Document text
CLEAR Temp: 59 °F Wind: NE at 6 mph Monday, May 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 15, 2003 Homes targeted for wildfire protection The Jackson County Fire District received a grant to reduce wildfire risk By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Jackson County Fire District No. 3 plans to start a door-to-door effort this week to protect rural homes from wildfires. The district wants to target 100 homes that could be in danger in a wildfire and make them safer by clearing brush and thinning trees. A contractor hired by the district will do the work at no cost to homeowners, said Don Hickman, the district’s deputy fire marshal. "This will be a free service to make residents fire safe and reduce our risk and liability," he said. The fire district received a grant of nearly $50,000 from the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry to reduce wildfire risk, Hickman said. The money is part of a National Fire Plan created by Congress after the devastating 2000 fire season. The plan allocated money for community efforts to reduce threats of catastrophic fires. District 3’s project is one of 38 projects the plan has funded in Jackson and Josephine counties through the state forestry department, said Dennis Turco, a fire prevention specialist with the department. Fire districts, watershed councils and other community groups have landed money for a variety of planning and clearing and thinning projects. The District 3 project will create 100-foot, fire-safe areas around selected homes and remove brush along roads to improve access for fire-fighting vehicles and create firebreaks, Hickman said. The district has hired Matt Ziegler Construction, of Gold Hill, to do the work. Ziegler will start contacting people along Old Military Road this week, Hickman said. Signs will be posted in the neighborhoods where Ziegler is working to inform people of the project, Hickman said. Other areas the district plans to target include John Day Estates and the Glen Echo area. Last year, District 3 managed a similar project, creating firebreaks around 50 homes and widening rights of ways in the Long Mountain area near Eagle Point. "They had a need and we had the resources," Hickman said. He noted that residents were enthusiastic about last year’s project and he hoped for a similar response this year. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S