Dawn Stuckey, 4-H Youth Development Agent
Colleton 4-H Club had the opportunity to visit the SC Forestry Commission Regional Office for their February meeting. Who would have imagined that information would become so fast? The information Coastal Regional Forester Calvin Bailey shared with the members soon played out nationwide. Meeting first in the Regional Office Conference Room, the club listened to Mr. Bailey explain how the SC Forestry Commission Organization operated to assist landowners across South Carolina. Typically, fire suppression and control are what they are best known for. When the unit rolls up on the fire with the bulldozer and plow, people know who they are and what they are there for. However, there is a lot more to what the SCFC does. From assisting landowners with management plans and cities with urban forestry to managing forestland by prescribed fire and law enforcement, the SCFC has many career options, as the group learned. Dispatchers receive notifications that alert fire staff that their services are needed, and office administrative assistants notify foresters of issues facing landowners and cities. There are even entomologists on staff to assist with insect control in trees. Mr. Bailey also explained how landscapes and homesites can be managed to reduce the risk of wildfire impacting a neighborhood. Citing information from the SCFC’s Wildland Urban Interface program, he explained which landscape features were better for reducing fuel should a wildfire break out. Parents took advantage of this opportunity to learn about changes they should consider implementing in their yards. Finally, the question of how wildland firefighters fight the fire was asked. Rather than explain, Mr. Bailey took the group on a tour of the equipment. The club could see a new style tractor or “dozer” with an environmental cab and new features to keep operators safe, as well as see how the blade and plow work to clear the debris and pull a fire line to contain the fire. Bailey also showed the group the trucks referred to as engines and how they were equipped with water systems to assist while assisting the “dozer.” He further explained how another piece of equipment, the fire track, can be used when the bulldozer is insufficient to contain the fire. The fire truck is a machine that uses tracks to travel in loose or wet soil and can spray water on the fire. As the youth took in all the information, they were finally asked, “How do you find out about the fire?”
Long ago, fire towers were used to detect wildfire or debris burning. Today, Bailey explained that we use aerial detection and a call-in notification /dispatch system to locate the fire and send units to assist. As the group viewed the SCFC Fire Detection Airplane, he explained that homeowners and the public beyond the city limits must call the SCFC Dispatch Center for a burning notification number. This notification number tells the plane and SCFC Law Enforcement Officers that the fire is legal and should be controlled. If smoke is detected in an area that does not have a notification number, the SCFC responds to prevent an illegal fire or, worse, a wildfire.
As the group prepared to leave, Coastal Region Administrative Assistants Mikayla Folk and Cheryl Long gave each club member a Smokey Safety bag to remind them of today’s lessons and how to report a fire. To learn more about the services offered through the South Carolina Forestry Commission, visit https://www.scfc.gov/. To request a burning permit or report a fire, call (800) 777-3473. For more information about Colleton County 4-H, please get in touch with Dawn Stuckey at dstucke@clemson.edu.
Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.
