Indian Hammock Received National Recognition

     Okeechobee – Jim Rath, District Manager and Melissa Yunas, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist from the FL Division of Forestry presented the Indian Hammock Community with a Firewise National Award on Sunday, February 18, 2007. John Lynch, Indian Hammock Volunteer Fire Chief accepted the award. After the award ceremony, the FL Division of Forestry thanked the community for their support in prevention efforts and encouraged residents to continue their fuel reduction in the community. Indian Hammock was recognized as Okeechobee County’s 1st Firewise Communities/USA. This is a unique opportunity available to America’s fire-prone communities. Its goal is to encourage and acknowledge action that minimizes home loss to wildfire. It teaches homeowners to prepare for a fire before it occurs. The program adapts especially well to small communities, developments and residential associations of all types. Firewise Communities/USA is a simple: * Enlist a wildland/urban interface specialist to complete a community assessment and create a plan that identifies agreed-upon achievable solutions to be implemented by the community. *Sponsor a local Firewise Task Force Committee, Commission or Department which maintains the Firewise Community/USA program and tracks its progress or status. * Invest a minimum of $2.00 per capita annually in local Firewise projects. (Work by municipal employees or volunteers using municipal and other equipment can be included, as can state/federal grants dedicated to that purpose.) * Observe a Firewise Communities/USA Day each spring that is dedicated to a local Firewise project. If you want to know if your community qualifies for Firewise status or if you want to know if you are at risk for a wildfire, you can contact the local Division of Forestry at 772-219-1248 (St. Lucie, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee Counties) 863-655-6407 (Highlands and Glades Counties). Please visit our website at www.fl-dof.com