The complicated factors involved in WUI fire make it necessary to assess fire risk locally, using landscape-specific measures. Colorado, for example, may gauge wildfire challenge by the 3.4 million acres of high risk interface area located along the Rocky Mountains Front Range, while Florida may find the 2,200 fires in 1998 that burned 398,517 acres and consumed 300 homes a better measure of values at risk.

The 1996 Federal Fire Policy increased pressure on State, municipal, and volunteer fire crews by transferring the majority of interface fire protection responsibility to local fire control organizations. While State crews are largely prepared to accept this responsibility, many local crews are not properly equipped or trained to deal with wildland and urban interface fires.

The nation’s 26,000 rural volunteer fire departments, staffed by nearly 1 million citizen firefighters, provide a valuable first-response team against wildfires and other life-threatening emergencies. It would cost an estimated $30 billion annually to convert these volunteers to paid fire departments. It seems reasonable that the least this nation could do to recognize their service would be to provide adequate training, information and equipment.

Fire protection in the WUI has quickly become the greatest concern among local, State, and Federal agencies with a role in fire management and suppression.

Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA)
State Forestry agencies administer the VFA program through 50-50 cost-sharing grants to local fire departments for training and equipment. The program’s main focus is on rural and urban interface communities that need assistance in meeting both existing and expanded fire suppression responsibilities.

• Improved Risk Assessment – The initial challenge in dealing with the WUI comes in defining and measuring the scope of the problem. GIS mapping and data systems can facilitate these fire risk assessments, but few rural counties or fire departments have access to the necessary personnel or equipment. The SFA program can help both the States and communities to acquire and implement this technology.

• Fuel Treatments – The reduction of hazardous fuels, whether around homes or in critical watersheds and wildlife habitats, is key to preventing fire starts from becoming catastrophic wildfires. If effectively coordinated and implemented across ownership boundaries, fuels mitigation projects can reduce both Federal and State fire suppression costs, especially in areas involving expensive structural protection. This multi-agency effort requires coordination, collaboration, and partnering at a scale overwhelming to the fiscal and human resources of any one agency. Focused increases in both the SFA and VFA program could address this need by giving State Forestry staff both the mandate and funding to engage in landscape scale fuels treatment projects.

• Fire Suppression Capability – Rural Volunteer Fire Departments (RVFD’s) provide much of the wildland fire and structural protection in interface areas. State Fire Managers throughout the country identified the upgrading of RVFD’s as a priority concern for both firefighter and public safety. Fire Department upgrades that could be accomplished through the VFA Program include training, organizing, equipping, and providing leadership to local crews in the areas of fire prevention, preparedness, planning, and suppression.

• Public Information and Education – Homeowners and local governments bear much of the responsibility for improving the defensibility of homes in the interface. State forestry agencies, through the SFA and VFA Programs, can assist in this effort by developing and distributing educational materials, and by facilitating partnerships between homeowners, communities, insurance companies, and government agencies. The capacity of State forestry staff to participate in homeowners visits, provide community education, and offer leadership to private industry must be increased to meet existing and future needs.