Wildfire Information and Resources

Wildfire Safety and Recovery

Wildfires in northern California fueled by arid conditions and fanned by high winds have killed more than 40 people and laid waste to some 200,000 acres—including Napa Valley wineries—larger than the area of New York City.

The fires at times caused the evacuation of some 100,000 people and destroyed nearly 6,000 homes and other structures. Changes in wind conditions and direction can mean the need for more evacuations at a moment’s notice. Officials say many of the fatalities occurred at night when people were sleeping and conditions changed suddenly.

Thousands of those who have been evacuated don’t know whether they still have homes to return to. Some still can’t account for their loved ones.

Each year, wildfires take lives and burn numerous structures, resulting in mounting costs that have enormous economic and environmental impacts to the nation’s communities and businesses. Wildfires also have devastating impacts on the environment and damage forests, rangelands, watersheds and wildlife.

However, there are steps you can take to protect lives and property at home and in your community. Here are some resources to help you plan:

Protect your home and family from wildfire

Sites for Kids

Protect your community from wildfire

Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. This handbook is sponsored by the Communities Committee, National Association of Counties, National Association of State Foresters, Society of American Foresters and the Western Governors’ Association.
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan. This fill-in-the blank form will help you to identify the resources and strategies to protect your community. Tab through the document and fill in the necessary information.
ICC 2008 National Blue Ribbon Panel on Wildland Urban Interface Fire

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners – the International Code Council and approximately 20 other founding-member international organizations -- created the Fire Management Actions Alliance (FMAA) to stimulate improved fire management and reduce damage from fire worldwide. The FMAA Charter provided for the development of a strategy to improve international cooperation in fire management, which included Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines. These guidelines provide an international framework, outline cross-sectoral issues, detail the principles and attributes needed to balance the social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of fire management, and prescribe key actions for the planning and management of fires.

Additional Wildfire Resources