Bolivar becomes a Firewise Community
The Bolivar Fire Department has achieved the national distinction of joining the National Fire Protection Program’s Firewise Community and has become the first in West Tennessee to achieve the distinction and first city in Tennessee to become Firewise. The recognition, obtained on July 30, is one which reflects the department’s proactive approach to addressing the danger of wildfires.
“We’re the first city in Tennessee. They have a lot of different communities that are Firewise but we’re the first city and the first in West Tennessee,” Bolivar Fire Chief Lynn Price said. “That speaks volumes in itself that we as a city, as a whole, can accomplish something like that.”
The fire department received a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Forestry Department to purchase equipment to cut away weeds and grass. The grant came with a $10,000 match, which was made up and achieved through volunteer efforts and at no cost to the taxpayer.
“None of our taxpayer money went into this project,” Price said. “We had people come in and volunteer their time. We kept up with an in kind sheet that we turned in. We raised $10,000 in kind matching funds all from people donating their time and work. That’s how much people were invested in this project.”
In order to receive the Firewise Communities USA recognition status, a community or city must go through five steps which consists of obtaining a written wildfire risk assessment document from a state forestry agency, form a board or committee and use the assessment to create an action plan, host a “Firewise Day” event to help educate residents on the dangers of wildfires and steps that can be taken for prevention, and invest a minimum of two dollars per capita in local Firewise actions for the year before finally submitting an application to become an official Firewise Community.
“It’s just a way we try to give back to the community. We are teaching people with forestry around their homes on how to prevent fires. We are going out and teaching people how to cut down on vegetation and how to clean their gutters,” Price said. “We are also teaching people what bushes to put and what not to put near their homes.
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