Firewise

Wildfire Education

Recognizing the need to prepare our community for the possibility of wildfires, the Skagit Conservation District, along with Skagit County, and Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and local Fire Districts have teamed up to bring the FIREWISE program to the residents of Skagit County. Under the FIREWISE program, Skagit County community leaders deliver fire prevention education, host workshops to help citizens learn to recognize wildland/urban interface fire hazards, design FIREWISE homes and landscapes, and incorporate FIREWISE planning into existing and developing areas of communities. If you’d like to have a Firewise presentation/ workshop in your community or are intersted in a FREE home risk assessment, please contact Jenny Hinderman, Firewise Program Coordinator, at the Skagit Conservation District at (360) 428-4313 or email jenny@skagitcd.org.

Origins of Firewise

FIREWISE is a program sponsored by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). Members of the NWCG are responsible for wildland fire management in the United States. They represent the USDA-Forest Service, the Department of Interior, the National Association of State Foresters, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association. The NWCG's Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team directs the FIREWISE program. In Washington State, the program is administered through the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. "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."

For more information than you can ever imagine on the FIREWISE program, please visit www.firewise.org

FIREWISE Communities/USA

The “FIREWISE Communities USA” 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. The program adapts especially well to small communities, developments and residential associations of all types. FIREWISE Communities USA incorporates efforts of homeowners, communities, federal and state agencies, and tribes. It includes landscaping, home construction and design, community planning, forest and land management. Currently, there are 44 recognized Firewise Communities in Washington State and many others across the state working toward the same goal. For information on the FIREWISE Communites in Washington, please visit http://www.firewise.org/usa/index.htm