By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
Preventing the damage or loss of personal property – be it a home, camp, garage or workshop – due to fire doesn’t have to be a costly venture, according to officials with the Maine Forest Service who were on hand in Ashland Sept. 19, going door-to-door providing advice and free informational material on ways to reduce the risk of fire. Members of the MFS continued their efforts to educate the public on ways they could help prevent wildfire damage to their property, as part of their ongoing Wildland Urban Interface program, a federal program designed to help reduce the loss of property from wildfires. Officials provided property assessments along the State Rd., Wrightville Rd., Presque Isle Rd. and Garfield Rd. An assessment was also recently performed in the Squa Pan area.
“Rangers from the Maine Forest Service and a firefighter with the Ashland and Masardis fire departments visited over 100 homes and camps in the Ashland area. When we do these assessments, it’s nice to have various departments onboard,” said Forest Ranger Amanda Barker, who noted having personnel from agencies in addition to MFS is beneficial, since it provides input from different perspectives.
“Rangers see things from their own perspective – for example, trees too close to a home creating a fire hazard. Firefighters see the dangers fallen tree needles can create on a roof, should a firefighter have to walk on a roof during a fire and not have traction,” said Barker.
Barker said the federally-sponsored program helps get the MFS “in the public eye.”
“They see us taking an active role in preventing fire. Federal funds help us sponsor the assessment. The goal is to provide individual assessments for individual houses,” said Barker.
Once the assessments are completed, Barker said the data will be compiled into a written report and presented to the Ashland Town Council.
“The report then can be used by the MFS and fire department when applying for grants, for such things as brush trucks and equipment,” she said.
Joining Barker to perform the assessments were District Forest Ranger Rob Gross, Forest Ranger Joe Mints and firefighter Kenny Dubois.
The group discovered similar problems as they went from home to home.
“There were bird nests on wires, needles from trees on roofs and in gutters. Those seemed to be the most risky at camps and seasonal properties,” said Dubois.
“We encouraged people to ‘limb up’ as a way to contain wildland fires,” added Barker.
Barker said removing limbs that are lower to the ground or have died will help reduce the risk of fire. She said a barrier of at least 30 feet should exist between a structure and trees, with 100 feet being ideal.
The group discovered that while property owners tended to keep areas clear around homes, garages were a different story.
“We found brush and trees growing closer to garages and sheds than around homes. But if a garage catches fires, how defensible is a nearby house?” asked Dubois. “We saw a lot of homes clear but garages in the trees.”
Gross said this is the first stage of the fire-prevention program.
“The next stage will be our chipping program. We hope to provide that next year to the community of Ashland. We did it last year in Mapleton and it was a big success,” said Gross.
With dryer conditions this time of year, Gross said the big concern is the occurrence of fire.
“We don’t want homeowners to be complacent. We’re getting folks to recognize they can improve their property and reduce the risk of fire by following a few simple steps,” said Gross. “Another aspect is insurance. We’re not insurance people, but if there’s ability to make a property fire safe, it could drop a person’s insurance rate.”
Fire can occur naturally, by malfunctioning equipment or other causes.
“You just never know. It’s better to be safe than sorry, is what it really amounts to,” said Barker.
The MFS focuses assessments more in rural areas where wildfires can be difficult to contain.
“We try to concentrate on high-risk areas, more rural areas,” said Barker.
In addition to bird nests on wires, needles on roofs and trees too close to structures, Barker said branches hanging over oil tanks and house numbering were also a concern.
“I spoke to one gentleman, told him the limbs had to be cut above his oil tank. He said he’d send his wife out later to take care of it. We also discovered properties weren’t properly numbered,” said Barker. “Outside of homes, we were looking for signage. How can the fire department find your home, if the home’s not properly numbered?”
Barker noted the group found at least one camp with the number spray-painted on the side, while several other properties either were mis-numbered, had numbers too small to see from the road or the numbers were placed in locations not visible unless you drove up the driveway.
“Lettering should be three inches high and reflective and visible from the street,” said Barker, adding, “Bridgewater did standardized house numbers.”
“If we can get towns to pursue grants for signage programs, that would help in emergency situations,” said Gross.
“Don’t count on mailboxes, because they can get knocked down, have the lettering wear off,” added Barker.
The MFS also recommends the installation of ‘dry hydrants.’
“If we see a pond you can draft from, we mark it. We also encourage communities to put in dry hydrants. They’re basically like a hydrant but not pressurized. Firefighters use their trucks to pump water from dry hydrants,” said Gross.
The group agreed that feedback is important. “We’ll do assessments anywhere in Aroostook County. We’ll do inspections whenever we’re asked,” said Barker.
