Alabama Community Stories
English Trace is a new residential subdivision in the City of Clay, Alabama (Lat: 33 Degrees, 43 Minutes North, Lon: 86 Degrees, 33 Minutes West). Clay is located northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. Darden Construction Company developed the subdivision covenants with Firewise in mind. The English Trace Homeowner's Association also affirmed their commitment to Firewise. The principle partner's in this Firewise Community were the homeowners, the developer, the Center Point Fire District, the City of Clay, the Jefferson-Shelby Wildland Urban Interface Advisory Council, and the Alabama Forestry Commission. English Trace is the first Firewise Community in Alabama. English Trace is supported by an extensive coalition of organizations. The focus of the English Trace coalition is education. Through the efforts of Project Globe, students in the Clay Chalkville Middle School are assisting in performing hazard assessments while Samford University college students are preparing Firewise grant requests. A local firefighter and resident of English Trace presented a focused educational program for the residents and a spring clean-up day is being planned for the community.
The City of Clay was formed on June 6, 2000. The City is located in the
headwaters of the Cahaba River Water Shed. The Cahaba River provides the
drinking water to one-third of the population of Alabama. Considerable attention
has been given to this natural resource. The English Trace Firewise effort
provides a model for other communities interested in protecting their watersheds.
The City of Clay is currently considering a land-use plan written by a regional
planning commission. The concepts of Firewise have been included in that
plan. The Center Point Fire District plans to introduce the Firewise concepts
to the other areas of the fire district. The Center Point Fire District
covers 66 square miles of mixed industrial, commercial, residential, and
rural properties. More information about the Center Point Fire District
can be obtained at www.centerpointfire.com
* Hazard Risk Assessments
* GIS Layering
* Resident Consultation and Education
* Project Globe Middle School Interaction Using the Globe Fire Fuel Protocol
* Community Welcoming Package Containing Firewise Information
* Distribution of a Twelve Page Wildfire Prevention Newspaper to all Middle
School students (www.forestry.state.al.us)
* Teaching Firewise Through the Use of a Fire Department Educational Smokehouse
* Firewise Grant Applications Developed by Samford University Students
* Interactive Firewise Displays Developed for Community Events and For Use in Two Local Science Museums
* Fire District Studies Addressing Limited Access, Distribution, Resource Allocation, and Emergency Response
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