QUINCY, Mass. – The National Firewise Communities Program is launching its second annual awards program to recognize outstanding efforts to promote a cooperative approach to reducing the loss of lives, property, and resources in the wildland/urban interface.
The Firewise Leadership Awards are open to individuals and organizations conducting wildland fire mitigation activities in residential developments in the wildland/urban interface. Eligible Firewise efforts may include, but are not limited to:
- Innovations in engineering
- Program communications, advertising, exhibits, and/or other informational programs
- Success in involving communities
- Collaboration across agency jurisdictions
- Special partnerships
The Firewise Leadership Awards provide recognition to the drivers of the Firewise movement – whether they are individuals or groups of departments – and encourage other innovative initiatives that promote the Firewise mission.
Winners of the inaugural 2006 Firewise Leadership Awards were announced in November at the bi-annual National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Education Conference, “Backyards and Beyond,” in Denver, Colorado.
For example, Jim Harrell of the Florida Division of Forestry was presented with a regional award at the 2006 conference for being instrumental in promoting the Firewise concept throughout the state of Florida. He said he was humbled just to be nominated by his colleagues.
“I really believe that Firewise Communities has made a difference in wildland fire safety – for that reason, being selected to receive a regional leadership award meant a lot to me,” Harrell said.
Beyond recognition, the Firewise Leadership Awards program will help program administrators to capture success stories and share best practices across the country, between all types of interests – public, private, and tribal.
- The Firewise Leadership Awards are open to a maximum of the following every year:
- Two Regional Level Awards – Impact in more than one state
- Three State Level Awards – State level impact, with relevance in a majority of the state, measured by land or population
- Three Local Level Awards – City/municipal, county, or regional impact within a single state
All entries must be submitted by June 30, 2007. Visit www.firewise.org/awards for entry guidelines and forms. E-mail questions to firewiseawards@nfpa.org.
The national Firewise Communities program is an interagency program designed to encourage local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters, and others in the effort to protect people and property from the risk of wildfire. The Firewise Communities program is sponsored by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team, a consortium of wildland fire agencies that includes the USDA Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Emergency Management Association, the US Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, the National Fire Protection Association, and state forestry organizations. For more information, visit www.firewise.org.