The Watershed Research and Training Center and The Nature Conservancy are pleased to announce the launch of a new online resource for those working to help communities live safely with wildland fire: the Fire Adapted Communities (FAC) Learning Network blog www.FACNetwork.org.
The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network encourages the development and sharing of best practices and innovations in order to accelerate the adoption of fire adapted community concepts nationwide. The FAC Learning Network supports hub organizations and pilot communities across the country that have committed to implementing, assessing and sharing the work that they are doing to increase their communities’ resilience to wildfire. The Network included eight hubs and pilot communities in 2013; 10 additional hubs and pilots were recently announced – visit our blog to see where they are.
The purpose of the blog is to enhance networking and dialogue, and increase the sharing of lessons and innovations related to community wildfire resilience. The blog will foster a community of practice composed of local leaders, firefighters, land managers, business owners and others who are applying fire adapted community concepts.
FAC practitioners are encouraged to visit www.FACNetwork.org and sign up for e-mail updates, learn about FAC Learning Network participants and activities, and contribute to online discussions.
What is a Fire Adapted Community?
A fire adapted community acknowledges and takes responsibility for its wildfire risk, and implements appropriate actions at all levels. Actions address resident safety, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, open spaces and other community assets. Every community has a unique set of circumstances and capacities, so the kinds of actions they take will vary. Further, there is no end-point in becoming a fire adapted community. Sustaining, growing and adapting strategies, partnerships and capacity through time are key. To learn about related FAC efforts and tools, visit www.fireadapted.org and www.iafc.org/fac or contact a member of the FAC Coalition (www.fireadapted.org/resources/meet-the-coalition.aspx).
FAC Learning Network Blog Contact: info@facnetwork.org