Falls Creek area of Durango, Colorado
Draper Mountain Estates in Pulaski, Virginia
Community leaders invited all residents to help them complete a risk assessment, looking at the structures and the landscapes surrounding the communities.
This helped to prioritize work projects.
Everyone had a role to play.
Some people organized community wildfire projects while others worked on simple and low-cost actions to protect their homes from wildfire.
To prepare for a wildfire, individuals need to not only reduce fuels around their home, but also protect their entire community.
If homes are closer than 30 feet together, you must mitigate all structures to prevent structure-to-structure ignition.
Work with your neighbors and community to prepare as a whole.
Fire mitigation is the responsibility of each and every homeowner living in the wildland urban interface.
Homeowners need to harden their structures to resist ember ignitions and remove excessive fuel loading to protect firefighters who are risking their lives to protect your home.
Include everyone in pre-fire planning (virtual meetings work well).
Prioritize project work to reduce wildfire loss by looking at structures, infrastructure and the landscape within and surrounding the community.
Be creative with work events like chipping days, community cleanup days and assisting seniors.
Assess project work priorities and risks to the community frequently.
For more information on wildfire safety, visit usfa.fema.gov.
Charlie Landsman, La Plata County (Colorado) Coordinator
Wildfire Adapted Partnership
Brad Wright, Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Specialist
Virginia Department of Forestry
Faith Berry, Fire Program Specialist
U.S. Fire Administration
Charlie Landsman, La Plata County (Colorado) Coordinator
Wildfire Adapted Partnership
Brad Wright, Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Specialist
Virginia Department of Forestry
Faith Berry, Fire Program Specialist
U.S. Fire Administration