NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 70

programs, and by supporting the development of a skilled
workforce that can help owners assess and mitigate their
homes and properties. States must have regulations in
place requiring property owners to maintain defensible
space, ensuring that the areas immediately around homes
and other buildings are clear of vegetation and other
sources of fuel.
States can also rely on voluntary initiatives such
as Firewise USA® and the Fire Adapted Communities
Learning Network, which have proven track records of
transforming homes and communities. Residents of nearly
2,000 Firewise communities nationwide have already
taken steps to make their homes more resistant to ignition from wildfire, from clearing yard debris to replacing
combustible rooftops with materials that are fire resistant.
Costlier, more intensive home improvements will require
policymakers at the state and federal levels to consider
creating tax credits or deductions to support retrofitting
activities, and to ensure that grants and low-cost loans are
available to aid mitigation and retrofitting efforts for residents of fire-prone areas who otherwise lack resources.

Fire departments for WUI communities
must be prepared to respond
safely and effectively to wildfire.

ost US fire departments are called upon to provide
some form of wildland firefighting, but many of those
departments have neither the training nor the equipment to
fight those fires safely or effectively. Communities that rely
on their fire departments to protect lives and property in
wildfire events must identify municipal, state, and federal
funding sources to help them properly train and equip their
first responders.
According to NFPA's Fourth Needs Assessment of the US
Fire Service, 88 percent of US fire departments-roughly
23,000-provide wildland and/or WUI firefighting services.
Of those, 63 percent have not formally trained all of their
personnel involved in these activities. Personal protective equipment for wildland firefighting is available to all
responders in just 32 percent of those departments, and firefighters in 26 percent of those departments have no wildland
PPE at all. These gaps threaten firefighter health and safety
and increase the risk faced by businesses and homeowners.
Local fire departments report that brush, grass, and forest
fire incidents account for nearly a quarter of the response
calls they receive each year. From 2011 to 2015, wildfires
resulted in an annual average of 1,330 fireground injuries to
local fire department personnel.

Fire departments acknowledge their limited capacity.
For example, 64 percent of US fire departments say they
could manage structure protection for a maximum of two
to five structures during a single wildfire incident; wildfires now routinely involve dozens or even hundreds of
structures at a time. Similarly, 52 percent say they could
manage responding to a wildfire of, at most, 10 acres; the
average size of a wildfire in the US is nearly 170 acres.
Meanwhile, many Americans continue to believe that the
fire service will always have the capacity to respond to
any fire or emergency event and mount successful rescues
and saves. While state and federal agencies also perform
wildland firefighting, the scope of those services differs
significantly from that of local fire departments and generally does not extend to protecting homes, businesses,
and other structures.

64%

The percentage of US
fire departments that
say they could manage
structure protection for
a maximum of two to five
structures during a single
wildfire incident. Wildfires
now routinely involve
dozens or even hundreds
of structures at a time.

52%

The percentage of US
fire departments that
say they could manage
responding to a wildfire
of, at most, 10 acres.
The average size of
a wildfire in the US is
nearly 170 acres.

A case study prepared for the Wildland Fire Lessons
Learned Center in 2010 illustrated that the reality of how
firefighters are killed and injured during wildfires is often
the result of insufficient training, no protective gear, and
little or no direction. The study examined wildfires that
occurred in Texas and Oklahoma in 2005 and 2006 and
that killed four firefighters and severely injured seven.
In interviews, firefighters who'd been injured in those
fires insisted they would not change a thing about the
operation, citing their training to protect life and property-even though they were fighting fires in grassy fields.
The study's recommendations emphasized training for
rural fire departments, including teaching firefighters
that no acre of vegetation (or any house, for that matter)
is worth sustaining injury or risking death. It was clear
from the study's findings that minimal emphasis had been
placed on such training.
In addition to prioritizing resources to train and equip
their own responders for wildfire, communities whose
local fire departments lack capacity to engage large fires
must develop and maintain mutual aid agreements with
neighboring communities to increase their response capabilities. At the same time, the public must understand
that while the fire department's response during a wildfire event is critical, it will be much less successful in an
unprepared community. That's why it is imperative that
community members take action to prepare their own
homes, businesses, and neighborhoods ahead of a wildfire
event.

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NFPA Journal - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2021