NC Firefighters to Don Lightweight Gear for Wildfires

Oct. 26—Waynesville fire fighters will soon be better equipped to battle a wildfire thanks to a $100,000 federal grant to wildland turn-out gear.

The forest fire on Sheepback Mountain in Maggie Valley in April that burned 300 acres brought the danger of forest fires in the urban-wildland interface zone into focus. With more homes cropping up on forested mountainsides on the outskirts of town, the threat of forest fires encroaching into occupied residential areas has also grown.

To ensure its fire fighters are prepared for such an eventuality, the Waynesville fire department secured a grant to purchase 48 sets of wildland fire gear and light-weight pop-up shelters firefighters can carry when battling forest fires.

Wildland gear differs from the heavy-duty uniforms firefighters wear when going into house fires, explained Waynesville Assistant Fire Chief Chris Mehaffey.

"It's lighter-weight and easier to wear when you're out there raking fire lines and hiking across a mountain," Mehaffey said. ""It's labor intensive, and you couldn't do it with that heavy structural gear."

The pop-up shelters, akin to a sleeping bag, are made of aluminized-cloth that repel heat.

"The idea is if the fire is coming to you so fast you can't escape it, you can crouch down and pull this shelter over you," Mehaffey said. "It's kind of a last ditch effort."

One urban-wildland interface zone in Waynesville's jurisdiction is the mountain above Eagle's Nest and Laurel Ridge. Mehaffey likened the conditions to the populated zone around Gatlinburg, where an infamous forest fire turned deadly several years ago

"It's that same kind of steep terrain with houses in between," Mehaffey said. "The fire really likes to run up those steep areas like that, and it's on the south face which is drier."

Mehaffey said the vast majority of Waynesville firefighters are certified in fighting woodland fires, allowing them to assist with the fire in Maggie Valley in the spring. All fire departments in Haywood County abide by an agreement to provide aid for each other.

The federal grant awarded by FEMA only cost the town a $5,000 match and $2,000 in grant-writing fees.

"I appreciate the hard work Chris Mehaffey did to secure it. Those grants are not easy to get," said Waynesville Fire Chief Joey Webb.

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