Firewise

Firewise is a national consortium of wildland fire management agencies working together to supply information to community members who are living with the possibility of wildfire.

Becoming Firewise is a process, not an endpoint. Being Firewise is not difficult, but requires commitment. A Firewise person pays attention to those details in his or her environment that might start or encourage the spread of a wildfire. Wisconsin is proud to be part of the Firewise program.

Have a specific question? Ask a Wildland fire expert.

Find out how to make your neighborhood Firewise by participating in the Firewise Communities USA Recognition Program (Exit DNR). Wisconsin's first Firewise participant is the Crystal Lake Club. (exit DNR)

Firewise teaches people to work together to reduce wildfire risks throughout their community. Organizing a yard waste chipping day is one way area residents can work together to thin out overgrown vegetation while sharing in the cost to make wildfire preparedness affordable.

Click on a topic below to find specific Firewise recommendations for your home, property, and community:

• Managing flammables
• Fire protection tools
• Characteristics of fire-resistant vegetation
• Building sites
• Firewise landscaping checklist
• Firewise construction checklist
• Firewise considerations for individuals and communities
• Firewise building materials

Additional Resources:

• Firewise Wisconsin: Around Your Home (Pub FR-297 2005, PDF, 435KB)
• Communities Compatible With Nature (PDF, 495KB)
• For the Firefighter: Firewise in Five Minutes (PDF, 6.9MB)
• www.firewise.org (Exit DNR)

Living With Fire: A Guide for Homeowners Living in the Wildland-Urban Interface

• Making Your Home Firewise video request
• How homes ignite
• Creating an effective defensible space
• Regarding your roof
• The Fire Department will save my house, right?
• On any given weekend: simple things you can do to help your home become Firewise
• In the event of a wildfire

Additional Resources:

• Living With Fire (Pub FR-275 2005, PDF, 2.6MB)
• Proper Tree Pruning (Pub FR-256 2003, PDF 1.6MB)
• New Tree Planting (Pub FR-184 2001, PDF, 256KB)
• Home Composting (Pub WA-072 2001, PDF, 159KB)
• Fireworks Cause Forest Fires and More (Pub FR-181 2001, PDF, 1.4MB)
• Wisconsin Forest Fire Laws and Regulations (Pub FR-224 2002, PDF, 266KB)
• Protect Your Home from Wildfire: Home Sprinkler System (Pub FR-191 2001, PDF, 1.2MB)
• In the Face of Change: Unplanned events may damage only a few trees or may devastate hundreds of acres (Pub FR-233 2003, PDF, 627KB)

Planning for Wildfire

• Are you prepared for wildfire?
• Fire's role in nature
• Fuel reduction strategy examples:
• Quincy Bluff, Adams county
• Bell Mound fuel break, Jackson county
• Improving emergency vehicle access, Washburn county
• Marinette county plantation fire breaks
• Burnett county prescribed burns
• Spreading Like Wildfire (Pub FR-309 2005)
• Smart Forestry for Smart Growth
• Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan [PDF, 834K, Exit DNR]

"Point of Origin" newsletter

This newsletter, published twice a year, provides information about the services, products, and direction of the Wisconsin DNR and the various partners in protection, referring specifically to wildfire prevention, suppression, and outreach. Issues are listed in chronological order, starting with the most recent.

• Summer 2007 [PDF, 416KB]
• Fall 2005 [PDF, 431KB]
• Spring 2005 [PDF, 378KB]
• Fall 2004 [PDF, 349KB]
• Spring 2004 [PDF, 510KB]