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Neighborhood Leaders & Ambassadors

It’s neighbors that count during emergencies. When disaster strikes, “46% percent of individuals expect to rely a great deal on people in their neighborhood for assistance within the first 72 hours after a disaster”. (Source: ready.gov.) So, get connected!  Get to know them and how you can help each other during a wildfire.  Here are a few programs to help you get organized and collectively take action.

Here are a few programs to get you started.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Organizing Your Neighborhood

Neighborhood Volunteer Response

Become involved in the “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” leadership and training program to prepare for disaster.

Start a Map Your Neighborhood program to help enhance neighborhood communications, improve disaster readiness, and prepare to help each other before emergency responders arrive. 

Volunteer for a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to receive disaster preparedness training in your area.

Get involved before a disaster occurs. (Ready.gov)

Coordinate a neighborhood plan of action to remove vegetation and harden homes through Firewise USA® recognition program. (NFPA)

Join a Citizen Corps program to help build capacity for first responders.

FACILITATION AND TRAINING TOOLKITS

 

If you are working with neighbors to prepare for or recovery from wildfire – we have developed facilitation toolkits in English and Spanish to help you get started. 

The toolkits are a collection of editable resources.  Each toolkit contains a 3-part video series, presentation template with facilitator’s notes and talking points, and sample meeting/workshop agenda, including links to additional resources.  

Remember, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to preparedness, response, and recovery – and so the toolkits do not include a comprehensive set of actions to prepare your community for wildfire but will help to start the community on your journey to better live with wildfire.

When utilizing these toolkits, we encourage you to collaborate with local partners to facilitate community conversations and adopt a set of actions unique to your community.

Please feel free to download, use, and adapt the resources to fit your needs.

Before the Fire

During the Fire

After the Fire:  Community recovery is led by local leaders and done at the local level!

A MUST READ:  Joplin Pays it Forward – Leaders Share Recovery Lessons Learned

Develop a Community Organization Active in Disaster (COAD) before a disaster strikes so that you are ready to provide assistance to disaster victims.

This Resident Recovery Workbook can be used to facilitate pre-planning for recovery workshops with residents.

This Resident Recovery Workbook can to prepare for recovery or initiate the post-fire recovery process. The videos below will help guide you in completing the worksheets in the workbook.

Contact your closest WAFAC member to learn about the technical and financial
assistance resources available to help your neighborhood prepare for wildfire.
Click Here

from the field:

Neighborhood Leaders & Ambassadors

Click here for more!

This project was made possible through support provided by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Department of Agriculture United State Forest Service (USFS), Washington State Conservation Commission through Cascadia Conservation District, and The Watershed and Research and Training Center (WTRC) to the Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council (WRCD).  The content and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the USFS, BLM, DOI, WTRC, or the WRCD and no official endorsement should be inferred.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

ON A MISSION IN WASHINGTON

As handy as it might be, there is no road map or checklist for fire adaptation. The scale of our task and the geographically distinct regions of our state demand that smart people with different perspectives come together. Together, we’re making headway living with wildfire in Washington.

collaborate with us

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Yakima, WA 98901

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