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INTRODUCTION
The destruction and hazards associated with wildland fires could be minimized with appropriate prevention and mitigation efforts. The increase in the wildland/urban interface areas necessitates the rapid development and implementation of a comprehensive wildfire prevention and mitigation program in Florida.
Fuel reduction techniques are one mode of wildfire prevention and mitigation. These techniques may include prescribed burning, manual and mechanical clearing of the interface areas, timber harvesting, the planting of fire tolerant species for landscaping, and the use of herbicides. The combination of prescribed burning with other fuel reduction techniques, is frequently appropriate depending on the conditions and considerations for specific areas being addressed. Other mitigation techniques may also be used. For example, the use of fire resistant building products along with fire conscious construction and landscaping practices can contribute greatly in reducing risks throughout the State. These efforts, combined with a strong code compliance effort, and an effective public education program, have made the difference between success and failure in many high-risk communities.
Fire in Florida’s wildlands is a recurring, beneficial and inevitable natural process. As the State’s population centers expand into previously uninhabited wildlands, there is an overall increase in the interface areas, making it necessary for Floridians to adjust or redirect their lifestyles in order to co-exist in these fire-prone habitats. Funding strategies and incentives that foster prevention and mitigation, and fire safe activities, are critical to the overall success in reducing wildfire risks.
Cyclical climatic conditions compound these situations, further emphasizing the importance of prevention and mitigation efforts. The options are limited. If Florida does not take the necessary preventative efforts to ensure wildfire safety, the devastation experienced in the wildland fires of
1998 will not only be repeated, but will also increase in severity.
ISSUE A: FUEL REDUCTION
The cornerstone of a fuels management program is the comprehensive assessment of the current situation. A program for the identification and mitigation of vegetative fuels which may contribute to a wildfire is needed in the State of Florida. Prescribed burning is the most cost-effective fuel management technique for the removal of hazardous fuels. It is also usually the most effective tool to maximize environmental benefits. Other fuel management techniques such as mechanical, chemical use, and timber harvesting may be more appropriate when liability and safety issues prohibit the use of prescribed burning.
Recommendation #50:
The Division of Forestry, in cooperation with federal, state, and local governments shall develop a “Wildlands Vegetative Fuels Assessment Program” to identify and mitigate the wildfire hazards in the wildland/urban interface. The Florida Legislature should fund the
Division of Forestry budget request to initiate and update the statewide fuels/hazard assessment process.
Comments:

44 a. The program should be developed in two phases to ensure that initial “hazardous fuel identification” information is quickly available to allow fire managers to develop mitigation and response strategies in anticipation of a predicted “active” fire season in 1999. Phase 1 would include a review of existing Geographic Information System (GIS) databases of aerial photos, interviews with local fire service personnel and ground truthing to identify the high hazard wildland/urban interface areas within individual counties. Phase 2 would be the development of a comprehensive program that would include the information gathered in Phase 1, and add a Wildfire
Hazard Rating system with maps, a Defensible Space and Homeowner Responsibility component, a mitigation options modeling section, and other necessary information. b. The Division of Forestry should be charged with the responsibility to coordinate with individual counties in developing and maintaining such a program. c. The program should be designed for wildfire hazard identification, pre-incident planning, emergency response, land use planning, land management, fire staffing and equipment needs, risk assessment, disaster assessment, building code issues and insurance incentives.
Recommendation #51:
Public land management agencies (from the agency head to the on-site manager) shall demonstrate a strong commitment to fuel reduction by implementing aggressive, cost effective and comprehensive prescribed burning programs and other fuel reduction programs (mechanical site preparation/removal, herbicide, timber harvesting, etc.) on public lands.
Comments: a. This commitment will require the appropriate staff, training, and equipment needed to implement an effective prescribed burning program.
b. Public land management agencies face many demands for their budget dollars and staff time; when faced with these conflicting demands agencies should ensure that prescribed burning receives the highest priority.
Recommendation #52:
The Legislature should pass legislation providing incentives for private landowners to develop and implement pro-active fuel management strategies for private lands.
Comments: a. The vast majority of the State’s rural wildlands are privately owned, therefore, private landowners should be encouraged to manage the fuels on their lands, through incentives/disincentives and risk awareness programs. b. The Division of Forestry, in partnership with local fire services personnel, should work with individual landowners to develop pro-active fuel management practices. The proposed Wildlands
Vegetative Fuels Assessment would provide valuable information for this endeavor.
Recommendation #53:

