Grant to aid fire safety

April 11, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Ten years ago, spruce bark beetle-infested trees gave fuel to the Miller's Reach forest fire, allowing it to quickly consume 37,336 acres and destroy more than 400 structures, causing an estimated $15 million in damages.

In an effort to prevent a similar fire from sweeping across the Valley, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly last week accepted a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to continue funding the Spruce Bark Beetle Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Project.

&#8220The money is helpful in protecting buildings, and allows us to create fire breaks in communities that would slow the spread of a wildfire, should one occur,” said Ron Swanson, director of community development for the borough. &#8220It adds to our Firewise program.”

In 2003, a federal appropriation of $996,000 funded the first two years. Additional federal funds in 2004 and 2005 brought the total current project funding to $4,251,000.

The borough now has been awarded an additional grant in the amount of $1,084,000.

According to Dennis Brodigan, director of emergency services, the additional funding will reduce the fire hazard and mitigate the threat of wildfires by reducing hazardous vegetative fuels - specifically white and black spruce, and spruce bark beetle-killed standing deadwood - and will develop sustainable strategies for tree removal and wildfire mitigation education in the future.

&#8220Spruce bark beetle-killed trees was the biggest accelerant for the Miller's Reach fire,” Brodigan said. &#8220The dead spruce allowed a ground fire to become a crown fire that moved rapidly with the aid of the wind.”

In addition to reducing the community's vulnerability to wildfire through removal of hazardous forest fuels, a portion of the grant will be used for homeowner education.

&#8220A mitigation team of borough firefighters works on delivering the Firewise program to the public and conducting site visits to educate homeowners about how to make their property safer from wildfire,” Brodigan said. &#8220They will go out to homes and write what a homeowner needs to do to establish a defensible space around their home.”

Brodigan added that, if the homeowner chooses to proceed with developing the defensible space with one of the approved contractors, the borough will repay a portion of the costs.

Swanson responded to assemblyman Talis Colberg's question of how soon crews could begin work if the funds.

&#8220We've awarded several contracts in the last three months and are ready to move forward with the next round as well,” Swanson said. &#8220Most of the work is done in the winter, so there is no rush to get the contracts out before summer.”

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@ frontiersman.com.