Prevention & Preparedness
Fire has two faces. One is creative, the other destructive. The fire that warms the hearth is also the fire that burns a hole in the rug. The fire that kills trees and destroys homes is also the fire that brings rebirth to a forest.
The Missoula County Fire Protection Association wants to prevent destructive fire from occurring. At the same time, we're working to prepare for it.
We have good equipment, good training, and good cooperative agreements, but ONLY YOU...the person who lives in the home and on the land...can truly prepare for the effects of fire. Let us show you how.
- Community Interface Fire Plan
- Firewise Landscaping & Construction
- Hazard Risk Analysis
- Fire Safety Advice
- School Programs
- County Fair
- Demonstration Trailers
- Missoula County Subdivision Review
- USFS Interface Plan for Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys
Community Interface
Fire Plan -
--Learn about MCFPA, its membership and successes, and goals for
preventing catastrophic fire in residential areas. Download
PDF.
Firewise Landscaping &
Construction -
--Learn on-line how you can help your property survive the effects of
wildfire by visiting the national Firewise website.
Hazard Risk
Analysis -
--Learn where a wildland fire will be most dangerous in Missoula
County. To obtain your free, at-home analysis of fire risks and
hazards, contact us or your nearest
fire professional.
Fire Safety
Advice -
--If you need help testing your smoke detector or advice about
installing residential sprinklers, contact your local fire department.
(Remember, rural departments are staffed by volunteers. Leave
a message at the office and someone will get back to you.) We
offer a variety of brochures, ranging from Firewise landscaping
to safe debris burning and woodstove installation. A few of Missoula
County's larger fire departments even offer chimney cleaning tools
for loan.
School Programs
-
--MCFPA members are hot on opportunities for prevention and preparedness
education. Every spring, we introduce first graders in Missoula
County to Smokey Bear, and every fall we invite the third-graders
to witness how easily a fire can start inside a trailer. Our goal
is to teach the basics of Firewise living to the next generation.
- Match Safety - Offered to first graders each May, at the start of wildfire season in Missoula County. Fifteen-minute program with slide show to teach the (5) Match Safety Rules. Features Smokey Bear. Four firefighters needed to implement.
- Firefighter Frank - Offered each fall to kindergartners. Puppet show covers fire drills in the home, "stop, drop and roll" and how to "stay low in smoke." Also features Smokey Bear and Sparkey the Fire Dog mascots . Need five volunteers to implement
County Fair-
--We will not be there due to extreme fire danger and activity.
Demonstration
Trailers -
--MCFPA has two fire demonstration trailers. The first is the
Fire Safety Trailer.
Partially funded by public donations, this
child-proof trailer is used to educate about fire and smoke hazards.
Meanwhile, the MCFPA Sprinkler Trailer helps firefighters demonstrate
the dynamics of indoor residential sprinklers. Both trailers are
available for public events, if not scheduled elsewhere. Contact
us.
Subdivision
Review -
--MCFPA fire officials review the plattes of all subdivisions
(designed to include more than five lots). Issues of concern include
roof type, road widths, and water availability. For a copy of
the Subdivision Regulations of the County of Missoula, Montana,
contact the County's Office of Planning and Grants at (406) 721-5700.
USFS Interface
Plan for the Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys -
--Created by the US Forest Service (Lolo and Bitterroot National
Forests) this document outlines the goals for creative wildland
fire use for forest restoration and fire hazard reduction purposes
in the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys. Download
PDF.
Other Ideas
-
--We're always looking for a good opportunity to share the Firewise
way of living. If you have an idea, please contact
us.
P.O. Box 373
Missoula, Montana 59806
www.mcfpa.org
