Description

States, counties and local governments in the United States have dramatically increased their wildfire mitigation efforts in recent years. Policymakers and fire officials are employing a wide range of regulatory and voluntary wildfire risk reduction programs to protect residents, communities, and natural resources. We researched these sub-federal wildfire hazard mitigation efforts and established the website, www.wildfireprograms.usda.gov, as a clearinghouse of information to assist fire officials, public officials, planners, and land managers in the development and expansion of effective programs. The website currently describes over 184 programs in 27 states, and includes information about the purpose, features, and accomplishments of wildfire hazard mitigation programs; as well as links to pertinent websites and program managers? contact information. The types of programs that fire officials are using in their wildfire risk reduction efforts include public outreach and education, assessment of wildfire risk and designation of high-risk areas, homeowner assistance, community recognition, and regulatory programs. These classifications are identified in the website search option, along with options to select programs by administrative jurisdiction and by specific states. By using the website, community officials can find successful programs currently at work in other communities, and get ideas of how to structure their program for greatest effectiveness.