Living In The Wildland Urban Interface

Living in a house surrounded by nature and woodlands can be peaceful and beautiful, but it can also be risky. Residents in rural areas may have a "back to nature" philosophy to leave their property and all of the property around them as undisturbed as possible. This philosophy can lead to insufficient access roads and hazardous fuel conditions near homes, creating a dangerous situation for rural homeowners and firefighters in the event of a wildfire.

Firewise principles are guidelines for subdivision and home design to increase the chances a community will survive a wildfire. Home designs should include a safe location for the house and the use of less combustible materials. Subdivision designs should include proper access and turn arounds, suitable signage, and adequate water supplies for fire control.

The following tools and recommendations are safety steps that will give your home a chance to survive while firefighters race to bring the wildfire under control. These steps can mean the difference between saving your property and total disaster!

• Learn about the homeowner's role in preventing fire.
• Fifty Things You Can Do to protect your home.
• Twenty-Five Tips on Firewise safety.
• Landscaping Checklist
• When constructing, renovating, or adding to your home, use this Construction Checklist.
• Create a wildfire defensible space around your home

Firewise Virginia Publications and Forms

• Online Self Assessment Form
• Community Wildfire Assessment Form (English; PDF format)
• Homeowner Wildfire Assessment Form (English; PDF format)
• Construction Checklist
• Landscaping Checklist
• What You Can Do
• The Homeowner's Role
• Creating Wildfire-Defensible Space
• Firewise Communities For Virginia (English; PDF format)
• FireWise - Everyone's Responsibility: Fire Protection in the Wildland/Urban Interface
• Home Fire Safety Tips
• Checklist for when a wildfire approaches your home (English; PDF format)
• Preparing your home for wildfire season (English; PDF format)
• Virginia Firescapes Firewise Landscaping for Woodland Homes -
  Lists of "More or Less" Forest Fire-prone Trees, Shrubs, and Ground Covers

Wildland/Urban Interface

• Firewise - Web site for people who live, vacation or own homes in fire prone areas.

Last modified: Friday, 07-Mar-2008 15:56:30 EST