2009 Firewise Leadership Awards Call for Nominations

Awards promote local, regional, state efforts to reduce wildfire risk

QUINCY, Mass. – The National Firewise Communities Program is calling for nominations for its fourth annual awards program to recognize outstanding efforts to promote a cooperative approach to reducing the loss of lives, property, and resources in the wildland/urban interface.

The Firewise Leadership Awards are open to individuals and organizations conducting wildland fire mitigation activities in residential developments in the wildland/urban interface. Eligible Firewise efforts may include, but are not limited to:

Innovations in engineering
Program communications, advertising, exhibits, and/or other informational programs
Success in involving communities
Collaboration across agency jurisdictions
Special partnerships

The Firewise Leadership Awards provide recognition to the drivers of the Firewise movement – whether they are individuals, groups, or departments –and encourage other innovative initiatives that promote the Firewise mission.

Winners of the 2008 Firewise Leadership Awards were announced in November at the bi-annual National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Education Conference, "Backyards and Beyond," in Tampa, Fla. Winners were selected based on their impact at the regional, statewide, and local level.

For example, Colorado Springs Wildland Risk Section was recognized for its development of a program that utilizes several mitigation approaches to address wildfire risk. Features of the Wildland Risk Program include: fuels management, Firewise education and outreach, grant administration, development review, monitoring, operational support, hazardous activity permitting, and volunteer project coordination. Ongoing collaboration includes stewardship with 42 neighborhoods; volunteer organizations; local, state, and federal agencies

“It’s nice to be recognized nationally,” said Christina Randall, wildland risk manager, Colorado Springs Fire Department. “Our tagline is ‘sharing the responsibility,’ and this award represents how the rubber meets the road. Our ongoing collaboration has really paid off.”

Beyond recognition, the Firewise Leadership Awards program will help program administrators capture success stories and share best practices across the country, between all types of interests – public, private, and tribal.

The Firewise Leadership Awards are open to a maximum of the following every year:

Two Regional Level Awards – Impact in more than one state
Three State Level Awards – State level impact, with relevance in a majority of the state, measured by land or population
Three Local Level Awards – City/municipal, county, or regional impact within a single state

All entries must be submitted by July 31, 2009. Visit www.firewise.org/awards for entry guidelines and forms. E-mail questions to firewiseawards@nfpa.org.

The national Firewise Communities program is an interagency program designed to encourage local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters, and others in the effort to protect people and property from the risk of wildfire. The Firewise Communities program is sponsored by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Wildland/Urban Interface Working Team, a consortium of wildland fire agencies that includes the USDA Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Emergency Management Association, the US Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, the National Fire Protection Association, and state forestry organizations. For more information, visit www.firewise.org.