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The Department of Transportation shall reduce wildland fuel on public highway rights-of-way by facilitating prescribed burning and other fuel reduction practices, including mechanical site preparation/removal, herbicides, timber harvesting, etc.
Comments: a. The Department of Transportation should allow fire managers adjacent to the rights-of-way to burn onto or from the rights-of-way. b. The Department of Transportation should assist fire managers with safeguards, such as the placement of smoke/hazard signs and the temporary reduction of speed limits.
Recommendation #54:
State and local law enforcement agencies shall support prescribed burning practices by providing traffic control officers when required to ensure highway safety in the vicinity of the prescribed burns.
Comment:
Motorists respond differently to the sight of fire and smoke. Sometimes they respond in a way that jeopardizes highway safety. As has been demonstrated in the case of road construction, the mere presence of officers encourages safe motorist behavior.
Recommendation #55:
The Florida Legislature should eliminate the following Florida Statutes: § 590.05 (Road crews to extinguish fires) and § 590.09 (Setting fire on rights-of-way).
Comment:
These sections of Chapter 590, Florida Statutes, need to be repealed because, as currently written they do not allow adjacent land managers to utilize existing road rights-of-way as fire lines.
The wildfires of 1998 demonstrated that improved land use planning decision-making is essential to decreasing the vulnerability of individual structures and their neighborhoods to this type of disaster. In many developments within the “wildland - urban interface,” the wildfire threat has not been adequately incorporated into the initial planning of neighborhoods through such considerations as providing a defensible space and a sufficient water supply, or assuring that roadway access will be available under emergency conditions. In addition, the Committee is concerned that individuals buying property in such developments are not fully informed of the wildfire hazard, and therefore not aware of the importance of maintaining landscape in a fire-safe manner. Further, land use planning and development decisions in Florida are also creating impediments to the use of prescribed burning on nearby wildlands. The Committee believes that several actions are needed to address these land use planning concerns.
Recommendation #56:

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Local governments shall revise the development review process to include a review by the local fire official who would address wildfire defense and mitigation issues.
Comment:
Many developments are planned and constructed with aesthetics in mind with little concern for wildfire safety and defense. Review by local fire officials will ensure that safety and access for fire suppression resources and defensible space are considered in such plans
Recommendation #57:
Local governments, in cooperation with the Department of Community Affairs, shall promote compact urban growth through the comprehensive planning process to prevent and mitigate the potential adverse impacts of wildfires upon urbanizing areas.
Comments: a. The risk to homeowners from wildfire can be reduced or prevented by discouraging dispersed, low-density development in rural areas and urban/suburban fringe areas. b. Fire defense and mitigation is easier in a community where the homes are concentrated in a portion of the developed landscape and any open space needs are met in contiguous areas that can be managed for or with fire.
Recommendation #58:
Local governments and the Department of Community Affairs shall consider the fire-dependent or fire-prone characteristics of an area in the review of proposed land use changes.
Comment:
The results of the proposed “Wildlands Vegetative Fuels Assessment,” to be prepared by the
Division of Forestry, would be considered during the review of proposed land use changes.
Recommendation #59:
Local governments shall revise their comprehensive plans and their emergency management plans and codes to provide specific development requirements for areas with fire-prone vegetation.
Comments: a. Areas with fireprone vegetation would be designated on the proposed “Wildlands
Vegetation Fuels Assessment” Map (see Recommendation #1). b. Appropriate landscaping techniques should significantly enhance wildfire protection.
Minimum landscape design and maintenance should be required on new construction, including fire-safe ground covers, plants, shrubs, and trees.

