About PM Firewise Committee
About the Firewise Committee: What is a Firewise Committee and why have one?
We cannot stress enough the importance of having total commitment from the residents on Pine Mountain to the protection of our homes and common areas from wildfire. As a community that is located in a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) area, it is imperative that we all take an active part to reduce our residential wildfire risks and work together as a community to reduce wildfire risk in our common areas as well. A Firewise Committee is not just a Committee Chair, Committee Secretary, and a POA Board Committee representative….. Three people out of our total Pine Mountain population cannot protect our property from wildfire. It takes all of us working together to provide us the edge we need to successfully prepare our homes and our community IN ADVANCE of a wildfire. When a wildfire is at your doorstep, it is too late to begin preparations….
Pine Mountain’s Firewise Committee has been working in the background since 2017 to educate and involve Pine Mountain residents in our mitigation efforts…. Residents’ participation should not be predicated on who the “current” faces of the Firewise Committee are….. Participation means all of us being aware of the dangers and taking proactive steps at our homes to prepare our Home Ignition Zone defense, and to help one another extend that preparation to our common areas as well. Firewise Committees nationwide are all actively working the same “process” for preparation against wildfires. It is not just a “Pine Mountain” thing…. but our efforts here on this mountain are critical to our successful defense of our property and of our neighbor’s property and of our community property.
The following excerpt from a paper that was delivered to the Second Conference on the Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire outlines the importance of an active, involved Firewise Committee:
FIREWISE FOREVER? VOLUNTARY COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND RETENTION IN FIREWISE PROGRAMS
Michele Steinberg, Firewise Program Manager National Fire Protection Association msteinberg@nfpa.org
“Communities are most likely to succeed with Firewise when they follow the process, which encourages people to focus on and communicate about their community. When the focus is on the community and what it can do within its boundaries, the process is more likely to result in successful and sustained action.
A successful Firewise community starts with a comprehensive community wildfire risk assessment. A successful assessment results in a report that includes multiple photographs demonstrating not only problems or risky elements, but also good practices already adopted by local homeowners. The assessment report can help residents understand and visualize wildfire risks and the specific actions that can reduce those risks. [Note: Click HERE to see the Community Wildfire Risk Assessment for 2023.] After the community accepts its assessment, residents create a plan that can be elaborate or simple to address the issues brought up in the assessment. [Note: Click HERE to see the most current Pine Mountain Action Plan to reduce our wildfire risks.]
Members of the community must commit to and engage in the Firewise process in order to get an assessment accepted and a plan created. Joining a Firewise committee is a public commitment to take action, and puts the “ownership” of Firewise planning and action in the hands of local residents, not outsiders. Even when communities receive a lot of outside help, local ownership of theprocess is a strong motivator since it puts a public spotlight on committee members to put their plans into action.”
Pine Mountain is very fortunate to have local resources who have proved in the past their commitment to help keep us safe from wildfires, and they continue to prove their commitment to this community with their ongoing involvement in our efforts. Those resources include our Burke County Fire Ranger, South Mountain’s State Park fire rangers, and South Mountain’s Fire Rescue first responders. But their efforts on our behalf cannot be successful without the participation of those of us who live on this mountain.
What does that participation look like? Pine Mountain Resident Ed Hallyburton said it best with his assessment of what community involvement and participation entails:
Why Homeowners Should Care About the Firewise Worksheet
The Firewise worksheet isn’t just paperwork – it’s a guide to protecting your home, your investment, and your community from wildfire risk. It helps homeowners understand specific vulnerabilities on their property and take practical, affordable steps to reduce danger.
- Identify Your Risks: The worksheet helps you spot how vegetation, building materials, and landscaping choices affect your wildfire exposure. It shows what’s safe – and what could ignite.
- Protect Home and Property Value: Homes that meet Firewise standards are less likely to be lost or severely damaged during a wildfire. Insurance companies increasingly consider wildfire mitigation when setting premiums or renewing coverage.
- Save Money over Time: Simple changes – clearing debris, trimming trees, or using fire-resistant materials – can prevent catastrophic loss and may qualify you for insurance or state incentives.
- Support Community Safety: Wildfire doesn’t stop at property lines. When neighbors work together to reduce fuel sources, it creates a stronger, safer “defensible space” for everyone.
- Maintain Firewise USA Recognition: If your neighborhood participates in the National Firewise USA Program, completing the worksheet helps maintain certification – improving grant eligibility and coordination with emergency services.
In short: The Firewise worksheet is a simple, powerful tool that helps homeowners take control of wildfire risk – protecting lives, homes and communities. [Note: Click HERE to access and download the most current Firewise Volunteer Hourly Work Sheet.]
Who is the Pine Mountain Firewise Committee? Look in the mirror! YOU ARE! WE ALL ARE!
Welcome to the Pine Mountain Firewise Committee!!!!
History of the Pine Mountain Firewise Committee
Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program encourages and acknowledges citizens action to reduce community wildfire risk. the program capitalizes on a community’s spirit, its resolve and its willingness to take responsibility for its wildfire ignition potential.
The program provides a flexible template for residents of homeowners associations or small towns to improve their wildfire readiness and works as an organizing mechanism for initiating wildfire mitigation actions. Participation in Firewise Communities/USA is an ongoing process of community commitment to wildfire safety.
During the month of November 2016, Pine Mountain Estates kept a watchful eye on the South Mountain State Park wildfire that consumed over 6,000 acres. Because of this, Pine Mountain Estates has started a new Committee called “Firewise” after the Firewise Communities Program that encourages local solutions for safety by involving homeowners in taking individual responsibility for preparing their homes from the risk of a wildfire. Firewise is co-sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the US Department of the Interior, and the National Association of State Foresters.
Pine Mountain Firewise Assessment
January 2017, Eric Muecke, Urban Forestry Specialist and Firewise Program Assistant along with a couple of Pine Mountain’s Firewise Committee members, physically reviewed and documented the Pine Mountain Community. The results were presented in an assessment book that contains a load of information each and every home and property owner needs to know. Please download a copy of the Pine Mountain Estates Firewise Communities/USA Project book and your copy of the Individual Home Owner Assessment Sheet.
The National Firewise Communities/USA has created “A User Reference Guide to the Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program” that is filled with valuable information.
Our humble community consist of approximately 30 townhouses and 100 single family homesteads was accepted into the USA Firewise Community in 2017 through a strong commitment of all property owners.
Pine Mountain Property Owners Association is a gated community that resides at the end of the Appalachian Mountain range and on the eastern side of North Carolina’s South Mountains State Park.
