According to the Florida Forest Service, in the last decade there have been on average 3,361 wildfires a year throughout the State of Florida. Although fire is a naturally occurring element in Florida ecosystems, the continued development of housing and infrastructure within wildland areas and forests presents a wildfire hazard that will continue to escalate as residential development continues to encroach on natural areas.
Florida communities can mitigate wildfire risk in various ways including immediate physical actions (such as fuel reduction plans including controlled burning), coordination procedures for better preparedness, public education plans for citizen responsibility in reducing their own vulnerability, and planning policies and regulations that will systemically create a more disaster-resilient communities. These mitigation measures can help reduce the potential for injury or loss of life and/or impact to homes, businesses, or public infrastructure from wildfire. Some communities have chosen to adopt Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) which combine various mitigation techniques to form a comprehensive strategy developed via an inclusive planning process.
What is a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)?
A CWPP is a collaborative strategy for reducing wildfire vulnerability in a community. The plan includes an assessment of the community’s wildfire vulnerability, local organizations and resources available to assist with wildfire mitigation and response, and an action plan for implementing wildfire mitigation projects. Wildfire mitigation actions may include wildland fuel management, community outreach and education, Firewise building retrofit and landscaping, policy and regulation recommendations, and/or wildland fire response improvements.
Why Adopt a CWPP?
Authorized by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA), CWPPs emphasize collaboration between communities and State and Federal Agencies to develop hazardous fuel reduction projects, place priority on treatment areas identified by communities, and give communities influence over where and how Federal funds are distributed to implement fuel reduction projects on nonfederal lands.
Benefits of developing a CWPP include:
- Fostering a collaborative community-driven planning process
- Allowing high-risk communities to focus specifically on their wildfire risk
- Creating opportunities for future project funding
- Emphasizing wildfire prevention and mitigation to increase safety and reduce wildfire suppression and response costs
- Saving money, time, human and natural resources
- Resulting in better planning, projects, suppression, education
CWPPs complement the Local Mitigation Strategy
In Florida, the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is the standard plan developed by a community to reduce and or eliminate the risks associated with natural and human-caused hazards. CWPPs are meant to compliment (not duplicate or contradict) the wildfire mitigation initiatives included in the LMS in the following ways:
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The CWPP fills the gaps where the LMS has not addressed wildfire risk in depth or detail
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Provides a focused planning process for developing wildfire mitigation projects that can be added to the LMS Project List
- The CWPP can be adopted as an annex to the LMS.
CWPP Planning Process
The CWPP planning process is similar to other community hazard planning efforts. Ensuring the support of local leaders and decision makers and creating a participatory environment that includes all affected stakeholder groups are important first steps. A successful planning process is typically inclusive and overseen by a CWPP Steering Committee representing a range of stakeholder interests. Committee membership can include representatives from county and municipal fire services, Florida Forest Service (FFS) District Field Units, County Emergency Management, the Local Mitigation Strategy Committee, county and municipal government departments (e.g., planning or conservation/parks), community organizations (e.g., homeowners associations), the U.S. Forest Service when the jurisdiction is adjacent to a National Forest, and local or regional land management agencies (e.g., Florida State Parks, Water Management Districts, etc.).