IAFC Position: Collaborative Efforts for Reducing Community Risk in the WUI
The risk of wildland and wildland-urban interface fires in the U.S. continues to grow due to:
• Growing density and decreasing health of our forests
• Hotter and dryer climate trends
• Increasing numbers and density of homes built in the wildland-urban interface
At the same time, general statistical trends show increases in:
- Size of wildland fires
- Number of homes destroyed
- Suppression costs
- Financial losses due to wildland-urban interface fires
Whatever specific solutions are enacted for this growing problem must be collaborative. This IAFC position focuses on the second tenet of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy – collaborative action to reduce risk by promoting fire adapted communities (FAC).
The IAFC, through its Wildland Fire Policy Committee, will focus on the following to promote the greatest collaborative effort working toward addressing the national wildfire risk:
- Risk assessment
- Education
- Planning
- Mitigation