The 2009 Firewise Leadership Award nominations are still open for another couple of weeks. If you've been thinking about a great Firewise leader that you know - a community sparkplug, a wonderful fire department educator, a state forestry fire staffer, or a team of folks who make Firewise things happen - please tell us about it!

Labels: Firewise, Leadership Awards

The word is getting out that Firewise practices make sense and help increase home safety in the wildland/urban interface. A recent editorial in the Napa Valley Register uses local wildfire activity to remind homeowners to be Firewise. The University of Oregon's Oregon Quarterly has a wonderful entry, "Just Right Here," that reminds us not to underestimate residents of the WUI (or WOO-eee). Enjoy the read!

Labels: Firewise, wildfire mitigation

A very wise person recently pointed out to me that all this blogging and emailing and Twittering about Firewise is all well and good - but until people go into their yards, common areas and neighborhoods and take action, it doesn't mean a darn thing! I couldn't agree more. Firewise concepts are only valuable when they're applied in the real world. That's why Firewise Communities/USA sites are nationally recognized for their actions and ongoing work to create neighborhoods that are safer from wildfire.

We truly value these efforts and we even document how much work is going on in the neighborhoods. Last year alone, Firewise Communities/USA participants invested more than $17 million in their local wildfire safety - some through grants, some through donations, but mostly through "sweat equity" - volunteer time. A volunteer hour is now worth $20.25 according to the Independent Sector folks. To learn more about how to value your Firewise volunteers, check last summer's How To newsletter on page 7.

Labels: Firewise, investment, volunteer

It's a new year and there is no better time to jumpstart your focus on wildfire safety than now, through the latest trend in communication: social networking.


MyFirewise facilitates a dialogue between people across the country with an interest in fire preparedness - residents, fire fighters, land and resource managers, etc. The site features links to Firewise landscaping tips as well as instructional videos for community members to reference when creating their home ignition zone. The site also allows members to upload videos, pictures, and post discussion questions pertaining to wildfire mitigation.

Join in today to start learning and sharing your stories of wildfire mitigation challenges and/or successes with friends in communities across the United States.

Labels: Firewise, home ignition zone, mitigation, social network, wildfire safety

We are keeping the residents of California in our thoughts as they prepare to recover from the latest wildfires. Firewise Communities program manager Jim Smalley offered his view on the rebuilding effort in and interview with NEWSWEEK.

Labels: california, Firewise, Newsweek, rebuild, wildfires

In case you missed it, we have posted the special panel discussion from last week's conference entitled "Reframing Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Disasters: A New Approach."

The panel discussion features Jack D. Cohen, Research Physical Scientist, USDA Forest Service, Sarah McCaffrey, Research Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service, and Scott Shuford, NOAA and Shuford Planning Services. The panel discussed the historic and social aspects of how decades of fire exclusion in the WUI has increased the probabilities and risks from wildfire threat, and the impact of climate change on wildfires.

(Note: Due to the length of the video, it may take some time to load depending on your connection speed. Please be patient. To view the video in full size, please click here.)

Labels: Firewise, Forest Service, Jack Cohen, Sarah McCaffrey, Scott Shuford

Greetings from Tampa, Florida! This week, Tampa is home to not only great weather but also the third biennial Backyards and Beyond wildfire education conference and several hundred members of the wildfire community from across the country--and the globe!

Labels: backyards and beyond, conference, Firewise, Florida, wildfires

The Idaho Statesman is running a series of insightful articles examining the state of wildfires and wildfire policy in the U.S., specifically in the western part of the country. Check out the series, which will conclude this Sunday (July 27). The first of the three articles, entitled "Are we wasting billions fighting wildfires?" explores whether a focus on suppression is the most effective, efficient, or safe appproach. The article includes discussion on the science of fire behavior and a "tale of two towns" - one that had employed Firewise concepts and one that had not. The sidebar on the site features six success stories from communities that "did it right." (Shameless Plug: visit the Firewise Communities/USA page for a look at about 350 communities we think are "doing it right.") Part two of the series, Firefighting burns money, manpower, focuses on the escalating costs of fighting wildfires at the expense of other land management and recreation programs. The third article is expected this weekend, carrying the following teaser: "Science and money demand change, but politics and Western culture resist it." Check out the series and come back to the Firewise Forum to tell us what you think.

Labels: fire policy, fire wise, Firewise, Idaho Statesman, mitigation, wildfires