Firewise Communities
Community Presentation Discussion Flow
5/09
Following is an overview of the recommended discussion flow for meetings with community
groups regarding Firewise Communities. This is not a script; discussion leaders should tailor
information to their specific needs, based on their region, local conditions, and specific
audiences. This discussion flow is appropriate for, among other audiences, community
meetings, local fire service, forestry service, internal agency communication, and elected official
briefings. Consult your state forestry representative for assistance with local information.
The following document includes a sample script for meetings in which PowerPoint is not
available or is inappropriate. Included separately in this kit is a sample PowerPoint
presentation. Be sure to view the PowerPoint in “Notes Pages” view to see the
accompanying sample script.
Overall Considerations
 Introduce the concept of the role of wildland fire: fire is natural and essential.
o Be careful to balance the messages that fire is natural and beneficial, yet can put
homes at risk. Avoid explosive words like “catastrophic” and “deadly.” Instead
consider using “extreme” or “severe.”

Know the community and be sensitive to its needs.
o Reassure them that the state/federal government is not going to come in and
remove vegetation on their property.
o Reassure them that “Firewise” does not mean “ugly” – Firewise practices can
enhance a home’s appearance by opening space between vegetation and cleaning
up debris.
o Encourage the community that they can still have privacy, woods, views, etc.

Use specific examples
o Identify local wildland fire risks and address hazards.

Use plain language and avoid jargon.
o Use terms that the public will understand and relate to. For example, although
“wildland fire” is the technically correct term, when working with communities and
homeowners, it is acceptable to use the term “wildfire” when referring to the type of
fire that will put their homes at risk.
NOTE: The attached discussion flow is designed to accompany the “Communities
Compatible with Nature” handout (newspaper insert).
Firewise Communities
Communications Guide
Firewise Communities: Presentation Discussion Flow- WITHOUT POWERPOINT
DISCUSSION FLOW
1. Introductions
Introduce presenter; thank
participants for coming.
2. Overview of Wildland
Fire Risk and Personal
Responsibility
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
 Hello, my name is ____________. Thanks for having me
here today to talk about an important issue facing this
community: Wildfires.

The truth is, wildfire is an essential, natural process.
o Use local or regional examples (i.e. lodgepole
pines need fire to warm their cones, allowing
them to open and drop seed)
o Here in our area, we can expect to experience fire
every XX years.

This year, our area is at risk because (INSERT
DETAILS, E.G. DROUGHT; DRY SEASON; FUELS;
BUILD-UP. Be specific about types of fuels in the area.
See “Hazard Assessment” section of “Communities
Compatible with Nature” handout for examples.)

Wildfires may make it impossible for firefighters to
get to your property when fire is approaching.
o If XX homes are at risk at the same time, and we
only have X fire truck(s), it’s physically impossible
for firefighters to reach each home.

However: Our homes don’t have to burn. We can
make our homes and communities prepared.
o We have developed tactics to battle wildland fire.
However, if we really want to reduce loss of lives,
homes, and properties, we must change our
development, building, and landscaping practices.

People who live and recreate in fire-prone lands
assume a certain level of risk and responsibility due
to the condition of the surrounding environment.
Reference examples of fires
in the region, and effects on
communities.
3. How Homes Ignite
Pg. 2
Wildland Fire Behavior Elements -- How a Fire Burns
To understand our wildfire risk, we need to understand a
little bit about how wildfires spread. Fire is affected by fuels,
weather, and terrain.
Firewise Communities
Communications Guide
Firewise Communities: Presentation Discussion Flow- WITHOUT POWERPOINT
DISCUSSION FLOW
A. FUELS
Address specific fuels in the
area.
B. Weather
Address weather conditions
in the area.
C. Terrain
Address topography of the
region.
Pg. 3
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
A quick vocabulary lesson as we discuss fuels:
 Fuel includes anything that burns – trees, grass, homes even lawn furniture.
o Surface fuels: Primarily flammable material on the
ground – Dry grass, shrubs, pine needles, dead
branches, etc. Surface fires tend to be relatively
low-intensity fires, and don’t usually put homes at
risk. UNLESS THERE IS A CONTINUOUS PATH
OF FUELS THAT LEAD TO THE HOME. But we
can fix that.
o Ladder fuels: Flammable material that can carry
fire to the tops of trees – Tall brush, low branches,
etc. These can lead to crown fires.
o Crown fuels: Crowns are the tops of trees – also
called canopies. When fire reaches this level, it
becomes a high-intensity, fast moving fire. These
are the most difficult to control. Research shows
homes must be within 100 feet of the flames to be
directly ignited by a crown fire. But what gets
homes here are FIREBRANDS.
• Firebrands are burning embers that can be
carried up to a mile or more by strong winds,
and can start spot ignitions away from the
main fire. It’s these firebrands that put most
homes at risk during a high intensity fire.
Dry, windy weather contributes significantly to the spread of
wildfire. Drought conditions accompanied by low humidity
lead to dry vegetation that burns easily. Wind can cause
fires to grow quickly, die down, or change direction. And
don’t forget that during high intensity fires, strong winds can
carry those firebrands that can start separate fires – up to a
mile or more.
Fire is also affected by terrain (topography).
• Generally, fire moves more quickly uphill (slope) and
has longer flames than on level ground or when
spreading downhill. This is because the fire
“preheats” the fuels above it, drying out vegetation
and enabling fuels to ignite more quickly.
• The direction of the slope and the amount of sunlight
an area receives also can impact fire behavior.
Generally south-facing slopes receive more sunlight,
that leads to dryer fuels.
Firewise Communities
Communications Guide
Firewise Communities: Presentation Discussion Flow- WITHOUT POWERPOINT
DISCUSSION FLOW
4. Cooperation
Discuss what local agencies
are doing to work with each
other, communities, tribes,
etc.
5. Firewise Communities
Program
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
 Improving health of the land and reducing risks to
communities requires partnerships among federal
and state agencies, tribal governments, fire
departments, communities, and landowners.
o Fire burns where conditions are right. Fire does not
acknowledge jurisdictional boundaries of federal,
state, and local agencies; tribes; or private
landowners.
o Agencies, tribes, and communities are working
together to understand and accept what it means to
live in a fire-prone area and to realize the benefits of
managing fire in the wildlands.
Use local or regional examples

