Wildfire response will be hampered as forestry crews reduced and moved
Attala County officials are sounding the alarm that they will not be able to fight wildfires as in the past due to budget cuts to the Mississippi Forestry Commission.
The commission announced a state-wide 75-person reduction in force and a merging of seven districts into four new coverage regions in response to a $2.67 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2018, which begins July 1. That amounts to a 16% reduction in the Commission annual budget.
The big picture
The reorganization consolidates the current seven districts into four new regions and allows the people holding the 75 positions that will be eliminated to apply for a limited number of positions within the new regions.
“Preserving the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s statutorily mandated responsibility to protect forestland, lives and homes from wildfire is our top priority. After much deliberation, the difficult decision was made to consolidate and reorganize districts, leaving as many wildland firefighting ‘boots on the ground’ in place as possible - within the constraints of our current budget restrictions,” said Charlie Morgan, state forester with the Mississippi Forestry Commission in a news release.
“The decision to reorganize our districts was not made lightly. We are deeply saddened to lose these faithful employees and appreciate their years of service to the state of Mississippi,” he said.
Private landowners may have a different contact person or office for services in their area going forward. Dispatch phone numbers to report a wildfire will remain the same, visit: www.mfc.ms.gov/wildfire-report
The “Local Contacts” drop down menu on the website home page provides current local contact and office location information.
Effect on Attala County
Attala County Emergency Management Director Danny Townsend alerted the Attala Board of Supervisors to the potential impact the changes would have locally at its meeting Monday morning.
In previous years, Attala County counted on a four-person forestry crew that worked out of a Highway 19 North facility.
That crew responded to more than 270 wildland fires in conjunction with local fire crews over the past 2.5 years. Individual fire sizes ranged from less than an acre to more than 200 acres each.
The reorganization will merge coverage of Attala, Leake and Neshoba Counties with a single 10-ranger crew with two technicians and five tractors located in Leake County.
Of the four current staff, two are expected to apply for positions with the new regional unit, while one has chosen to retire, another to leave employment. According to Townsend, those who are selected for the new positions likely face pay cuts to remain.
Townsend noted that the local Forestry Commission crews have also helped in disaster situations, but now they may not be available for fires or disasters if they are already responding to similar situations in the other two counties.
“This is going to cause a delayed response,” said Townsend. We’re going to be onsite for an extended period of time waiting for them (Forestry) to arrive.”
The Attala County Fire Department, which is not equipped to respond in wooded areas, will be left to do what it can to keep things under control until forestry crews can arrive.
“They’re going to be in another county, so we’re going to have to wait for them to get here. Mainly, we’ll be limited to mostly protecting structures because we don’t have the equipment to get into the woods,” said Attala County Fire Chief Roy Williams.
“In the summer, with the winds, fire travels fast,” he said. “I hate it, but we’re not going to be able to do everything we did in the past.”
The Forestry Commission is also responsible for managing 16th Section lands, which provide over $20 million to education statewide through School Trust Land timber sale revenue.
Dawn Hodges, 16th Section and Student Data manager for the Attala County School District, said the district has yet to hear what, if any, impact the reorganization may have on that program or the funding for the Attala County school district.
