Bent Tree Safety & Emergency Management

09/04/2026

09/01/2026

BENT TREE FIRE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY SERVICES

Along with responding to fire and medical emergencies, the Bent Tree Fire Department strives to set the standard by providing very beneficial programs to the community. We wanted to remind everyone of these special services to take full advantage of them.

1. CPR / First Aid Course for Residents – Learn to spot medical emergencies and take immediate lifesaving actions! This course is instructed by a highly trained Firefighter / EMT and has received great reviews from residents who have already completed it. The course costs $100, which is a very good price to become officially certified by the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support for two years. We need at least 4 residents to express interest and participate for each course. Email [email protected] if interested and a new date will be scheduled.

2. Residential Knox Box Program – Bent Tree Community is pleased to offer residents the opportunity to participate in the Knox HomeBox® Model 1501 program — a voluntary safety enhancement designed to assist first responders during emergency situations.

During emergencies, responders may encounter locked doors. When immediate access is required and no one is able to answer, forced entry may result in unnecessary property damage. The Knox HomeBox is a secure, tamper-resistant key vault mounted discreetly on the exterior of your home. Inside is a house key accessible only to authorized emergency personnel through a strictly controlled master key system.
The cost for a residential Knox Box is $295, which includes professional installation. Order forms are available at the Front Gate or Admin Building.

3. Home Fire Safety Inspections – Since late June, our team has offered FREE complete home fire safety inspections to Bent Tree residents! Inspections include assessments of home exteriors and the 30-foot ignition zone around home perimeters. These assessments will include recommendations of potential fuels to remove and basic maintenance actions to protect your home from wildfire. During interior inspections, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, egress paths, electrical safety, and many more items will be assessed with recommendations and other fire safety information provided to the residents involved.

The information gathered by our department during these inspections will also allow us to create pre-fire plans for homes to help guide our response actions during structure fires. These inspections are VOLUNTARY along with actions taken by residents based on our recommendations, so please take advantage. The education provided during the inspections may save lives!
Email [email protected] to schedule an inspection or if you want more information about the Home Fire Inspection and Knox Box programs. Although email is preferable, you may also contact us at 770-893-2628.

08/25/2026

JUNE BEAR INCIDENT UPDATE

In June, the community experienced the tragic death of a mother bear, with three orphaned cubs retrieved by DNR. The bear's body was sent to UGA for a necropsy, and we have just received the report. The report confirmed that the bear died of very high doses of two anticoagulant rodenticide ingredients, brodifacoum and bromadiolone. The location where the bear may have accessed these poisons is not known. Both of these ingredients are prominent in rodenticide that can be purchased without any special requirements at most hardware / supply stores. Unfortunately, these products carry a strong risk of secondary poisoning to other wildlife that may consume a dead or dying rat.

To properly control rodents and maintain health standards at Club Tamarack and The Tavern, BTCI uses secure bait stations with a special product called Selontra, which was advised to us per the Habitat Conservation Plan (by Lake & Wildlife). These stations are monitored and serviced by professionally licensed pest control technicians. Selontra is more expensive than other rodenticides, known to be safer, and not as easily accessible to the general public. There were no traces of Selontra or its active ingredient found in the deceased bear.

Within the Wildlife Protection and Preservation Policy of the Bent Tree Rules and Regulations (section VI, F) , the illegal or improper use of rodenticides, poisons, or herbicides is prohibited. Violations of this rule carry a $1,000 fine. BTCI strongly recommends that residents focus on interior traps and exclusion measures without the use of rodenticides for normal residential pest control purposes. It is imperative that if residents choose to use rodenticide products that they comply with legal requirements to minimize chances of danger to other wildlife.

We also just learned that DNR has released the cubs back into the wild. While this is far from ideal, they believed it was the best option for them. These decisions are entirely out of our control, and we do not envy those who have to make them.

It is not pleasant revisiting this tragic incident and providing these details, but we do so in hopes of educating the community, increasing awareness, and hopefully preventing similar incidents in the future.

08/17/2026

Pickens County Georgia Sheriff's Office Pickens County Georgia Sheriff's Office Pickens County Fire and Rescue Jasper, GA News KnowPickens City of Jasper, Georgia City of Jasper Police Department - Georgia Jasper Fire Department Pickens County GA Government Pickens County GA E9-1-1 Bent Tree Safety & Emergency Management Big Canoe Volunteer Fire Department Big Canoe POA Town of Talking Rock City of Nelson

07/31/2026

Please follow the link below to see Bent Tree bus stop guidance and expectations for the upcoming school year.