March 2012

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March 2012

Spring edition of "How To" newsletter helps homeowners prepare for wildfire season

Wildfire season is here and this issue is full of great ideas to get your home in Firewise shape. Learn how to plant a Firewise garden, eliminate dead debris that wildfires thrive on, create defensible space around your home, and organize a community clean-up day.

Shining examples of wildfire safety in Arizona
As Arizona braces for wildfire season, Firewise recently visited the Grand Canyon State to see first-hand the mitigation work being implemented by local communities. Find out which Prescott area neighborhoods have adopted Firewise principles and worked together to reduce their wildfire risk.

Forest stakeholders discuss ways to collaborate on landscape forest restoration projects
The Western Governors' Association (WGA) will host a strategy workshop at the 2012 IAFC WUI conference in Reno on Tuesday, March 27. Participate in discussions aimed at improving forest health, conducting effective outreach and using vegetation management tools and techniques. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Does regulation work? Complex answers to simple questions
Why don't we just use regulations to solve our wildland/urban interface (WUI) problems? It's the question Molly Mowery explores in her latest NFPA Journal® column, which looks at how land-use planning, fire and life safety, and codes and standards relate to wildfire risk in the WUI.

Environmental factors align to create bigger wildfires
Global warning. Intense drought. Stressed vegetation and trees. Forest-killing insects. Surplus fuel supplies. Experts say current environmental conditions are partly responsible for some of the country's largest wildfires. Read more about how climatic factors, settlement patterns and fire suppression play a role in our wildfire problem.

NFPA, Ad Council to discuss FAC initiative at IAWF conference
How do you take a wildfire safety concept and develop a public awareness campaign around it? Join NFPA and the Advertising Council as they discuss the collaborative and creative process behind the Fire Adapted Communities media campaign and website at the IAWF Human Dimensions conference in Seattle, April 16 – 20.

Test your Firewise IQ
Name a simple household task that helps protect your home from wildfire. What serves as a pathway for fire to reach your house? What's the definition of wildfire "fuel"? Test your wildfire safety knowledge in our new online quiz and start using Firewise principles today.

NFPA seeks enforcers on its Technical Committees
NFPA works hard to ensure broad participation and balance in its standards-development process. Learn about a program that now provides funding for committee participation for certain public sector officials who have been designated as "enforcers."

Share best practices and network at 2012 WUI conference
March 25th kicks off IAFC's annual WUI conference where wildfire industry professionals can learn about protecting local forests, wildfire mitigation and suppression solutions, and educating landowners and communities about the importance of land management. Stop by NFPA's Firewise booth for materials and answers to your wildland fire questions.

NFPA presents on WUI wildfire regulations at APA conference
Join NFPA at the annual American Planning Conference April 14 – 17 to learn how planning and regulatory tools can reduce wildfire risk. Review best practices from a national study on the effectiveness of wildfire hazard ordinances, and hear tips from a land use attorney on implementing wildfire regulations in your community.