MACON, Ga. — The state is trying to strengthen its ability to respond to wildfires. But a new state audit shows there are still holes – as wildfires increasingly become an issue across north America.
The new state audit says the Georgia Forestry Commission needs to tighten up its wildfire responses with staffing and resources
Seven years ago a wildfire in north Georgia scorched 28,000 acres. A separate wildfire forced the evacuation of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Much of the Georgia fire was on sprawling U.S. Forest Service land - making it a challenge for firefighters to extinguish it.
The Georgia Forestry Commission leads much of the response in state wildfires. But an audit released this week stated updates of the forestry commission’s wildfire strategy have come slowly.
"We're getting it right here in Georgia. We’re taking it serious. We recognize the value our forests have," forestry commission director Tim Lowrimore told 11Alive.
The audit explained the agency has prioritized updating its firefighting systems but has been slow to permanently relocate employees in anticipation of hotspots.
It also points out most of the commission’s employees have no experience fighting wildfires.
"That really speaks to the turnover we’re having as an agency," Lowrimore said.
The good news is that large wildfires are still rare in Georgia – but Lowrimore said thousands of smaller wildfires each year get extinguished with little notice. He said that's because the agency has learned to anticipate fires from weather data.
"We have over 70 weather stations around the state that we collect data from daily," Lowrimore said. "And then we put together models on what fire behavior and fire expectancy will look like."
Lowrimore said the audit confirms a lot of things the forestry commission was already doing to improve its firefighting capability – while adding a bit of urgency as another potential fire season looms.