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 c. Building codes and practices should promote fire-safe construction and maintenance.
Code restrictions on new construction should include the use of fire resistant structural designs and materials in fire-prone areas. d. Buffer zones between the urban and rural areas should be developed and maintained.
Developers should be required to maintain fuel reduction strategies on buffer areas surrounding and within their development, as appropriate. e. Structural setbacks from fire-prone vegetation should be developed and maintained.
These setbacks should be a minimum of 30 feet. f. Fire suppression capabilities should be enhanced through improved roadway, property access design, and adequate water supplies. Roadway improvements should include appropriate width, surface stability, vegetation clearance, and emergency vehicle turn-arounds. g. Rural (non-developed) landowners should be encouraged to employ fuel reduction strategies, such as the installation and maintenance of a pre-suppression fire break on their property.
Recommendation #60:
Local governments shall include wildfire mitigation and prevention components in their
Local Mitigation Strategies (LMS).
Comments: a. The Local Mitigation Strategy initiative is funded by the Department of Community Affairs to develop an all-hazards approach to mitigation planning at the community level. b. The Division of Forestry Area Supervisors should assist the LMS Working Groups to identify wildfire hazards as a component of the LMS vulnerability assessment.
Recommendation #61:
Local governments shall revise their plans and future land use maps to include information regarding the role of fire in native plant communities and a wildfire vulnerability assessment of the area.
Comment:
Property owners should be educated about the role of wildfire and their wildfire risk through the local comprehensive planning process.
Recommendation #62:
The Division of Forestry shall identify fire management areas or fire-prone habitats and provide a disclosure mechanism for current landowners and new buyers.
Comments:

48 a. Advisories or notices could be similar to flood plain determinations provided to land buyers at the time of title transfer. The advisories should include information regarding land management practices of adjacent properties. b. Sarasota County has adopted a similar disclosure process.
Recommendation #63:
The Division of State Fire Marshal shall establish a committee to review codes for the protection of life and property in the wildland/urban interface. A standard code should be recommended for Florida.
Comments: a. The greater application of a standard life safety codes, enhanced to address the wildfire threat, for design and construction of structures within the urban/wildland interface will be an important contributor to future reduction of the safety risk posed by wildfire. b. The Division of State Fire Marshal should ensure that this committee has appropriate representation from other state agencies with expertise and responsibilities in wildfire mitigation and prevention. c. The Division of State Fire Marshal, in cooperation with the Department of Community
Affairs, must also ensure that a program of training and instruction for local building officials is developed to promote implementation of the wildfire-related provisions of a life safety code.
Recommendation #64:
Local governments shall protect existing and future “smoke corridors” for lands that are managed or maintained through prescribed burning practices, including lands acquired for conservation purposes.
Comments: a.
Local governments should avoid locating institutional buildings (i.e. hospitals, schools, long term care facilities, airports, etc.) in close proximity to lands upon which prescribed burning is performed periodically. Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) should consider alternative alignment when proposing new highways that threaten smoke corridors. b. Real estate transactions involving lands adjacent to areas managed with prescribed burning should include a requirement that potential buyers be notified of the possible occasional and temporary exposure to smoke and ash.
This mechanism would simultaneously ensure disclosure of potential conditions associated with prescribed burning and help preserve individual landowners the right to manage their land.

