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National Fire Plan Success Story

Tri-County FireSafe Working Group Celebrates 25 Years
Montana
National Fire Plan - Community Assistance
2010

Tri-County FireSafe Working Group poster.
Tri-County FireSafe Working Group poster. Click image to see a larger version of the poster.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Tri-county FireSafe Working Group, established by Sonny Stiger in 1984 after the North Hill Fire burned both private and public land near Helena, Montana. Tri-county members include individual citizens; local, state and federal government agencies; private contractors; fire suppression, DES and planning departments and other interested parties in Broadwater, Jefferson and Lewis & Clark counties.

The Tri-county group works with individuals and communities in fuels mitigation and fire prevention. They have received fuels reduction grant funds from multiple sources, including the National Fire Plan through Montana DNRC, BLM, FEMA Pre-disaster Mitigation Grant, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Project Impact, Economic Development Grant Program, and Title III. Projects to reduce hazardous fuels have been completed to create defensible space around hundreds of structures and to create fuel breaks around multiple communities.

The group has also conducted numerous educational events and presentations (radio spots, TV talk shows, FireWise workshops and chipper days at fire departments, Defensible Space night at the Brewers baseball games, etc.) and has completed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan covering the three-county area. Recently, the group members have initiated a CWPP update, utilizing Population Protection Plans specific to each fire district.

Additionally, Tri-county efforts have resulted in new subdivision regulations and building codes for structures in the WUI. The group has won several awards for their proactive approach to fuels mitigation and overall fire prevention and education.

Tri-county also served as the “model” for the development of “FireSafe Montana,” the new state-wide council.

Tri-county members celebrated 25 years of success at the annual Fire Mitigation Night at the Helena Brewers baseball game and at several FireWise days at local fire districts.