NFPA Journal - July/August 2012 - (Page 17)

Launched in June at a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., the Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) initiative links USFS and NFPA with eight other agencies (see the list of partners in the “Wildfire Watch” column on page 46) to help the 70,000 communities situated in wildfire-prone areas around the country develop all-encompassing action plans for wildland fire mitigation. NFPA will oversee the initiative’s website, fireadapted.org, which complements a series of public service announcements by the Ad Council on ways communities can begin the process. Following the congressional briefing, Pam Leschak, FAC program manager for the USFS, spoke with NFPA Journal about the collaboration, the impact of wildfires on wildland urban interface communities, and why, as Leschak puts it, “an ounce of mitigation is worth millions of dollars in cure.” It seems the wildfire season is already off to an eventful start, including record-breaking fires in New Mexico. What’s happening out there? Speaking of public lands, there seems to be this perception that USFS protects only forests from fires and does not have much involvement with community protection. Wildfires don’t recognize boundaries; the Forest Service is responsible for protecting the national forests and grasslands. Through various agreements, we also assist federal Do you want to spend some time and a few dollars identifying your risk, or do you want your community significantly impacted, with homes burned, maybe lives lost, and infrastructure damaged as a result of a fire? and state agencies with wildfires, including around communities. All the agencies involved in firefighting have to face the challenges of suppression in the WUI. We’re all trying to emphasize there are mitigation measures individuals and communities can take before a wildfire to reduce their risk later. That’s what FAC strives to do—provide the tools to help people prepare. When was the term “fire adapted community” officially coined? We’re now looking at fire on the landscape year round. When a fire involves a community in the wildland/urban interface (WUI), certain issues—homes, infrastructure, cultural resources, evacuation, structural protection— add complexity to an already complicated situation. I don’t think people understand there’s something they can do in order to prepare. They can help themselves and their communities. What USFS tactics have already prevented potential damage from wildfire? The USDA Forest Service as well as our state, federal, and private sector partners have emphasized Firewise. It’s been a very successful program nationwide which concentrates on taking measures, creating defensible space around homes, being proactive. Fuel reduction projects, using mechanical means and prescribed burns, have also had an impact on reducing the risk of damage from wildfire. Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention message has greatly reduced the number of humancaused fires nationally. Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) are critical in helping communities identify and address risk. In 2005, the agencies working on the Quadrennial Fire and Fuels Report introduced the term. The 2009 Quadrennial Fire Review revisited the concept and pushed it further. The FAC initiative takes all the tools that reduce risk in the WUI and combines them under the FAC umbrella. In a way, it’s not new; it’s using the proven tools and putting them in one place. We can create defensible space through the Firewise program; multiply its effects by promoting the Ready, Set, Go! program created by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), where fire departments educate the public about wildfire risk, prepare their properties, and make evacuation plans; and combine that with CWPPs, which get everyone involved in identifying risk, mitigation, and safety efforts. Combining all these tools for one large effort will get us much further in reducing risk. There is no one silver bullet. JULY/AUGUST 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 17 http://www.fireadapted.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2012

NFPA Journal - July/august 2012
Contents
First Word
Mail Call
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Fenway at 100
Crowning Achievement
Safety at Center Stage
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States, 2011
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - July/August 2012