LIVING FIREWISE
WILDFIRE SAFETY IN THE WILDLAND / URBAN INTERFACE
       The Wildland / Urban Interface is where homes and businesses meet the forest and is a most dangerous place during a wildfire.  It is here that a forest fire can become a house fire and a house fire can become a forest fire.  Many homes are lost each year to wildland fires and it's not just a Western Problem.  Few people realize that there are actually more wildfires in the Eastern United States than in the Western US.  This is because the fires in the West are more publicized by the news media and granted, Western fires are often very large, burning for several days.  The Eastern US, however, often sees fires that are just as large and can also burn for several days.  Yes, the danger of loosing one's home to a wildfire is very real in the East as well.  It can and does happen.

        This danger is why the FireWise initiative was created by the National Wildland / Urban Interface Fire Program.  Too many homes were being lost and too many people were injured or killed in interface fires.  Educating the public was the only way to gain control over the situation.  FireWise is more than just an educational program; it is an attitude and a lifestyle whereby one can curtail the danger of losing ones life or home to wildfire.  To take this to the public, where it needed to be, the FireWise Communities program was launched to provide incentives to homeowners and developers to adopt FireWise practices.

        Some basic ways the average homeowner can be FireWise include:

This is not a complete list.  For additional information click the links below.

   

Also visit the FIREWISE LANDSCAPING multimedia site

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