After the Little Bear Fire in 2012, areas in Ruidoso realized they needed to protect themselves from future disasters and formed the Little Bear Forest reform coalition.
After working with the organization and doing research, One man decided to lead an effort to do more
Leroy Cockrell has lived in the Black Forest area of Ruidoso for over a dozen years. It’s his home, and to help keep it safe he is leading an effort to get a Firewise designation for the Black Forest Community.
Cockrell says residents just need to make simple changes to their houses to help keep them and their neighbors safer.
“The firewood there that is piled up next to the house, you don;t do that you move your firewood out away from the house,” Cockrell said. “It’s little things like that, like I said, It’s not all cutting trees out. It’s a lot of preparation around the house. ”
Firewise is a National Program that strives to prevent forest fires and protect homes in in the forest.
“I’ve seen aerial pictures of neighborhoods where they have gone in and done firewise,” Cockrell said. “And I have seen fires burn right up and then go around them.”
Experts come in and inspect the area and give it a rating, high, medium, or low hazard. You need the low hazard rating to be considered a firewise community. Then, you have to keep up those standards.
