fire Adapted Communities. These knowledgeable and engaged communities work to lessen the need for extensive protection actions and enable the communities to safely accept fire as part of the surrounding landscape.
by RC&D | Mar 12, 2019
The Firewise USA® program has received a lot of attention in East Tennessee after the devastating wildfires of 2016. The program is a major component in helping to make our communities safer by reducing hazardous vegetation, improving the fire resiliency of our homes, businesses and other structures, improving access, and other mitigation measures. The Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) concept takes this several steps further. The FAC model looks beyond just trying to reduce fire hazards in our individual homes and communities, and incorporates a much broader array of components. FAC accepts fire as a risk to the community, and uses a collaborative approach to involve everyone, including residents, businesses, local, state, and government officials, non-government organizations, utilities, and other community assets. Each of these entities has a role in reducing the threats of wildfire in the community before fire happens. FAC also incorporates a well-rounded approach to keeping the entire community safe from fire, and includes the following components:
by RC&D | Feb 8, 2019
Located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the southern Appalachian Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a popular tourist destination. During the fall of 2016, the Southern Appalachian Mountains Region of east Tennessee was experiencing an extreme and prolonged drought. As a result of the dry conditions, several significant wildfires were burning throughout many areas of this region. When an arson fire was ignited on Chimney Tops Mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (located about eight miles south of Gatlinburg) around Thanksgiving, few could have predicted the devastating effects the fire would have.
On November 28, 2016, very dry conditions coupled with high winds (over 80 mph) led to firestorm-like conditions in and around Gatlinburg, making it difficult for people to evacuate in a timely manner. Lines of communication failed when trees fell across power, telephone, and cable lines, and disabled cellular and radio towers and equipment.
High winds knocked down trees, blocking many of the narrow, winding roads (as well as some main roads), making many mountain roads inaccessible and causing evacuation problems throughout Gatlinburg and neighboring areas. In all, over 14,000 people were forced to evacuate Gatlinburg and neighboring areas on November 28th.
The fire moved through the Gatlinburg area and on into other areas of Sevier County in a matter of hours. Tragically, the Chimney Tops II Fire, as well as other fires ignited by power lines knocked down by the high winds, resulted in the loss of 14 lives, 176 people injured, 2460 structures damaged or destroyed, 17,140 acres burned, and approximately $1 billion in damages.
by RC&D | Nov 13, 2018
After the devastating wildfires of 2016, Gatlinburg and Sevier County Tennessee are receiving unexpected help from the East Tennessee Homeschoolers (ETH) group. The ETH recently obtained induction into the National Beta Club, a non-profit educational organization that promotes today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders. The motto of the National Beta Club is “Let Us Lead by Serving Others”, emphasizing that Service is one of the foundations of their mission.
When it came time to choose a service project this year the group chose as one of their projects Fire Prevention and Serving the People and Land of the 2016 Wildfire. The club presented their service mission and ideas at a National Beta Leadership Summit Expo, their Service Snapshot won a position as qualifier to present at The National Beta Club Convention in Oklahoma…
