Zane Thomas is one of Highlands County officials glad to hear that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded the county a $136,000 "Firewise" grant to greatly reduce the chances of wildfires engulfing homes. ...more

September 15, 2008

SEBRING — When the flames during a brush fire start licking the roof, it might be too late to save your home. So the idea is to start early, as about 40 members of the Leisure Lake Homeowner Civic Association learned first-hand Monday. Firefighters with the Florida Division of Forestry showed the residents how to best protect themselves and their structures from wildfires. "There's just not enough fire equipment to save every home, so we're asking the community to protect their homes," said speaker Melissa Yunas of the Florida Division of Forestry at the Lake Bishop Park Community Center. "Take a step to educated yourselves – to protect yourselves." Fire officials told residents about the Firewise Communities USA recognition program, a federal program where participants are grouped by neighborhoods that are deemed most susceptible to wildfires. ...more

February 19, 2008

LAKE PLACID — As firefighters battled flames Monday and Tuesday, they kept talking about defensible space. That's a minimum 30-foot no-vegetation zone around houses, barns, outbuildings and other possessions. Two hundred feet is more desirable. ...more

February 14, 2008