Twenty-one individuals and organizations honored for superlative fire protection efforts in their communities.
WASHINGTON—The Wildfire Mitigation Awards Committee is pleased to announce the 2015 Wildfire Mitigation Award winners. Established in 2014, in response to an overwhelming number of great wildfire mitigation program efforts across the nation, the Wildfire Mitigation Awards are the highest national honor one can receive for outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are jointly sponsored by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the USDA Forest Service.
The three categories for the awards include:
- Community Wildfire Preparedness Pioneer
- Fire Adapted Communities Fire Service Leadership
- Wildfire Mitigation Innovation
These awards are designed to recognize outstanding service in wildfire preparedness and safety across a broad spectrum of activities and among a variety of individuals and organizations. By honoring their achievements, the award sponsors also seek to increase public recognition and awareness of the value of wildfire mitigation efforts.
The winners of the inaugural Wildfire Mitigation Awards are:
Community Wildfire Preparedness Pioneer Awardees
- Ann Grant—Nevada Fire Safe Council & Nevada Network of Fire Adapted Communities | Reno, Nevada
- Tom Burns—Warm Springs Mesa Neighborhood Association | Boise, Idaho
- Ken and Nancy Hasse—Logtown Fire Safe Council and El Dorado County Fire Safe Council | Diamond Springs, California
- Judy Winzell—Falls Creek Ranch Homeowners Association | Durango, Colorado
Fire Adapted Communities Fire Service Leadership Awardees
- Chris Barth—Bureau of Land Management | Montrose, Colorado
- Colorado Springs Wildfire Mitigation Section—Colorado Springs Fire Department/City of Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Florida Forest Service Okeechobee District | Okeechobee, Florida
- Jerry McAdams—Boise Fire Department | Boise, Idaho
- Gregory McLaughlin—New Jersey Forestry Services-Forest Fire Service | Trenton, New Jersey
- Eric L. Mosley—Georgia Forestry Commission Oconee District | Milledgeville, Georgia
- University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Living With Fire Program | Reno, Nevada
- Thomas Spencer—Texas A&M Forest Service | College Station, Texas
Wildfire Mitigation Innovation Awardees
- West Region Wildfire Council | Montrose, Colorado
- Saws and Slaws | Boulder County, Colorado
- Travis Lipp, Jerry Derr and Lieutenant Tim Weaver—Bureau of Land Management | Meade County, South Dakota and Rapid City Fire Department | Rapid City, South Dakota
- Mitigation and Prevention Department—Texas A&M Forest Service | College Station, Texas
- Irene Jerome | Grant County, Oregon
- Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization | Kamuela, Hawaii
- Caloosahatchee Forestry Center | Fort Myers, Florida
- Flagstaff Fire Department Wildland Fire Management Division | Flagstaff, Arizona
- Pam Wilson—Firewise of Southwest Colorado and Local Firewise Council | Durango, Colorado
Awards will be presented at the IAFC Wildland-Urban Interface Conference (WUI) in Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.
Media Contact: Amanda Cooke, National Association of State Foresters, at acooke@stateforesters.org or 202-624-5417
