Parish fire departments getting service grants from U.S. agency

Published on Monday, June 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is helping a number of St. Tammany Parish fire districts purchase equipment that can help reduce the threat and impact of wildfires in St. Tammany.

The service has provided $49,831 in Rural Fire Assistance program grants to procure protective clothing, wildland fire gear and other specialized equipment.

“We work hard to use prescribed fire as a management tool to reduce fuel and improve wildlife habitat, but the hurricanes have added additional fuels that we need to address,” said Fire Manager Officer Mark Jamieson. “This grant money will go a long way to help equip our neighboring fire departments to help protect all our communities.”

This year’s recipients and the award amounts are: Fire District 5 (Folsom), $6,368; Fire District 7 (Hickory), $1,440; Fire District 10 (Sun), $10,433; Fire District 11 (Pearl River), $20,000; and North Shore (Carr Drive) Volunteer Fire Department, $11,590.

Southeast Louisiana Refuges administers thousands of acres in St. Tammany Parish on two National Wildlife Refuges, Big Branch Marsh and Bogue Chitto. The refuges provide a habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and other wildlife, and their boundaries adjoin private lands in what are known as Wildland Urban Interface areas.

The service is working with the local fire departments and with a variety of fire management tools to enhance protection of homes in these WUI areas, and is planning to reduce hazardous fuel build-up by continuing an active prescribed burn program conducted by trained agency personnel. Contracted workers are also used to thin out surplus fuels and vegetation.

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