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An important factor for Floridians to recognize is that wildfires are naturally occurring phenomena.
As such, the threat of wildfires will be a continuing hazard for the State’s communities that must be addressed through permanent, effective mitigation techniques. The goal of a statewide wildfire mitigation program will be to minimize the impact of future wildfires, not to anticipate that they will never occur.
Inherent in this goal is to achieve an adequate level of public understanding of the mitigation techniques and requirements that are needed to prevent what could be a smaller wildfire from becoming a catastrophic disaster, such as that experienced in 1998. Without a greater level of public understanding and acceptance of the routine mitigation actions needed, such as implementation of fuel reduction strategies and improved planning of developments in the wildland/urban interface, their implementation could be impeded or blocked. Then, Florida would continue to face the potential for catastrophic wildfires in the future.
To achieve a greater public understanding and acceptance of the needs for and methods of wildfire risk mitigation, several educational and awareness initiatives are needed, and are addressed in the
Committee’s recommendations.
Recommendation #65:
The Division of Forestry shall establish a fire consortium of all fire service and natural resource management communities to promote and deliver wildland fire management education programs.
Comment:
This consortium, as a minimum, should consist of representatives of the following agencies and organizations:
Division of Forestry
Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association
Division of State Fire Marshal
North Florida Prescribed Burning Council
Central Florida Prescribed Burning Council
Florida State Firefighters Association
Department of Environmental Protection
United States Forest Service
Water Management Districts
Florida Forestry Association
Tall Timbers Research Station
The Nature Conservancy
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
Recommendation #66:
The Division of Forestry, in coordination with local government, shall develop and implement within one year a “hard hitting” sustained public education campaign that will educate citizens of all ages about “good” prescribed fire and “bad” wildfire.
Comments:

50 a. The education campaign should include television and radio spots and school and community presentations. b. The frequency of public information dissemination should increase when fire risk conditions warrant. c. Use Smokey t he Bear’s alternate message, “Only you can prevent wildfires!”, in public education campaigns.
Recommendation #67:
The Florida Legislature should support the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer
Service’s proposed Wildfire Mitigation Strategy for the Future that will include the development of the proposed Wildland-Urban Fire Mitigation Unit.
Comments: a. Recent experience shows that there is an urgent need to better inform the public about the many aspects of fire. b. There is a need to instill a better understanding of the significance of “good” fire and “bad” fire in Florida (the natural role of fire). c. Local officials and citizens need to become more aware of the essential aspects of good wildfire prevention strategy, the dangers of wildfire, and the benefits of prescribed burning. The
Division of Forestry proposes the Wildland-Urban Interface Unit to better communicate these issues. d. An important component of the Wildland-Urban Interface Unit would be the implementation of the “Fire in Florida’s Ecosystem” program in schools. This will also help inform the rapidly increasing population of the state which is not familiar with prescribed fire and the benefits that are to be gained by using fire wisely as both a fuel reduction strategy and an essential land management tool in Florida.
Recommendation #68:
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall add a Public Information
Office/Education Office to the proposed Wildland-Urban Interface Mitigation Unit. The
Office would be responsible for developing fire messages and coordinating an on-going statewide campaign, in coordination with the fire services community.
Comments: a. The Committee wishes to emphasize the importance of public education and information regarding wildfire risk and prevention/mitigation techniques. Public education must be an integral component of any statewide strategy for wildfire mitigation. b. To assure that adequate expertise and personnel are available to develop and implement an effective public education program, expert personnel within the Division of Forestry must be dedicated to this task.

