Cook County community Firewise meetings help residents prepare for wildfire season

Cook County officials held a Firewise wildfire safety meeting in Hovland on the morning of April 27, to help full-time and seasonal residents learn what they can do to prepare for wildfire season.

It was the first of many wildfire safety meetings to be held throughout Cook County.  

During the April 27 event at the Hovland Town Hall, Aaron Mollin-Kling, the Cook and Lake County Firewise coordinator, provided materials to homeowners about how to protect their homes and property, particularly given the spruce budworm infestation in Cook County.

Following Mollin-Kling’s presentation, Cook County Commissioner Ann Sullivan distributed ”Go Bags” to the approximately 30 attendees. Sullivan provided suggestions for evacuation preparation in the event of a nearby wildfire.

Members of the Hovland Fire Department attended the event and spoke about the various stages preceding an evacuation. 

According to a recently released wildfire forecast by Accuweather, northeastern Minnesota is at a high risk of significant fire in 2024 due to record-breaking warmth and dryness across the region this past winter, compounded by the prevalence of spruce budworm.

With significant amounts of precipitation across the Superior National Forest in recent weeks, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources lists fire danger as of May 3 as low. 

To learn more about how to reduce the risk of property damage from wildfires, visit CookCountyFirewise.org. Firewise provides educational materials about how to reduce flammable materials around your home, links to resources including Cook County brush disposal sites and the CodeRed emergency notification app. Residents can request a free Firewise site assessment of their property from Cook County Firewise Coordinator Aaron Mollin-Kling.

WTIP’s Chuck Olsen spoke with Cook County Commissioner and Board Chair Ann Sullivan, Hovland Deputy Fire Chief Bob Svaleson, Cook County Commissioner Deb White, and Cook County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Andrea Tofte. The audio from the interviews is below.

Chuck Olsen May 3, 2024