Recognition goes to Libby firewise effort

by The Western News
| October 5, 2010 4:00 PM

Over the past seven years, a local effort to increase awareness on the threats of wildfire has taken hold. Through various projects and activities, the Libby area has made progress on being prepared if a wildfire rips through the region.

Last week, the Libby Firewise Community earned national recognition for its work.

“We have made progress over the past seven years through education and fuel reduction projects around homes, but we still have a long way to go,” said Ed Levert, Lincoln County forester.

The Firewise program was developed to help communities reach a high level of fire preparedness through citizen involvement and land management agency participation.

“The Libby Firewise Community plan was developed by the Lincoln County Firesafe Council and I consider it a work in progress,” Levert said.

The City of Libby is among the entities involved.

“With the City of Libby joining the Firewise program it allows the homeowners, businesses and fire suppression agencies to come together and work to reduce the threat of a wildland fire and develop safety measures to protect people and property from a wildland fire,” said Doug Turman, unit fire supervisor for the Libby unit of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Libby is the third community in Lincoln County to earn recognition as a firewise community since the program’s inception in 2002. The others are Em Kayan Village and Chain of Lakes.

The Libby effort has included several recent activities, including providing firewise assessments within the community, funding fuel reduction through grants and conducting meetings and tours to educate the public on wildfire risk.

Entities involved in the firewise community agreement include the Libby City Council, Libby RFD, Lincoln County, Cabinet View Rural Fire Department, Montana DNRC, the U.S. Forest Service, Plum Creek Timber Co., and members of the Lincoln County Firesafe Council. State and federal agencies adjacent to the community have also cooperated to reduce fuel hazards.