January/February 2007

Firewise: The First 20 Years

NFPA Journal®, January/February 2007

By Kenneth Tremblay

The success of Firewise is measured many ways even though we faced another record year of fire starts and acres burned in 2006.  We are seeing successes. The number of homes lost to fire this year is less than past averages. Through the hard work of many, we are making a difference in the wildland/urban interface and making it safer for those who choose to live in that environment.

Ken Tremblay is a Technical Project Assistant for the Firewise Communities Program and a contributor to NFPA Journal®. AUDIO CLIPS  What is the Firewise Communities Program?   Why Firewise was established   Resources available on Firewise.org  More audio clips RELATED NFPA REPORT  Firewise: The First 20 Years  Wrap-up of the National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Education Conference ARCHIVED WILDFIRE REPORTS  Wildfire Report 2003 (March/April 2004)  Wildfire Report 2002 (March/April 2003)  Wildfire Report 2001 (March/April 2002) RELATED LINKS  The official Firewise website  Read the Firewise blog NFPA FEATURED PRODUCT  Protecting Life and Property from Wildfire

The national Firewise Communities program is a 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. The Firewise Communities 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.

Firewise is intended to serve as a resource for agencies, tribes, organizations, fire departments, and communities across the U.S. who are working toward a common goal: reduce loss of lives, property, and resources to wildland fire by building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings.

Firewise Communities is part of the National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Program, which is direccted and sponsored by the Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team (WUIWT) of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, a consortium of wildland fire organizations and federal agencies responsible for wildland fire management in the United States . The WUIWT includes: USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs, USDI Bureau of Land Management, USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, USDI National Park Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency , US Fire Administration, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State Fire Marshals, National Association of State Foresters, National Emergency Management Association, National Fire Protection Association.

In September 1986, a national conference was held in Denver , Colorado , to discuss with the wildland/urban interface problem. The conference was a result of a task force meeting held in early 1986 that examined the devastating fires of 1985. In 1985, more than 133,000 fires occurred burning more than 4.4 million acres, damaging 1,400 homes and killing 44 people.

The task force, which included John Marker of the USDA Forest Service and NFPA’s Gary Tokle, defined the problems and established goals and objectives.  A steering committee was formed that included the fire service, forest service, insurance industry, government, wood products industry, research organizations, and land management agencies. The task force also recommended a conference to set items for a national agenda. Those agenda items included creating public awareness of the problem; encourage the formation of partnerships among problem solvers and interest groups; and focus on the development of local solutions to the wildland/urban interface problem.

Eventually, the agenda items became the backbone of a Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Protection report.

1987
Following the conference, additional projects were undertaken. In 1987, “Wildfire Strikes Home! Report” was produced and distributed to more than 25,000 people to increase awareness of the problem.  In addition, a video written and produced by Jim Smalley, now Manager of Wildland Fire Protection at NFPA, was shown to targeted groups and at a national press conference held in Washington , D.C. These efforts created national support for a program to reduce the losses associated with wildland fire and overdevelopment within the wildland/urban interface.

A management team was created that included Roger Erb, who represented several federal land agencies. Also serving were John Bethea of the State Foresters, Robert Swineford of the Forest Service, and NFPA’s Tokle. He led the program through its second year.

Again, fires ravaged the western United States and much more was needed to increase public awareness of wildland fires and to help the fire service develop efficient operations during such emergencies.

A conference was held in Missoula , Montana in the fall of 1987 and more than 300 people attended. “Wildfire 87: Decision Point for the Future” video was released and showed that fire agencies needed to commit valuable resources to the protection of real property but were unable protect natural resources. The videos “Building Interagency Cooperation” and “Protecting Your Home Against Wildfire” provided solutions and received national exposure that helped get the Firewise message to the public.

For example, state and local fire agencies were organizing and educational programs were being held for elected officials. Wildland agencies and structural fire services throughout the country were beginning to develop new relationships that benefited fire suppression and fire prevention operations. The USDA Forest Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Association of State Foresters, U.S. Fire Administration, and NFPA emerged as leaders of the program.

Keeping Interest
Efforts were needed to maintain interest and expand the program. Several videos were commissioned with topics that included developing interagency cooperative programs at the local level, and making a residence safe from wildfire. Printed material were written to support visual media and distributed freely. A media relations campaign also placed the program in public view.

