HIAWASSEE, GA. – Towns County Fire and Rescue entered into an annual agreement with the Georgia Forestry Commission last week during a special-called meeting at the county courthouse. Each agency mutually agreed to provide support for fire prevention programs which will increase the public awareness of the hazards and destruction of fire and serve to make the objectives of the memorandum possible.

The Georgia Forestry Commission will dispatch a crew to any known forest, brush, or grass fire, or to any fires of unknown nature. The commission will cooperate with the county emergency structure by responding to wildland fires as dispatched. Towns County Fire & Rescue will additionally dispatch a crew to any known structure fire, wildland fire, or any fire of unknown nature. Upon arrival at the scene, the Georgia Forestry Commission will provide command and control for wildland fire suppression and will coordinate with Towns County Fire & Rescue for protection of life and property threatened by a wildland fire. The state agency will immediately advise the county department of any burning or threatened structure within the area.

Towns County Fire Chief Harold Copeland

Towns County Fire & Rescue will provide command and control for structural fire suppression and will cooperate with the Georgia Forestry Commission for protection of life and property threatened by structural fires. The fire department will immediately advise the state division of any burning or threatened natural cover fuels within the area and request and/or provide assistance as needed. This agreement in no way restricts either agency from taking action in an emergency situation to save lives and property regardless of the nature of a fire, either wildland or structural.

When both agencies are at the same fire, overall command and control of the incident shall lie with the agency concerned most directly with what is burning. If both woods and structures are on fire simultaneously, each agency shall endeavor to initiate unified command and provide support to each other to ensure shared resources are used effectively, public and firefighter safety, and efficient incident stability. All fire organizations involved should endeavor to accomplish wildland fire certifications and provide wildland fire personal protective equipment for firefighters who are subject to respond to wildland fires. Only the Georgia Forestry Commission can authorize the use of backfires. The intended use of state personnel and equipment is to provide protection/suppression relative only to wildland fires; i.e. grass, forested lands, brush, and trees. State fire personnel are not trained, nor do they possess sufficient personal protective equipment to allow them to function in environments other than those listed above.

Each agency agreed to attend, participate, and assist in the other agency’s training program. The authority having jurisdiction will be responsible to ensure that all persons participating in training and wildland or structural fire suppression activities meet established qualifications and are properly equipped