The community of Ransom Canyon has earned the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise Communities distinction. Through a cooperative effort with the City of Ransom Canyon, Ransom Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, Ransom Canyon Property Owners Association (POA) and the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS), the community met the criteria to be recognized as a Firewise Community. The criteria includes that the community: request a Wildfire Risk Assessment by the State Forest Agency (TFS), form a Firewise Board or committee, create community Firewise plan, hold an annual educational event or fuel mitigation/reduction projects and invest $2/capita, which can be calculated using from volunteer hours or expenditures.
Ransom Canyon is the first Texas community to apply for and receive Firewise Recognition in 2016. They are also the first Firewise Recognized Community in Lubbock County and have established a precedence for communities to work together and take ownership of protecting their homes and property from the threat of wildfire. Texas currently has 86 active Firewise Communities and there are 1,302 communities recognized across the nation. Texas is one of 40 states with Firewise Communities.
“Wildfires are an annual threat in the Texas panhandle. Educating homeowners about their risks and how to reduce those risks is vital,” stated Mylea Lovell, Wildland Urban Interface Specialist for TFS. “Through the Firewise Communities program, neighbors are able to learn, plan and work together in reducing their wildfire risks at their pace.”
A Firewise recognition ceremony will be held July 3, 2016, at the Ransom Canyon Ranch House. Representatives from the Town of Ransom Canyon, Ransom Canyon POA and residents, Ransom Canyon VFD and the TFS will be in attendance. The community will receive received a Community plaque and signs from NFPA and a framed Texas Firewise poster from TFS. The Fire Captain of Ransom Canyon who has served as the Wildland Fire Mitigation Office stated the following: “The Ready Set Go Program and training given to the people of Ransom Canyon has made the community very aware of fire safety and the role everyone plays in protecting our homes and the Canyon.”
For more information on how your community can receive the Firewise designation, visit the Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program website: www.firewise.org or contact your local wildland urban interface specialist: http://tfsweb.tamu.edu
(News release from the Town of Ranson Canyon)