By 1989, new leadership took the program even further. The program continued to produce public relations tools to meet the goals of the program including several case studies: Analysis of the Black Tiger Fire, Colorado ; Fire Storm 91, Spokane , Washington ; Oakland Hills, The Tunnel Fire, Oakland , California . These case studies provided research and documentation to support the project.  Homeowner education, always the key, was enhanced with the development of “Protecting Your Home from Wildfire” and several firefighter safety videos.

“We were very lucky to have an excellent steering committee at that time. They were very forward thinking and open to new ideas,” says former NFPA coordinator Bill Baden.

“The program developed a broader vision, that continues today, in order to provide information and ideas for homeowners to the fire service and beyond. “

Firewise Reaches For the Next Level
As the program was nearing its 10-year mark, a walk through the Monrovia Nursery in Azusa , California with Audrey Teasdale led to the word “Firewise.” Teasdale along with Jim Bradanini, Randall Ismay, and Barry Coate were taking a tour of the nursery. Teasdale pointed out some plantings used the term “Firewise” to describe the planting. The name stuck and a landscape video was later created using this name and in 1999 “Firewise Communities” was rolled out for the workshops and is our trademark today.

The Firewise Communities program now had a library of brochures, publications, and videos with committed and successful results reaching a diverse group of people, however, it was felt that more needed to be done.  Embracing new technology, a decision was made to offer as much of the program as possible on www.firewise.org. The site has seen many changes since it was launched in 1997. It now offers information and resources for property owners, planners, builders, and firefighters.

Jim Smalley, the Wildland Fire Protection Manager at the NFPA and program manager of Firewise Communities, came on board in 1996 and continues today.  Smalley brings together people who share new ideas and vision to the program, while organizing the production that bring ideas into reality.  One program, piloted in 2001, is the Firewise Communities/USA recognition program.

“When adequately prepared, a house can withstand a wildland fire without the intervention of the fire service. In fact, a house and its surrounding community can be both Firewise and compatible with the area's ecosystem,” says Smalley.

The Firewise Communities/USA Recognition program enables communities in all parts of the United States to achieve a high level of protection against wildland/urban interface fire as well as sustainable ecosystem balance. Firewise Communities/USA program provides residents of the wildland/urban interface with the knowledge and skill necessary to make it happen.

The recommended size for a participating Firewise Communities/USA site approximates that of a homeowners association. The size of a Firewise Communities/USA site is not governed by an arbitrary, fixed rule but rather by the limit of its effectiveness. Successful Firewise Communities/USA participation requires homeowner commitment.  To date, 178 sites in 34 states have achieved recognition and most maintain that status year after year.  Firewise Communities/USA is a simple, three-legged template that is easily adapted to different locales.

The series of National Firewise Communities Planning workshops offered in over 30 locations from 1999 through 2003 was another milestone.  In all, over 3,000 people from 1,080 communities in 47 states participated in these landmark workshops.  Regional coordinators gathered folks from various disciplines including; homeowners, fire suppression, builders, landscape architects, planners, and government people.  The objectives of the Firewise Communities Workshop were to; improve safety in the wildland/urban interface by sharing responsibility; create and nurture local partnerships; integrate Firewise concepts into community and disaster mitigation planning.  Although Firewise Communities Planning Workshops are no longer offered, communities can run their own workshops using the same resources offered on the Firewise Website.  Look under the category, “Firewise You Can Use” from www.firewise.org.

Today and Our Future
In 2004, we held our first national wildland/urban interface fire education conference in Denver , Colorado .  In November 2006, on the 20^th anniversary of the Firewise program, we met again in Denver -where it all started. The second National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Education Conference was truly a success on many levels.  Alan Dozier, Chief of Forest Protection for the Georgia State Forestry Commission who is the incoming Chair of the interagency Working Team on the Wildland/Urban Interface challenged everyone, “to share in the learning experiences, create new friendships based on common goals and take back valuable information to their community or workplace.”  What was unique for the conference is that conference staff and project managers got back as much information, experiences, and new networking possibilities as we tried to offer attendees.  We all look forward to a fulfilling future and together make a difference where it matters most – in backyards and beyond!

This article was originally published in the December 2006 edition of the Firewise Newsletter.