Fire resistant roofing grants begin to be paid
By Jamey Malcomb on Sep 11, 2015 at 12:05 p.m.
http://www.twoharborsmn.com/news/lake-county/3837001-fire-resistant-roofing-grants-begin-be-paid
The Lake County Emergency Management Department recently paid out the first reimbursement of a fire resistant roof grant to a county homeowner as part of a Federal Emergency Management Administration grant program. The grant encourages home and business owners in areas highly susceptible to wildfires to install fire resistant roofs on their structures.
The federal grant program will reimburse participants up to 70 percent materials and installation of the roof, up to $7,500 per eligible structure. To be eligible for the grant, participants had to create a defensible space around their homes, clearing all potential wildfire fuel from within 30 feet of the structure. Wildfire fuel includes smaller balsam fir and spruce trees that are highly flammable vegetation. The smaller trees and small dead undergrowth are also considered ladder fuels, allowing ground fires to climb the taller trees and become crown fires more easily spread by the wind.
The first grants were approved in 2014 and the Lake County Emergency Management Department first notified home and business owners that summer. Two more rounds were approved in October and December 2014 and the department will submit to the state of Minnesota for reimbursement of the FEMA funds after the end of the third quarter Sept. 30.
The metal roof grants are part of a shift in FEMA perspective, according to Lake County Emergency services director BJ Kohlstedt, in which the lives of wildfire firefighters are no longer going to be risked to save structures near wildfires in national forests.
"We used to risk wildfire firefighters' lives to protect structures and that's changing, that attitude," Kohlsted said. "We are homeowners and we have to take a little responsibility for where we live and be aware of and accept the risk."
Much like homeowners in California accept a certain amount of risk for earthquakes, northern Minnesota homeowners must accept a certain amount of wildfire risk since wildfires are the largest natural disaster threat in northern Minnesota.
Kohlstedt also pointed out that September is National Preparedness Month and Sept. 6-12 focuses on wildfires. FEMA's release for the week provides advice reflecting the change in perspective and asks landowners to: create a defensible space of up to 200 feet from your home or business; use fire-resistant materials for landscaping and construction; and maintain sources of water such as swimming pools, wells, ponds and hydrants to ensure they are accessible to the fire department.