October 8-12 is National Fire Prevention Week

Cool mountain breeze pulls down smoke into the valley in the moonlit night this last weekend as fires burn in the Mission Mountains east of Ronan. This long night exposure highlights the many spot fires still burning weeks after being lit by lightning. (Sam Sandoval, photo)

As the smoke lingers across the Montana sky, remember its always a good time to think of fire prevention and fire safety. Please continue to keep your yards clean of excess debris, keep the lower limbs of your vegetation pruned, and fine tune your family’s evacuation plan. Our fire fighters have been working hard to help keep Montana communities safe, please do what you can to keep your home safe - especially until the fall rains bring welcome moisture to our dry landscape.

In excess of 1-million acres have burned in Montana during 2012, 84 percent due to lightning-caused fires. Several of these fires resulted in evacuation notices and even burned structures in communities throughout Montana. Ask yourself: do I have a plan in case a fire threatens my home? In addition to planning, be thinking about preventing unwanted human caused fires. Please do your part and make sure your campfires are out cold to the touch, avoid using any motorized equipment in tall grass, and when you’re traveling around our great state make sure you have no chains or metal parts dragging.

Here in Montana a wildfire can start at any time. There are a lot of little things that you can do to help prevent wildfires and personal loss. Do what you can now to prepare and make a plan for spring to ensure you are ready for the next wildfire season. If you need help figuring out how to make your home and property defensible, please go to www.FireSafeMT.org or visit your local fire department.