HELENA — In response to the wildfire on Mount Helena last summer, The Tri-County FireSafe Working Group (TCFSWG) has started FireSafe Helena, aimed at mitigating wildfire risk to Helena homeowners.
Last summer’s wildfire on Mount Helena was a frightening day for our community. And a reminder of the fire danger of where we live.
“That certainly drove it home because that was too darn close. And just being aware that there are things that I could do, but I wasn’t sure what those things were. And so, I wanted to know more about how do I make my house more fire safe?” says homeowner, Kathy Macefield.
Macefield lives mere blocks away from Mount Helena and was witness to the devastation that encroached closer and closer towards her home.
That’s why when she heard about the FireSafe Helena program, she was one of the first to sign up.
This Thursday was the program’s inaugural free wildfire risk assessment of the home ignition zone. They walked with Macefield around her home, asking questions and pointing out ways in which she could keep her house and herself better protected against potential wildfires.
“You read about other communities that have lost hundreds and hundreds of homes. And Helena is a community at risk to wildfire. And we as a community need to learn how to be a community adapted to wildfire,” says Amy Teegarden, the Communications Director for Tri-County FireSafe Working Group.
Teegarden says that it’s vital to be prepared before a wildfire begins. The program, largely funded by the City of Helena, aims to visit 200 homes per year for the next 3 years within city limits. Homeowners can receive a personalized walk-through of their property along with personalized documents detailing the walk-through’s findings. They encourage folks to sign up soon and take responsibility for their home, neighborhood, and community.
“There’s not enough fire trucks, firefighters. And the more work done ahead of the fire the more apt that firefighters can save your home. And the work needs to happen before fire season, not when the fire is threatening over the ridge,” says Teegarden.
While Thursday’s assessment was a test of their survey, FireSafe Helena plans to return to Macefield’s home to re-conduct the assessment with the finalized survey. As for what Macefield learned this Thursday, she says she feels more prepared now than she did before.
“Yeah, I would definitely be more prepared. I’m still not prepared enough, but that would definitely help me be more prepared for the future,” says Macefield.
