A wide variety of agencies are presenting a Lolo community wildfire preparedness meeting on Tuesday,July 15 at the Lolo Community Center. 

Executive Director of Firesafe Montana Jennifer LaManna said that residents who lived through the Lolo Creek Complex fire last summer will have the opportunity to go over the lessons they learned, and how to respond if another fire should break out.

"This is a meeting for anyone to get more information on how they can be prepared for next year," she said. "Agencies involved include the main sponsor, the Lolo Community Council, along with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association, Missoula Rural Fire, Firesafe Montana, Bitterroot Resource Conservation and Development, Missoula Disaster and Emergency Services, the Lolo National Forest and the Missoula County Sheriff's Office."

LaManna said attendees will have the opportunity to look back on what happened last year, and be better prepared for a fire this summer.

"We'll have a discussion about the evacuation process and how decisions were made there," she said. "We'll even have details about some new tools to make evacuations go even smoother this year, as well as keep our families safer."

LaManna said the meeting is not just for Lolo residents.

"Everyone is invited to come, from Missoula and Ravalli County," she said. "This meeting is a good nexus to get discussions going on how to be prepared for another fire."

The Lolo Community Center is located at 12345 Highway 93 South.

Below, find a complete schedule of agencies and discussion topics..

6:15– 6:30      

Refreshments and introductions 

6:30-6:55        

Discussion and simulation of what happened on the Lolo Complex Wildfire.  The on-scene Incident Commanders of the wildfire in Lolo Creek will recap the initial 48-hour interagency response to a fire that would rapidly become the nation’s #1 priority. 

6:55-7:20

Discussion of the evacuation protocol during the Lolo Complex, how to prepare for the next evacuation, and enhancing your family’s emergency preparedness throughMissoulaCounty’s Smart 911 program.

7:20- 7:45

Managing your property and small forest to increase forest health, decrease the risk of catastrophic fire, and how to receive grant funding to help get the job done!

7:45-8:00

Ready Set Go-  putting all the pieces together.  

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