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In 2002, the staff at Chickasaw National Recreation Area submitted proposals for a funding source available through the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior (DOI). The proposals set out to utilize available funds to assist rural fire departments working in and around the wildland urban interface (WUI) surrounding the park and its local communities. This is the second year Chickasaw National Recreation Area received the much needed funds for our friends and cooperators. The Murray County rural fire departments have been collaborating with the National Park Service firefighters at Chickasaw National Recreation Area for many years. While they were battling volatile wildfires side-by-side with National Park Service firefighters, they were often forced to wear the only personal protection equipment (PPE) their departments could afford, structural bunker gear. They have also been using old, surplus vehicles with dated pumps and tanks. This created hazardous conditions for the local firefighters. With the assistance of the Intermountain Region Fire Management Team, Chickasaw National Recreation Area was awarded $49,000 to continue to help outfit seven rural fire departments. A press release was issued and the park Superintendent was on the front page of the paper notifying the community of the DOI initiative.
The money was used to purchase $49,000 worth of personal protective equipment, large capacity water tanks and pumps for WUI vehicles, and other necessary wildland fire equipment such as hose, hardware, foam proportioners, etc. For the first time in the history of the park (since 1902), Chickasaw National Recreation Area has cooperative agreements with ALL seven of its cooperating fire departments. This is a great example of the Federal Government directly impacting the safety, and thereby quality of life, of citizens by helping to protect/equip members of cooperating fire departments. Plans are in place to continue these partnerships by providing wildland fire training for as many rural firefighters as possible.
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