Federal and state agencies are responsible for
reducing wildfire risk on public lands; but we have to
help them out on private lands.
o They can’t necessarily mandate what we do on our
private property – and we want to keep it that way.
That means we have a responsibility to take proactive
measures on our own.
o The bottom line: We can live compatibly with wildland
fire while protecting our lives, homes, and natural
areas by creating Firewise Communities.

People can live compatibly with fire, if actions are taken
to be aware of – and prepared for – local fire conditions.

The national Firewise Communities program is an
interagency program designed to encourage local
solutions for safety in the wildland/urban interface by
involving homeowners, community leaders, planners,
developers, firefighters, and others in the effort to protect
people and property from the risk of wildland fire.

The vision of Firewise Communities is: With adequate
planning and cooperation among varying interests,
wildfires can occur without disastrous loss of life,
property, and resources.

Research tells us that if we really want to reduce our risk
of the wildfire threat to our homes, we need to focus right
in our own backyards. We need to focus on the home
and its immediate surroundings.
Federal and state land managers are taking care of the
public lands; but it is our responsibility to reduce the
hazards on our private property.
Introduce the program, who
directs it, and its mission.
6. Steps homeowners can
take
Reinforce personal
responsibility.
Pg. 4

Firewise Communities
Communications Guide
Firewise Communities: Presentation Discussion Flow- WITHOUT POWERPOINT
DISCUSSION FLOW
A. Landscaping
Use examples of local
vegetation. Show pictures.
NOTE: For a plant list for
your area, visit
www.firewise.org, or contact
your state forester, a local
landscape specialist, or
university extension service.
Pg. 5
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
 Landscaping is among the first elements of a home that
others notice. If managed effectively, landscaping can
also serve as a fuel break, protecting a home in the
event of a wildfire.
 The primary goal for Firewise landscaping is fuel
reduction — limiting the level of flammable vegetation
and materials surrounding the home and increasing the
moisture content of remaining vegetation.
 Firewise landscaping also allows plants and gardens to
reveal their natural beauty by leaving space between
individual and groups of plants and trees.
ALSO reference “Communities Compatible with Nature” for
landscaping zone approach, using distance requirements
applicable to your area.
B. Construction
Specifically mention
common construction
material in the area. Show
pictures.




Even if a landscape is designed in perfect compliance
with Firewise recommendations, fire may still reach your
home.
Remember that heavy winds can carry firebrands over
the tops of trees to land on a roof. If that were to happen
to your home, your home’s exterior must play an
important role in preventing ignitions that could lead to
total home destruction.
Keep in mind that the home ignition zone includes the
home, in relation to its immediate surroundings within
100 to 200 feet.
When considering improvements to reduce wildfire
vulnerability, the key is to consider the home as part of
the entire home ignition zone – the house itself and its
immediate surroundings within 100 to 200 feet.
o The home’s vulnerability depends on how much
flammable vegetation and other hazards are
surrounding it, in relation to the vulnerability of the
home’s construction materials.
o The higher the fire intensities within the home
ignition zone, and the greater the firebrand
exposure from the wildfire, the more you need
non-flammable construction materials and a
resistant building design.
o In other words, if you want to have trees and
vegetation close to your home, you need to use
building materials that are less likely to burn. And
vice versa.
REFER to tips in “Communities Compatible with Nature”
Firewise Communities
Communications Guide
Firewise Communities: Presentation Discussion Flow- WITHOUT POWERPOINT
DISCUSSION FLOW
7. Firewise
Communities/USA
8. Conclusion/Discussion
Pg. 6
SAMPLE TALKING POINTS
 In addition to preparing your home and family for
potential wildfires, consider working with your neighbors
to prepare your entire neighborhood.
o When a residential community has taken
proactive measures to prepare homes to survive
a wildfire, the fire service is able to focus more of
its resources on the main body of the fire as
opposed to individual structures.

In cooperation with state forestry organizations, Firewise
Communities has developed a nationwide program to
recognize communities that maintain an appropriate level
of fire readiness – Firewise Communities/USA.
o This program is of special interest to small
communities and neighborhood associations that
are willing to mitigate against wildfire by adopting
and implementing programs tailored to their
needs.
o The communities create these programs
themselves with cooperative assistance from
state forestry agencies and local fire staff.

If this community is interested, I can arrange for a
forestry representative to help begin the assessment
process for this community.

The reality today is that fire agencies cannot solve the
problem alone.
o Firefighters do not have the resources to defend
every home during a wildfire. Personal
responsibility is key.
o Residents can take steps to reduce their risks.
We know that using Firewise strategies can
increase the likelihood of our homes surviving a
wildland fire threat.

There are no guarantees that our communities will be
fireproof – some fires just get too big and too hot. But if
we take action to be firewise, we greatly increase the
chances that our homes and communities will withstand
a wildfire.
Firewise Communities
Communications Guide