While wildfire can be a beneficial process at the right time and in the right place, there are times and places where wildfire is not desirable. Preventing the unintentional ignition of wildfire is an important component of a fire adapted community.
There are many ways individuals and communities can work to prevent wildfire. One of the first steps is understanding the causes of wildfire ignition in your community and working together with community-based organizations to help address those causes.
Public education campaigns, such as Smokey Bear, help share the prevention message to reduce the occurrence of unintended or unnatural wildfires. Some communities have developed plans to temporarily shutdown electrical infrastructure when the risk of wildfire is too high. Known as “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” these proactive actions can help reduce the likelihood of ignition.
This resource page covers a variety of tools, examples and resources around the topic of prevention.
Frank Riley, executive director of the Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Council, is passionate about fire adaptation in all forms, including wildfire prevention. The recipient of a 2021 Silver Smokey Bear Award, Frank Riley and his partners in north Georgia have worked extensively with area residents to talk both about the importance of prescribed fire on the landscape and the need to prevent human-caused ignitions. The extensive outreach campaign in the north Georgia area resulted in a 51% reduction in human-caused ignitions in 2020.
