Prescribed Fire Alerts in Mecklenburg County

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

NACo 2013 Achievement Award Nomination Summary- Prescribed Fire Alerts Mecklenburg County owns and manages over 7,000 acres of Nature Preserve. Prescribed fire is used as a landscape level management tool on many of the properties. This science-based practice is embraced by environmental professionals as it is highly effective and inexpensive. These fires mimic natural disturbance, helping maintain a high level of biodiversity and quality habitat for many native species. Mecklenburg County Natural Resources (MCNR) adopted a tool for public notification regarding prescribed fires that has quickly proven very valuable. Charmeck Alerts is software used by Mecklenburg County in partnership with the City of Charlotte. The program is similar to traditional Reverse-911 efforts in concept but provides increased flexibility both in contact path and selectivity of the contact group. MCNR staff have been using the tool in cooperation with emergency managers at the Charlotte Fire Department to inform the public about prescribed fires in nature preserves. By targeting citizens based on location and using multiple contact paths, the agency has improved public knowledge of the burn program, reduced extraneous 911 calls during burns, and driven more traffic to the department website. It has also served as an educational opportunity for MCNR to reach neighbors about the importance of prescribed fire and land management in nature preserves.