COUNTY LIFE
Palo Pinto County develops Community Wildfire Protection Plan to address risks
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Palo Pinto County has adopted a plan to reduce risks and better prepare for wildfires.
Palo Pinto County, west of Fort Worth, is the 24th county to complete a Community Wildfire Protection Plan in Texas.
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan is a proven strategy for reducing the risk of wildfire to communities. The Palo Pinto County plan establishes goals and strategies for long-term success by identifying priorities and proposing immediate measures that will protect communities, especially those at highest risk, from wildland fire.
The plan was developed in cooperation with Palo Pinto County officials, local fire departments and representatives from Texas A&M Forest Service.
“With the signing and implementation of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, we took a big step toward improving the safety and security of the citizens and visitors of Palo Pinto County,” said Ricky Hunter, Palo Pinto County Emergency Management Coordinator. “Wildfires will remain a threat, but this plan, and the involvement and support of the community, will help to lower that threat. I would like to thank all our volunteer fire departments, Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District 1 and Texas A&M Forest Service for their help in achieving this important goal.”
The county has been impacted by wildfires in recent years and is subject to Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak events.
On April 9, 2011, conditions aligned to create a Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak, which resulted in 144 wildfires burning more than 582,000 acres. The PK Complex ignited that day in extremely dry vegetation after 10 consecutive days with critical fire weather. The rugged terrain around Possum Kingdom Lake was also a major influence on fire behavior.
The wildfire burned uphill, causing it to travel rapidly and burn intensely, exposing homes along hilltops and ridges to some of the most extreme fire behavior that emergency responders observed that year.
The wildfire burned 126,734 acres in Palo Pinto, Young and Stephens counties and destroyed 168 homes. It is the 10th largest wildfire to burn in Texas since 1988.
The 2011 wildfire season in Texas was unprecedented, and wildfires have continued to threaten the communities of Palo Pinto County.
In 2022, the busiest fire year since 2011, 12,411 wildfires burned across Texas. Of that total, 123 wildfires burned in Palo Pinto County. The largest of these wildfires was the 11,598-acre Dempsey Fire, which threatened the town of Graford.
“Completing this plan is a great first step towards reducing the county’s risk from wildfire,” said Wes Moorehead, Texas A&M Forest Service Fire Chief. “By focusing on actions that improve preparedness and response to wildfire, Palo Pinto County can work towards becoming a more resilient community.”
Initial conversations and meetings for the Palo Pinto plan took place during the fall of 2021. As the 2022 wildfire year began, the need for a comprehensive plan was reinforced.
On March 3, the Palo Pinto County Community Wildfire Protection Plan was approved and signed by the County Commissioners and Texas A&M Forest Service.
To learn more about Community Wildfire Protection Plans and reducing your risk from wildfire, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/ProtectYourCommunity/.
In recognition of National Adoption Awareness Month this November, Texas Community Counseling and the Heart Gallery of Northwest Texas are partnering to bring resources to Montague County families.
The two organizations will host an adoption, foster care and kinship care resource fair on Nov. 14 at the United Presbyterian Church of Montague County Fellowship Hall, located at 300 W. Nelson St. in Bowie.
The resource fair will run from 10 a.m. to noon, bringing together local agencies and service providers to answer questions and share information about support available within the county.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Members of the Montague County Historical Commission invite the community to join them on Nov. 14 for a Rolling Bus Tour.
This tour will cover the cemeteries in the south west corner of Montague County. You will have the opportunity to stroll through some of the cemeteries, others the bus will stop and Commission member Calvin Durham will tell the history of the cemetery.
The bus tour will meet at the Old Jail in Montague at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m. The tour will include a sack lunch, a brochure of each cemetery visited and a book “This Soil will Grow Grapes” written by Melvin Fenoglio.
The cost of the tour is $20 for adults. There is no charge for children under 12. The commission members strive to preserve the history of the county and to share as much of it as possible with our citizens. You can RSVP by calling 940-841-2674 or 940-872-1007. Please leave a message with your name if there is no answer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 17.
FEMA’s emergency alert system is a national public warning system made up of thousands of radio, TV, cable and satellite and wireline video providers. Through the EAS, the President can address the American people or share life-saving information with the public during a national emergency.
FEMA is required by law to conduct a nationwide test of the public alert and warning system at least once every three years. These tests allow FEMA to identify technical or operational issues before the system is needed during an actual emergency.
FEMA and the FCC are sharing the test date in advance because it is important the public understands what to expect on the day of the test.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. (Central time), on Nov. 17, all the electronics providers will interrupt normal programming to relay a test message.
This message will state: This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency management Agency, covering the United States from 1:20 to 1:50 p.m. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
When the test is concluded, normal programming will resume.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with stakeholders, including participating communications providers as well as federal, state, tribal and territorial agencies to prepare for and conduct the test.
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