In most communities throughout the United States it is necessary to get a permit to burn slash piles. It is important to burn only when it is allowed by your state forester or other permitting agency. Make sure that you follow the guidelines carefully; if a wildland fire is started... Continue reading

As I left Southern California for Trinity County in Northern California to teach a workshop about Firewise principles, I saw a large plume of smoke. As reported by the UPI.com, 3,600 acres have already burned in the Powerhouse Fire as of Saturday north of Los Angeles in the Santa Clarita... Continue reading

I was invited by Ryan S. Shane, a Resource Management officer with the Nevada Division of Forestry, to assist with a visit to the community of Jarbidge on May 8. It’s located in a very remote area of Elko County, Nevada, on the Idaho border. From Elko, it was a... Continue reading

Many gun enthusiasts enjoy target shooting outdoors. Target shooting is a great way to improve hand/ eye coordination skills. Unsafe target shooting practices have resulted in wildfires including the recent Goat Fire in Washington State above Alta Lake which burnt 73,378 acres according to a February 16 2013 article, “Exploding... Continue reading

Campfires have been enjoyed since humanity’s earliest history. It is Spring break for many and soon we will be enjoying those warm summer months when campfires are a favorite pastime. A highlight of the warmer season is roasting marshmallows and making those old favorites s’mores around the campfire. What wonderful... Continue reading

In Riverside County a wildfire (Jurupa Fire), February 28 - March 3 included voluntary evacuations in the areas of Greenbrier Trail and Grassy Trail in the City of Riverside. At one point 1,846 residents of Riverside were without power. Some of the cooperating agencies that assisted were: CAL FIRE/Riverside, Corona... Continue reading

NFPA's Wildland Fire Operations Division sponsored a booth at the Firehouse World Expo in San Diego last month to share its resources with various fire agencies looking for tools to help them succeed in their efforts to reduce wildfire risk in their communities. It was exciting to be located next... Continue reading

When I attended the recent Wildfire Prevention Regional Conference hosted by the California Fire Safe Council, I met Mark Thibideau, a Forest Service Fire Prevention Technician working for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest at a booth promoting “One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire.” This is a unique fire prevention campaign that... Continue reading

At the California Fire Safe Council’s recent Wildfire Prevention Regional Conference, I met many Fire Safe Council members that also were recognized Firewise Communities/USA sites. These included Yankee Hill, Napa, Trinity County communities and Humboldt County communities. Participating in both programs has helped these communities become even more successful Fire... Continue reading

San Diego City Fire Department Fire Prevention Supervisor Eddie Villavicencio graciously met with me to discuss how San Diego neighborhoods can work toward being recognized as Firewise Communities. We discussed the importance of residents taking responsibility for making their homes and neighborhoods safer with the support of the San Diego... Continue reading

I recently read four tree-care articles online (sources: (1) The Dallas News, “Proper Pruning Helps Protect Trees From Storm Damage”; (2) The Blue Water Baltimore, “Four Tips To Protect Trees From Storm Damage; (3) The Saint Lewis Post-Dispatch, “Tips for Protecting Trees and Shrubs From Storms”; (4) Philly.com, ”Tips For... Continue reading

When I first heard about mastication the first thing that came to mind was chewing something yummy. In the fire prevention arena mastication is the process of “chewing up” vegetation with machinery. This is just another means of utilizing a tool to reduce fuels in communities. I have learned about... Continue reading

While I was working with Pat Frost from the Trinity County Resource Conservation District to assist them with an assessment of Burnt Ranch Community near Weaverville, California, we discovered a most unusual fence all around a property. The homeowner had used bits and pieces of all sorts of scrap metal... Continue reading

Here’s some great news I couldn’t wait to share with you all this holiday season … It’s been reported in the November 2 issue of the National Association of State Foresters’ Weekly Report that Choose Outdoors, a nonprofit organization, has pledged to raise $25,000 for wildfire cleanup efforts in Colorado,... Continue reading

I enjoyed meeting with many of Hawaii’s Fire Chiefs at the Hawaii Fire Chiefs Association Convention that was held recently in Kapalua, Maui. The HFCA is affiliated with the Western Fire Chiefs Association, a division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Now in its 34th year, HFCA membership has... Continue reading

On Friday, October 26, Pasadena Glen, one of the oldest homeowner associations in California, completed their Firewise Assessment. Residents of the community recognize the historic significance of their community and are working hard to make Firewise improvements to protect their community from another wildfire event. Pasadena Glen is one of... Continue reading

Brrrr! It has been cold this week in the California mountains and it was time to get the fireplace going. Before I started a fire to cozy up the cabin, I made sure that things were in Firewise order. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2010, heating equipment... Continue reading

It was with great pleasure that I attended the recent Living With Wildfire (University of Nevada) conference in Reno, Nevada. Firewise Communities office staff ensured that one of our Firewise Communities books was donated as a door prize. Firewise Communities was acknowleged in the program as a donor. There were... Continue reading

Cheryl Blake and I worked at a booth in the Expo Hall at the recent American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) conference in Phoenix. It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with individuals who design landscapes for communities and public facilities. We provided materials about Firewise landscaping including a booklet... Continue reading

I attended a Regional Area Safety Task Force (RAST) Conference this summer in southern California. One of the presenters was Stephen L. Quarles, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at IBHS, a Fire Adapted Communities coalition member. He gave an informative presentation about looking at developing green building concepts that would also be... Continue reading

In light of the five-year anniversary of the 2007 fires in California, it is great to see communities in the southern half of the state organizing themselves in collaboration with their authorities having jurisdiction, to gain national recognition as Firewise communities! What a pleasant surprise it was to meet one... Continue reading

I learned about a great resource currently available to San Diego County residents to be used in the event of a disaster. It is called, "The Red Guide to Recovery". This resource handbook for disaster survivors is sponsored by the San Diego Burn Institute, Sempra Energy and others. The book... Continue reading

Many successful fire adapted communities such as Prescott, Arizona and Nevada County, California have developed unique wildland-urban interface organizations to collaboratively address community wildfire risk. They mobilize Firewise® community efforts with a central group like the hub of a wheel and many smaller communities acting like spokes of a wheel... Continue reading

The 2013 International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Conference will be held next year March 19-21at a new location - The Peppermill Resort and Casino in Reno Nevada. Information about details of the conference and updates are available on the website hosted by the IAFC. They are... Continue reading