WHAT ARE FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES ?
A fire adapted community is a community that is working to prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire. A fire adapted community understands that this process has no end point, and is a constant cycle. It incorporates people, buildings, businesses, infrastructure, cultural resources, and natural areas into the before, during and after measures.
COMMUNITIES ARE UNIQUE AND SO ARE ARE FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES
“Fire adapted communities” or (FAC) are communities that understand their risk and are taking action to better prepare for, respond to and recover from wildfire. In Kittitas County, fire adaptation means accepting fire as part of the surrounding landscape, taking action to reduce risk and the need for extensive protection actions, and continuously adapting to live safely with wildfires. When we talk about fire-adapted communities, we talk about action: who takes action, what actions to take, and when to take action.
IS "FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES" JUST A NEW NAME FOR FIREWISE USA (R)?
No. The Firewise USA recognition program focuses on resident action and encourages neighbors to work together to prevent loss. It is one action that you can take towards fire adaptation.
WHAT ACTIONS CAN PEOPLE TAKE TO BECOME MORE ADAPTED TO WILDFIRE?
Actions to improve a community's resilience to wildfire vary from place to place. The goal is to decrease the impact of wildfire to the community. Evacuation planning, developing wildfire protection plans, wildland-urban interface codes, prescribed burning, and planning for post-fire recovery are a few examples of fire adaptation actions.