Starting good conversations
Use the following questions to start the conversation about the unique risks in your community as well as potential actions and opportunities to create a safer place to live, work and play. These questions are an initial guide for developing your own questions that will best fit the context of your community.
Get to know the community’s risk
On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate the wildfire risk in your community? What are your reasons for that rating?
What do you think is your community’s biggest wildfire risk?
What is your biggest concern if a wildfire occurs where you live?
Learn about preparedness efforts
Have you done anything, or are you planning to do anything, to prepare for wildfire? What are those actions? (These might be making their home more ignition resistant, modifying their vegetation, making an evacuation plan, etc.)
Would you like to learn more about things you can do to reduce your wildfire risk? If so, what would you like to know?
Are there things you would like to do but have not or cannot? If so, is there a key barrier or limitation that keeps you from taking this action? How can we help?
Help with evacuation planning
If there was a fire in your area, what do you plan to do? What is your biggest concern about this plan? How certain are you that you would stick to it?
Would you like to learn more about things to consider in developing your evacuation plan (i.e., evacuation routes, children, dispersed family, pets/pets’ lives)?
Connect the community with resources
Are you aware of other agency contacts you can connect with that may be able to offer additional insight or resources to assist your community with wildfire safety work?
Think about opportunities to continue to stay in touch with residents as your community’s wildfire risk assessment and planning projects are implemented.
Continue to develop the relationship with residents in your community. Find opportunities to keep the conversation going, particularly when funding or other resource opportunities become available. Include residents in discussions about implementing and then evaluating the effectiveness of project work.