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Recommendation #69:
The Division of Forestry shall work with the Florida Department of Education to provide teacher resource kits and training for the proposed “Fire in Florida’s Ecosystems” supplemental curriculum to be used in the 4 th through the 8 th grade in public and private schools.
Comment:
The Prescribed Fire Act (§590.026, Florida Statutes) included this type of initiative, but funding was not provided for implementation.
Recommendation #70:
The Division of Forestry, in cooperation with Florida’s Prescribed Fire Councils, shall develop a “Welcome to Florida’s Fire Habitat” brochure designed primarily for new residents. The brochure shall provide an explanation of the natural role of fire, the importance of prescribed fire in preventing wildfire, and prevention and mitigation tips.
Comment:
A major concern of the Committee is that residents moving into Florida’s urban/wildland interface are unaware of the risk from wildfire and effective techniques to minimize the threat to their safety and property. A program is needed to address this specific portion of the vulnerable population.
The recommendations of the Committee have consistently addressed the need to promote the widespread use of safe and appropriate fuel reduction techniques as an effective preventative and mitigation program. The most cost-effective technique for fuel reduction on undeveloped lands is prescribed burning.
Florida’s use of prescribed burning has been impeded in many areas by a lack of public understanding of the need for it and the benefits gained. In addition, however, there are institutional barriers to the greater use of prescribed burning. One of these is the language of
Florida laws that opens landowners and certified burners conducting prescribed burns to unlimited liability for accidents and property damage potentially resulting from the activity. The Committee has found that this unlimited liability is perceived as a limit to the greater use of prescribed burning by private landowners.
Recommendation #71:
The Legislature should amend the Florida Prescribed Burning Act ( § 590.026, Florida
Statutes) to provide liability protection to a landowner or agent, with a current certified burner certificate and written burn plan, unless gross negligence is proven.
Comments: a. § 590.12, Florida Statutes ( Unlawful burning prohibited. Penalty) is in direct conflict with and invalidates the liability protection offered in § 590.026 ( The Prescribed Burning Act ). This section of the statute needs revision in order to be in compliance with the spirit and intent of § 590.026. The
Prescribed Burning Act, § 590.026, specifies in § (5)(a) liability requirements. § (5) (b) specifies

52 liability exemption if the liability requirements are followed but does not exempt liability due to negligence. b. § 590.12, Florida Statutes (Unlawful burning prohibited. Penalty) specifies in § (1)(d) that to permit an authorized fire to escape the authorized area is unlawful (violation of the law). As a point of law, violation of the law automatically presumes negligence. So, even if an individual complies with the requirements of § 590.026 and its associated administrative rule, when he or she violates the law ( § 590.12) by allowing the fire to escape due to negligence, they are therefore liable.
Recommendation #72:
The Legislature should establish a $100,000 cap on private landowner/prescribed burner liability in cases where liability resulted from a prescribed burn conducted under § 590.026,
Florida Statutes.
Comment:
Unlimited liability prohibits many private landowners from using prescribed fire as a fuel reduction tool. Encouraging fuel reduction by offering this liability protection offers a public benefit by reducing the risk of wildfire.
Recommendation #73:
The Legislature should amend § 590.025, Florida Statutes, (commonly known as the
Hawkins Act) to provide the Division of Forestry with increased authority to prescribe burn in fireprone habitats where the danger of wildfire exists, with or without a landowner’s permission. The Division of Forestry should be responsible for any damage caused by their actions (timber, smoke management, roads, fences, etc.).
Comments: a. This would be based on a fuel assessment program conducted at regular intervals by the
Division of Forestry. b. The Hawkins Act provides for notice requirements and an appeals process.
Recommendation #74:
The Division of Forestry shall revise Florida Administration Code, Rule 5I-2 (Rural Open
Burning) to expand daytime burning hours, and to provide greater latitude for certified burners to conduct nighttime burning.
Comment:
In the interest of encouraging the use of prescripted burning as a wildfire mitigation technique, the
Committee believes that removing prohibitions on nighttime burning would be helpful. This would

53 allow a burn initiated during daylight hours to be continued to full completion, or to otherwise take advantage of weather conditions favorable for control of a prescribed burn.
Recommendation #75:
The Legislature and local governments should protect and exempt prescribed burning from state and local air quality ordinances.
Comments: a. One impediment to the greater use of prescribed burning in some jurisdictions is the air quality limitations imposed by state statute or local ordinance. Removal or lessening of these restrictions would enable greater use of prescribed burning. b. In making this recommendation, the Committee emphasizes that the very severe, and potentially health threatening, air quality problems that occur during a major wildfire event, such as during 1998, far overshadow the impact of smoke from the less intense prescribed burns. The occasional and temporary air quality impact of a prescribed burn is warranted in view of the catastrophic impact that would occur when the area experiences a major wildfire.
Recommendation #76:
Section 316.1925, Florida Statutes (Uniform Traffic Code) should be revised to re-define careless driving to include failure to use due care when smoke is present on the highway.
Comment:
A contributing factor to limiting the greater use of prescribed burning is the concern regarding liability for motorists injured in accidents in which smoke may have been involved. The Committee maintains that smoke conditions originating from a properly conducted prescribed burn must be viewed by both motorists and local law enforcement agencies as similar to any roadway hazard.
The motorist must be responsible for driving in a manner consistent with the presence of such smoke, just as he or she would for any other type of naturally occurring hazardous driving condition.
As with any program focused on public safety, it will be necessary for the agencies tasked with implementation of the Committee’s recommendations given in this chapter to have the financial support to carry out their responsibilities. The Committee has recognized several specific categories of programs that will require additional funding if they are to be effective in reducing
Florida’s wildfire risk. Additional considerations related to overall program funding are addressed in the next chapter.
Recommendation #77:
The Florida Legislature should provide funding dedicated to a prevention and mitigation program based on a statewide fuels/hazard assessment. The program should be administered through the Division of Forestry and allocated though a commission or board

