User:Pleschak/Sandbox

References: Quadrennial Fire and Fuels Review 2005 References: Quadrennial Fire and Fuels Review 2009

Definition: Fire Adapted Community: "A Fire Adapted Community is a knowledgeable and engaged community in which the awareness and actions of residents regarding infrastructure, buildings, landscaping, and the surrounding ecosystem lessens the need for extensive protection actions and enables the community to safely accept fire as a part of the surrounding landscape." USDA Forest Service

Short version: A fire adapted community is one that can survive a wildfire with little or no additional protection resources and little or no damage. USDA Forest Service

The 2005 and 2009 Quadrennial Fire Review called for promoting fire-adapted human communities rather than escalating protection of communities-at-risk in the wildland- urban interface. Implementation of the FAC strategy will include: changing public expectations that government can protect them from wildland fire under all conditions; building a sense of shared responsibility among private landowners, home owners, the insurance industry, fire districts, local governments and other key players in interface communities for wildfire prevention and mitigation;increasing knowledge and commitment among private landowners, home owners, the insurance industry, fire districts, local governments and other key players in interface communities for wildfire prevention and mitigation.

The FAC Track: Think of Fire Adapted Communities as a process. Compare it to a career path. You get on the path and take a step toward the goal. Each step has value. It’s the same with the FAC Track. A community steps on the track and uses the available and appropriate tools to help reduce their risk from wildland fire.The Fire Adapted Communities process or track works the same way. The goal is reduced risk and resilience to wildfire. One community may use 3 tools to get there while other communities may need 8 tools to reduce their risk. Either way the goal is reduced risk. Both communities are on the FAC track.

A fire adapted community is prepared to survive a fire because the community has: defensible/survivable space (ex: Firewise, Take Responsibility,)a CWPP and uses it, adopted Ready, Set, Go!, and a host of other tools ...but also because the larger landscape has been prepared through mitigation for the fire, the fire department has the capability to educate about mitigation and to protect in case of fire, local, state, and national jurisdictions have done their part to help prepare their jurisdictions for fire.