The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry officials this week honored Hemlock Farms, a Pike County community, for working to prevent and being ready to fight wildfires.

Off Route 739 in Lords Valley, Hemlock Farms includes 2,562 homes with a population nearing 10,000 residents. At a community ceremony today, Delaware State Forest District officials presented Firewise bronze-medal honors to community representatives for their successful incorporation of wildfire prevention and suppression into their Emergency Response and Action Plan.

The Pennsylvania Firewise Community Program is designed to aid firefighters, and safeguard buildings and residents against wildfires in wooded areas.

As the agency responsible for protecting Pennsylvania's forests from fire, DCNR is concerned with the increased risk of wildfire caused by the influx of residents into heavily wooded areas. DCNR offers Wildfire Hazard Mitigation grants to help communities reduce risks by financing planning costs, as well as removal of fire hazards, improvement of firebreaks and emergency access roads, and enhancement of public information efforts.

DCNR, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Office of the Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner formed the Firewise program in 1996. Of the 31 Firewise communities throughout the state, three were recently recognized as National Firewise Communities for 2004 including Roaring Creek Forest property owners in Columbia County and Bear Creek Lakes and Hickory Run Land and Homeowners Development, both in Carbon County.

Communities can obtain grant applications, as well as information about the Firewise Community Program, from the Bureau of Forestry's Division of Forest Fire Protection. Contact Forest Program Specialist Glenn Bell at (717) 783-7956 or gbell@state.pa.us .

1/21/2005