Florida offers potentially life-saving app

A new application meant to keep homeowners safer than ever has been made available free from the Florida Fire Service, the Florida Farm Bureau announced recently.

The "FLBurn Tools" app, which can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Goole Play, offers interactive fire maps, burning authorization requests, wildfire and drought information, smoke dispersion models and spot weather forecasts.

“By providing Floridians with better access to the latest wildfire information, we can help protect people, wildlife and property,” Adam Putnam, commissioner of Agriculture, said. “Residents can now see real-time conditions in their area and take the appropriate safety precautions.”

The Florida Forest Service provides approximately 88,000 burn authorizations every year and treated more than 2.1 million acres last year.

The app’s audience includes both residents and forest service professionals, who were affected by the state’s 2,000 forest fires that impacted nearly 54,000 acres in 2016, as reported by the state’s agriculture department.