Q1. What is the Firewise Communities program?

A1. The Firewise Communities program is a national, multi-agency effort designed to reach beyond the fire service by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the risk of wildland fire - before a fire starts. Elements of the Firewise Communities program include the Firewise Communities Workshop series, the Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program, an interactive website (www.firewise.org), public education, and support for fire organizations and community groups. The initiative is directed and sponsored by federal agencies and national organizations that are responsible for wildland fire management in the United States.

Q2. What is the Firewise approach?

A2. The Firewise Communities program offers a series of practical steps that individuals and communities can take to minimize wildfire risks to people, property, and natural resources. The Firewise approach emphasizes community responsibility for planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response, and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance.

Q3. Who directs/manages the Firewise Communities Program?

A3. The Firewise Communities program is directed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team (WUIWT), a consortium of representatives from federal and state wildland fire agencies and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). NFPA handles daily management of Firewise Communities with guidance from the WUIWT. The WUIWT includes the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFPA, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State Fire Marshals, National Emergency Management Association, and state forestry organizations.

Q4. Why is the Firewise Communities program needed?

A4. As America's population continues to expand, much of the development to accommodate that growth has flowed into traditionally natural areas. A trend toward migration from urban centers and suburbs into formerly rural and wild areas places many more people in the path of potential wildfire. Threats to life and property from wildfires and costs for suppressing them are expanding at an astounding rate. Since 1970, more than 10,000 homes and 20,000 other structures and facilities have been lost to severe wildland fires. Once a fire starts, there is only so much fire service professionals can do to protect structures. The Firewise Communities program seeks to empower individual homeowners and communities to take an active role in protecting structures and community values - before a fire starts.

Q5. What is the purpose of the Firewise Communities program?

A5. The United States will likely continue to experience damaging wildfires unless people work together to solve basic community development planning issues at the local level. The Firewise Communities program promotes community-wide responsibility in the use of technology, policy, and practices that minimize the loss of life and property to wildland fire, independent of firefighting efforts.

Q6. Why is it important for homes to be prepared in advance of a fire? And what do you mean by "independent of firefighting efforts?"

A6. When a severe wildfire spreads, it can expose dozens - sometimes hundreds - of homes to fire simultaneously. In cases such as this, firefighters do not have the resources to defend every home. Homeowners who take proactive steps to reduce the likelihood of home ignition during a wildfire have a far greater chance of having their homes survive.

Q7. What is the Wildland/Urban Interface?

A7. The wildland/urban interface refers to a set of conditions under which a wildland fire reaches beyond natural fuels (such as trees and brush), to homes and their immediate surroundings.

Q8. What makes a community "Firewise?"

A8. Firewise communities are those that have taken appropriate measures to become more resistant to wildfire structural damage. Communities designed with Firewise concepts help to save lives; protect homes, businesses, and property; and preserve surrounding natural resources. In addition, communities that have earned the special distinction of being recognized under the Firewise Communities/USA program have followed a systematic approach to organizing and implementing a Firewise mitigation plan in their community.

Q9. What are some of the techniques used to become "Firewise?"

A9. Firewise techniques that homeowners and communities utilize include minimizing the risk of home ignition by carefully landscaping around residential structures, such as thinning trees and brush and choosing fire-resistant plants; selecting ignition-resistant building materials; positioning structures away from slopes; and working with firefighters and other fire management teams to develop emergency plans.

Q10. Is the Firewise approach compatible with the area's ecosystem?

A10. Yes. A house and its surrounding community can both meet Firewise objectives and be compatible with the area's ecosystem. The Firewise Communities program enables communities in all parts of the United States to achieve a high level of protection against wildfire as well as sustainable ecosystem balance. The Firewise Communities program provides residents living in the wildland/urban interface with the knowledge and skills necessary to make it happen.

Q11. Do Firewise measures mean I have to compromise the beauty of my home/landscape?

A11. No. Firewise measures can help make homes and landscapes as beautiful as they are safe. Today's fire-resistant building materials can be attractive and complement the area's culture and style. Firewise landscaping techniques can actually improve the aesthetic quality of your home by clearing out dry and dead vegetation and allowing space between trees and plants.

Q12. How does a community know if it needs to become Firewise?

A12. The fact is that few homes or communities outside city environments are completely safe from wildfire. The problem of fire in the wildland/urban interface is only getting worse as more people move closer to the untamed areas of the United States. If your community is growing rapidly, has much of its existing and new development in rural or wildland areas, has a history of wildfire, or has weather, terrain, and fuels that can contribute to the start and spread of wildfire, it is a good candidate for a Firewise approach.

Q13. What are the Firewise Communities Workshops?

A13. The Firewise Communities Workshops are a series of seminars conducted in local communities that gather individuals from varied backgrounds to work toward the goal of teaching Firewise planning and mitigation practices in the wildland/urban interface. These workshops bring together professionals involved in planning, financing, building, sustaining, and protecting communities in the wildland/urban interface areas. Participants are taught how to plan and implement fire-resistant community development practices.

Q14. What is the Firewise Communities/USA recognition program?

A14. In cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), Firewise Communities/USA is a nationwide initiative that recognizes communities for taking action to protect people and properties from the risks of fire in the wildland/urban interface. This program is of special interest to small communities and neighborhood associations that are willing to mitigate against wildland fire by adopting and implementing programs tailored to their needs, which the communities create themselves with cooperative assistance from state forestry agencies and local fire staff.

Q15. How did the Firewise Communities program originate?

A15. The fire season of 1985 motivated wildfire agencies and organizations to focus on local solutions to wildfire risks in populated areas by forming what is now the National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Program, directed by the Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team (WUIWT). The term "firewise" was coined in 1992 during development of landscaping recommendations that would help make homes more resistant to ignition from a wildfire. The Firewise Communities Web site launched in 1996, and the national workshop series began in 1999. Today the Firewise Communities program serves as a primary resource for information about mitigating wildland fire risks at the homeowner and community levels.