Laurelmor will participate in Firewise program
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

A tiny ember of an idea built into a bonfire of planning to protect future homeowners.

Laurelmor, the 6,200-acre resort development in southeastern Watauga County, has become the ninth North Carolina “Firewise Community.”

The Ginn Company held a ceremony Tuesday to announce the Firewise designation and spread information about home protection and fire safety. The Firewise designation was an early part of the resort planning, and included discussions with neighboring developers and property owners about regional fire protection. The company worked with the Stewart Simmons Volunteer Fire Department and the North Carolina Forest Service to achieve the designation, which is made based on techniques developed by organizations that fight wildfires.

Stewart Simmons chief Doug Berry said the developers recognized the need for increased fire and medical response in the development, which encompasses a remote area with limited road access. Berry said the developers brought together the various agencies and surrounding emergency responders to develop a plan in conjunction with the state forest service.

The most significant commitment was Laurelmor’s design and planned construction of an on-site fire station, to be staffed by Stewart Simmons fire fighters. This effectively gives the department a second fire station to go along with the duties of protecting an additional 1,500 homes and other structures, as well as the woodlands that will be preserved through conservation easements.

Berry said the plan and station’s location would improve fire insurance ratings and lead to lower homeowners’ insurance rates. “They (Laurelmor) have been very proactive from the beginning,” Berry said. “They’ve probably set a standard that’s going to guide future developments.”

N.C. Forest Service district forester Hunter Birckhead said North Carolina wasn’t usually prone to wildfires, but every year the state loses 25,000 acres of property and 22 homes to wildfires. He outlined some of the steps taken to achieve a Firewise status and protect homes even when no one is there.

The Firewise Communities program offers a series of practical steps that individuals and communities can take to minimize wildfire risks to people, property and natural resources. The Firewise approach emphasizes community responsibility for planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response, and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping and maintenance.

Birckhead said entrances and exits, vehicle turnarounds, road signage, central water systems and hydrants were infrastructure elements important in fire safety. Underground utilities help reduce fire hazard, as safer building materials provides better long-term protection. Birckhead showed slides of different types of architecture popular in the mountains and noted that cedar shake shingles were among the most susceptible to fire, particularly when the shingles collected dead leaves or pine needles. Trees and vegetation growing close to homes not only hampers fire fighters but also hastens the spread of flames.

Other elements of safe communities include the prudent removal of excessive undergrowth, which Birckhead said could ignite the tree canopies. He said brush could be trimmed while still providing an attractive natural landscape, and said removal of dead leaves and safe storage of firewood could make homes less susceptible to fire.

He said Laurelmor had hydrants every 1,000 feet or closer, and the 24-foot-wide roads provided easy access. Reflective signs will make road names visible even in heavy smoke, he said. Homeowners will also be required to follow covenants and restrictions built on what Birckhead called “common-sense principles” designed to encourage the use of more fire-resistant building materials and landscaping.

The forest service “groomed” several lots to serve as examples to demonstrate Firewise techniques. The Ginn Company will maintain the lots to show how an attractive, natural yard can have trees and plants yet still be easy to defend by fire fighters.