By Faith Berry
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is celebrated the first Saturday in May, and this year, it lands on Saturday, May 4th! Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national campaign focused on getting individuals to take action to avoid wildfire damage to their homes and community spaces. Preparedness Day projects vary in size, shape, and scope depending on different communities’ wildfire risk and make-up. Past year’s projects are highlighted here on the Wildfire Community Preparedness Day success page.
Most communities interested in hosting a Wildfire Community Preparedness Day event reach out to their local, state, and federal foresters first for guidance. The most popular topic for Preparedness Day events is maintenance and improvements that can be done to protect homes and surrounding landscapes—also known as the “Home Ignition Zone”—against wildfire.
Participating in Wildfire Community Preparedness Day can make a big difference. For instance, last year Preparedness Day activities ensured the safety of the Falls Creek community in Colorado when the 416 Fire hit. The mitigation work the community completed before the wildfire not only allowed firefighters to attack the fire safely and without injury, it was instrumental in the survival of neighborhood homes.
The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA® for short) would like to express its appreciation to state foresters and their organization—the National Association of State Foresters—for their support of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day through the years. We are also thankful for the expertise they have shared about outreach to residents in wildfire prone areas and their guidance in developing and implementing wildfire safety projects.
Faith Berry is the NFPA wildlife education program manager. She can be reached by email at fberry@nfpa.org.