In the name of local wildfire prevention, the Union County Firewise Citizens Coalition held its second meeting on Feb. 25, hosted by the Union County Fire Department at Station No. 1 Headquarters.
Inspired by Towns County’s state-leading Firewise program, the Union iteration has seen steady growth since beginning last year. It’s an especially important initiative considering that roughly half of Union County is publicly owned U.S. Forest Service land.
Continue reading with a subscription.
North Georgia News — serving Union County since 1909.
$10 a month. Cancel anytime.
At present, there are 13 communities taking part in Union County Firewise, and word appears to be slowly but surely spreading thanks to word of mouth and social media, with meetings like the one last month being open to the public and containing a wealth of valuable information.
Mostly, Firewise coalitions are made up of multiple communities within a county, with a single “leader” representing a community and serving as the point of contact for each.
A community can be defined as a subdivision, a street, or a group of houses on one road, and although individuals cannot define entire communities, singular homeowners can request to become Firewise-certified.
That said, those who want to participate must first prove that they are indeed fire-wise. Professionals like Aubrey Brown, a Wildland Urban Interface Specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission, come out to perform risk assessments for homeowners seeking to join a Firewise community.
“We go through the how-tos (of preparing for a wildfire),” Brown explained. That can include educating community members on how best to protect their property, how to properly dispose of hazardous materials like flammable debris and dry foliage, or taking stock of how houses are constructed and whether certain materials can be replaced with fire retardant options.
Last week’s meeting provided some insight into what the Union County Firewise Coalition is keeping an eye on. Brown shared maps of projected wildfire risks following Union County Fire Chief David Dyer saying that winter is the county’s most dangerous time for wildfires.
Much of the Southern United States is anticipated to face higher-than-average wildfire risk in early 2026, with March being forecast as the peak time for wildfire in Union County thanks to windier conditions.
Education, however, can make a world of difference, and Frank Riley, Executive Director of the Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource, Conservation and Development Council, reminded the group of the “Learn and Burn Workshop” at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center on March 14; those interested in attending must register by March 7.
On top of that, Firewise will be taking part in educational opportunities by setting up booths on March 7 at the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church’s Meeting House, March 28 at the Banff Film Festival inside the Union County Fine Arts Center, and on April 25 at Young Harris Fest.
Union County Firewise Leader Joe Boone also asked that coalition members spread the word by talking to churches, clubs and other local groups. A big idea Boone is considering – and others seem interested in – is entering a float in Union County’s Memorial Day Parade, although Boone admitted that more discussion will be needed.
Mark and Stephanie Wiles gave a presentation on the Union County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, including a progress report on potential grants the county may receive for instating it.
If approved, the grants could provide up to $10 million to be used over a five-year period for fighting wildfires. The payout would be most useful, as Union County suffers from a 68% greater risk of wildfires than all other counties across the United States.
“As much work that went into creating that plan, as much of a challenge as it was to pull all those people together, to collect all that data, to figure it all out – as big of a challenge as that was, the biggest challenge is ahead of you,” said Stephanie Wiles, a certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. “The biggest challenge ahead now is implementing the plan.”
Wiles compared the gradual rollout of the plan to climbing a mountain, believing it may be best to view the Community Wildfire Protection Plan as an ongoing project stemming from a living document updated every five years to account for continuous growth.
So far, mitigation plans include installing more cisterns and dry hydrants, especially around Suches; purchasing a fire boat for Lake Nottely to better access properties far from main roads or with narrow driveways; purchasing more portable gear like snap tanks and backpack leaf blowers; and looking into other options to better help local firefighters battle wildland flames.
The 162-page document can be read online by heading to www.gatrees.org, hovering over Fire Prevention & Suppression, clicking Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and scrolling down to Union County CWPP 2026.
To inquire about Union County Firewise, email Joe Boone at booned@windstream.net.