54 chaired by the Division Director with representatives from other prevention and mitigation entities (e.g. county emergency services, municipalities, and private lands).
Comments: a. The Committee believes that a key impediment to gaining a truly effective level of wildfire hazard mitigation capability throughout Florida is the lack of an adequate funding base dedicated to this purpose. For many of the recommendations listed herein by the Committee, the technical approaches necessary for their implementation are well known and demonstrably effective. The impediment has been a lack of funding for their implementation. b. The fuels assessment recommended by the Committee would provide a technically valid basis for the distribution of mitigation funding and implementation of mitigation programs to the areas of the State with the highest risk from this hazard. c. The wildfire risk management expertise and responsibilities now held by the Division of
Forestry make this agency a logical choice for leading this program.
Recommendation #78:
The Division of Forestry shall develop wildfire hazard reduction Best Management Practices
(BMP). The BMPs should identify Florida’s fire-prone ecosystems, including fuel reduction procedures, associated safety concerns, frequency of fuel reduction, and maintenance of fire breaks in an environmentally sound manner. Those complying with BMPs should be offered rewards or incentives.
Comments: a. A recognized and accepted set of “Best Management Practices” for management of the wildfire risk by property owners and operators would be very helpful in setting a standard to which the conscientious landowner, committed to wildfire risk mitigation, could aspire. The practices would identify effective techniques to be used for land management. b. The Division of Forestry, in consultation with other public and private stakeholder organizations, would both finalize the specific Best Management Practices to be promulgated, recommend the necessary legal mechanisms to do so, and promote implementation of economic incentives for their use. c. The incentives for the use of Best Management Practices that could be promoted by the
Division of Forestry could include insurance rate reductions, public recognition (e.g., a “seal of approval”), tax and market incentives, and similar inducements for landowners to utilize these practices.
Recommendation #79:
The Florida Legislature should ensure each agency within the State responsible for public lands be provided with adequate funding and resources for wildland fuel reduction on their respective lands through the creation of a dedicated source separate from and in addition to the existing land management trust fund.
Comment:

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Although the Division of Forestry is the core wildland fire management agency for the state, other public land management agencies in the state also need funding for personnel and equipment to implement prescribed burning on the lands they are required to manage.
If Florida is to achieve a significantly increased capability in wildfire mitigation, key elements of the community and the private sector must actively pursue appropriate wildfire mitigation strategies. To accomplish this goal, the Committee recognizes that there will need to be an array of incentives to stimulate this interest in wildfire mitigation, and the Committee offers several recommendations for this purpose.
Recommendation #80:
The Florida Building Code Commission shall incorporate wildland fire-safe building standards in the Florida Building Code.
Comments: a. There are a wide variety of construction materials and techniques that can be incorporated into new construction or remodeling efforts that will significant reduce the vulnerability to wildfires. b. With the impending implementation of a new, statewide building code, the Committee recognizes the opportunity to incorporate suitable requirements for making structures more resistant to the impacts of wildfires.
Recommendation #81:
The Governor, Legislature, and the Department of Insurance should support the Department of Community Affairs’ sponsored "homeowner incentive team" to develop special insurance rates or other incentives that encourage home and business owners to establish and maintain "defensible space" around facilities.
Comment:
The Department of Community Affairs is conducting an existing program to encourage homeowners, through incentives, to make their residences more disaster resistant. This program should also be used to make structures resistant to the impacts of wildfires in neighborhoods in the urban/wildland interface by ensuring there is adequate defensible space around structures.
Recommendation #82:
The Department of Insurance shall develop incentives for all wildland fire-safe structural and landscape improvements that should be applied to both existing structures and new construction.
Comments: a. For Florida’s communities to achieve a capability to resist the impacts of wildfires, it will be necessary for individual homeowners to implement mitigation-related improvements to their own property. Economic incentives in the form of insurance rate benefits for homeowners practicing wildfire mitigation techniques would help to achieve this goal.

