What is a fire adapted community?
A fire adapted community is one that,
through it’s own actions, has mitigated
and is prepared for and can live with a
wildland fire without extensive
suppression resources and with a lowered
level of risk to life or property.
What it isn’t
• It’s not another new program
• It doesn’t replace Firewise
• It’s not a recognition program
What it is
• It’s a new way to look at wildfire mitigation in the
larger community context
• It bundles a variety of mitigation tools to help
communities reduce wildfire risk
• It brings more local stakeholders to the table to
take responsibility for mitigation on the local level
• It links community mitigation efforts to the larger
landscape risks and relates it to wildfire response.
What does a fire adapted community
look like?
Codes & ordinances
Ready Set Go
Exterior Fuel buffer
Prevention Education
Internal Safety Zones
Local capacity
Forest Management
CWPP
fuel reduction
Firewise
Fire Adapted
Communities
cooperative fire
agreements
A fire adapted community
1. Reduces risk to residents and firefighters
2. Reduces damage to homes, businesses,
infrastructure, the economy, and natural
and cultural resources.
3. Reduces reliance on suppression.
It’s part of the cohesive strategy
The FAC Coalition
A partnership of national leaders in
wildland urban interface mitigation
working collaboratively to promote
the fire adapted communities
message, tools, and strategy.
National Association of State Foresters
U. S. Forest Service
U. S. Fire Administration
U. S. Department of Interior
International Association of Fire Chiefs
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
The Nature Conservancy/The Watershed Center
National Volunteer Fire Council
National Fire Protection Association
The NWCG Wildland Urban Interface Committee
What the Forest Service is doing:
• A national awareness campaign with the Ad Council
• Support for initiatives and programs that further FAC
concepts: the Ready, Set, Go Program, Firewise, Wildland
Fire Assessment Program, Fire Learning Network
• Supporting a FAC Learning Network, currently in 18
communities
• Partnering with insurance companies on the national and
local levels
• Supporting tools to help communities adapt to fire
• Developing best practices
• Collecting and sharing success stories
• Focusing attention on the value of mitigation
• Bringing more partners to the table
• Exploring effective, efficient, viable ways to measure
success
For more info on adapting to wildfire
• fs.fed.us/fire/prev_ed/fac
• facnetwork.org
• wildlandfirersg.org
• conservationgateway.org/FLN
• firewise.org
• nvfc.org/programs/wildland-fire-assessmentprogram
For more info on adapting to wildfire
Cont’d
• fireadapted.adcouncil.org
• usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/.../fire_adapted_c
ommunities.pdf
• fireadapted.org
• usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/wildfire
• thewatershedcenter.com/?page_id=1424