-2 NEW Our Work - Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network

Hard-working people, focused on fire

Step outside in Washington, and you are likely standing on a landscape shaped by fire. Topography, vegetation, and weather all shift how fire behaves.

But what doesn’t shift is the attachment – to our place, to each other, and to the gifts, challenges, and responsibilities that wildfire brings to Washington.

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.

HOW WE CREATE CHANGE

We are curious and motivated to learn from the exexperiences of of others. We take time to listen, ecause in our Network, listening leads to action.

This mindset brings energy to the room, emboldens quieter voices, and jump-starts a movement to better live with fire.

We are committed to the process and work to balance immediate needs with long-term objectives for community resilience.

Here is some of what WAFAC has accomplished together.

WAFAC has brought a spark of life to our nonprofit, CAFÉ. Since joining the network, CAFÉ has engaged over 50 Latin members in wildfire preparedness, developed a city-wide Wildfire Preparedness Proclamation in Wenatchee, started a disaster preparedness neighborhood program, and received training to implement a wildfire home assessment program. This would not have been possible without the support from the many partners we met through the WAFAC Learning Network.

Alma ChaconCommunity Advancement for Family Education

Relationships are at the core of the WAFAC Learning Network. They have connected us to partnerships and solutions for fire adaptation that are real, innovative, and specific to our community.

Bonnie CobbSpokane County Fire District 5 / Four Mound Firewise Community

WAFAC members and local partners inspired us to take action. By thinning and removing vegetation from 50 acres around our homes, we’ve increased the odds of our community surviving a wildfire.

Dan HolmanFlowery Trails Community Association

WAFAC brings together partners from different backgrounds to experiment with ideas, share, and learn. Fire adaptation is never finished, and we are allies for the long haul.

Jon RileyChelan County Fire District 1

WAFAC taught me almost everything I know around this topic, from defensible space to how to word my fuels reduction event advertising to how to do a home assessment. For our work in Washington there is no other entity making sure that practitioners have a well-rounded set of tools to serve their communities like WAFAC.

Photo: San Juan Islands Conservation District and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work to remove vegetation and brush from around homes to reduce wildfire risk.

Without the assistance of WAFAC our community would not be as advanced as we are on our work plan to reduce the risk of wildfire.

Photo: In 2019, Kittitas Fire Adapted Communities Coalition identified strategic priorities and actions to help their communities throughout the county better live with fire.

WAFAC has helped my focus on my role and encouraged me to engage partners in roles I cannot fill. Instead of taking it all on myself, I have built a local network from concepts I learned about at the state level of WAFAC.

Photo: CAFE and Chelan County Fire District 1 work together to teach communities members how to prepare for wildfire.

REPEAT TOP MENU HERE

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), 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

EMAIL@fireadaptedwashington.org
123 Main Street
Washington 99999

Hard-working people, focused on fire

YOUR work

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