56 b. The vegetative fuels assessment to be conducted by the Division of Forestry would provide technical information and data to support the Department of Insurance in developing the program for specific areas at risk.
Recommendation #83:
The Division of Forestry shall develop wildland fire-safe landscaping standards.
Comments: a. A key element in effective wildfire mitigation in the urban/wildland interface is the use of fire-resistant landscaping techniques. Currently, standards for Florida stipulating adequate landscaping techniques are not available. b. The standards would be made available to developers, architects, and landscape planners, and other professionals for routine use in their practices.
A very important component for a successful statewide mitigation program will be the capability to provide training and education opportunities in wildfire risk management. Florida must enhance the current level of facilities, personnel, and instructional materials available to support the educational prerequisites to implementation of the recommendations made in this report.
Recommendation #84:
The Governor and the Legislature should support the establishment of a Florida Center for
Wildfire and Forest Resource Management Training which would be operated by the
Division of Forestry, in cooperation with the other state and federal agencies.
Comments: a. The wildfire risk for Florida is both a statewide hazard and a complex technical and planning issue. The unique significance of this hazard, and the importance of education and training to its successful management, warrant a state level institution specializing in this issue. b. The expertise and program responsibilities of the Division of Forestry make it logical for the agency to lead implementation of this recommendation.
Recommendation #85:
The Division of Forestry shall develop and offer a basic prescribed burning curriculum, including a dedicated training staff, which should be designed to train individual landowners to safely manage small parcels of personal property or family-owned lands.
Comment:
This recommendation is made in recognition of the fact that there are numerous, family-owned and operated tracts of land subject to wildfire hazards. Typically, this category of land holders would

57 not have the expertise or financial resources to avail themselves of formal training opportunities, and a special program within the Division of Forestry is needed to meet these needs.
Recommendation #86:
The Division of Forestry shall expand the availability of the Interagency Prescribed Fire
Course and the Basic Prescribed Burning Certification Course.
Comment:
Individuals trained and operating under these guidelines will be afforded protections under
§ 590.026, Florida Statutes.
Recommendation #87:
The Division of Forestry shall work with appropriate agencies to provide additional training in prescribed fire for all fire and land management personnel in cooperation with the Florida
Center for Wildfire and Forest Resource Management Training, Florida State Fire College and the United States Forest Service National Prescribed Fire Training Center.
Comment:
This recommendation is intended to increase the availability of individuals expert in prescribed burning to provide this vital mitigation service in the State.
Recommendation #88:
The Florida State Fire College and the Division of Forestry shall work with appropriate agencies to develop a certificate training program in wildfire prevention and mitigation for the following professional disciplines: landscape architects and contractors, certified building inspectors, certified municipal fire inspectors, licensed general contractors, land use planners, and realtors. Responsible agencies for certification will be determined.
Comment:
The Committee recognizes that there are many professional disciplines that, to varying extents, have opportunities to introduce fire safe techniques and considerations into their practices for the government, the public and businesses. In order to enable these professionals to demonstrate to their clients and customers that they have unique capabilities in fire safe techniques, a formal program through which they can receive certification is needed.

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