What is Firewise?

 

Firewise is an educational program that provides a set of tools to help property owners prepare for wildfires in an effort to reduce future damage to their property. The program also has a goal to educate people on the role of wildfire and its importance. For thousands of years in the Great Lakes Region, Native Americans used fire intentionally to manage the ecosystems they lived in. The lack of fire has led to the build-up of fuels. Firewise aims to help property owners create healthy forest conditions more typical of when fires were managed across the land by Native Americans. There is a short film that can be found on the Firewise website, Oshkigin: Spirit of Fire, that highlights the deep, reciprocal relationship with the land and the role fire plays in that relationship told by Ojibwe Wildland firefighters, Fond du Lac elder Vern Northrup and Damon Panek.

The Firewise program has many parts including fuel reduction, public outreach, Firewise Communities, Firewise Ambassadors, chipper days/brush pick-ups, brush sites, and evaluations.

Fuel reduction is focused on thinning out balsam fir and ladder fuel to improve forest health and reduce wildfire intensity. Ladder fuel is vegetation that can bring fire from the forest floor up into the canopy. Some examples of ladder fuel are tall grasses that reach the branches of evergreens or evergreens with branches that touch the ground. To reduce ladder fuel, small balsam fir are removed and branches of evergreens, 25 feet and taller, are trimmed to six feet off the ground. Firewise has grant funding for fuel reduction in the Mid-Trail area of the Gunflint Trail; reach out to the Firewise Coordinator (contact information below) if your property is in the area and you are interested.

Public outreach is focused on educating property owners on how to improve the health of their forest along with how to prepare their property for the next wildfire. Outreach involves communications such as this one along with attending community events. Cook County Firewise also has a website, cookcountyfirewise.org, to provide property owners with resources.

Firewise Communities are those that have taken appropriate measures to become more resistant to wildfire structural damage. In addition, communities that have earned the special distinction of being recognized under the Firewise USA™ Program have systematically implemented a Firewise mitigation plan in their neighborhood. Program criteria and additional information can be found on the National Fire Protection Association website, or you can contact the Cook County Firewise Coordinator (contact information below).

Firewise Ambassadors help mobilize their community to engage in wildfire safety and wildfire preparedness activities. Ambassadors serve as a neighborhood point of contact for the Cook County Firewise Coordinator. This means talking to neighbors and community members about Firewise and handing out education material. Ambassadors do not need to be an expert in wildfires, they just need to be passionate about motivating their community members to keep forest health and wildfire safety in people’s minds.

Chipper days and brush pick-up days occur every year in communities across the county. These events occur when a community comes together to hire a contractor to either chip vegetation for making their property Firewise, renting a chipper themselves, or piling vegetation at the end of their driveway and hiring a contractor to collect the piles. Firewise reimburses communities for chipper days and brush pickups to a certain amount. Firewise Communities and Ambassadors are highly preferred for these funds so if your community is interested in one of these events, they should reach out to enroll in the Firewise Community or Firewise Ambassador programs.

Firewise has seven community brush disposal sites located throughout Cook County that accept brush and vegetation from property owners. These sites are strategically located to give all county citizens the ability to reduce wildfire risk. There is no charge for disposing of vegetation and the sites are open all summer and fall. To keep the brush sites open and maintained, it is important that no trash, treated lumber, or stumps are disposed of. To find the closest site to you view the interactive map on the Cook County Firewise website, cookcountyfirewise.org.

Free Firewise evaluations are conducted every year by request or within the fire district of focus for that year. The intent of these evaluations is to help property owners understand the wildfire risks on their property and to understand what can be done to protect structures from wildfires in the future. Evaluations are also particularly important in helping provide adequate access for emergency vehicles. Having an evaluation completed does not obligate the property owner to change anything on your property and does not affect insurance rates or taxes.

What can you do to your property now?

According to the National Fire Protection Association, most homes that burn during a wildfire are ignited by embers landing on the roof, in gutters, on or under decks and porches, or in vents or other openings in the home. Homeowners should routinely clean out gutters, rake under open decks, enclose decks and vents with metal screening (1/8 inch and less), and weed whip dry grass and shrubbery around your home to reduce ember ignition.

In your defensible space, the first 30 feet around your home, there are many things you can do to Firewise your property. Some of these things are mowing your grass regularly, thinning your evergreens with a focus on balsam, removing ladder fuels, and finally, moving any firewood storage, fire rings, or brush piles in the defensible space.

For more information about Firewise or more ways to Firewise your property please view the Firewise website or contact the Firewise Coordinator with the information below.