Resources

How safe is my house?

The materials used to construct your home or other structures are accurate predictors of their vulnerability to a wildland fire.

Non-combustible options like metal, brick, and stucco are wise choices for siding your house. Although vinyl siding doesn’t burn, it quickly melts and exposes the combustible wood beneath it.

Use metal or tile for the roofing material; wood shakes and shingles burn easily, especially when they are dry. Sparks and embers, sometimes traveling miles from fires, can easily ignite wood shingles, which will further promote the spread of fire.

Here are some additional suggestions on measures homeowners can easily take to reduce your home’s vulnerability to a wildland fire and assist responders in quickly locating your house:

Post a visible address marker
Skirt decks and openings
Enclose any eaves
Clean roof and gutters regularly
Mow/rake near home to disrupt fuel continuity
Trim the limbs off of trees up to 6 feet
Cut back vegetation along driveways
Improve driveway or access roads
Clear all fuels within 15 feet of propane tanks
Store firewood away from house
Request a Free Professional Home and Lot Evaluation

149

Protecting your space

The threat of wildfires is growing due to climate change. Safety measures are particularly important for those in high-risk areas, but experts say that fire preparedness is a good idea everywhere. Visually walk through some areas that can help improve your fire risk. Read More….

It’s all about prevention

The public plays a valuable role in preventing wildfires. The national average of human-caused wildfires comprises 87 percent of all wildfire occurrences every year. Most of these fires can be prevented.

Preventable wildfires threaten lives, property, and our precious natural resources.

Human caused fire occurences

Risk Map Ready for Wildfire App Idaho Firewise Unsung Heroes Engaging Land Owners Homeowners Checklist Fire Learning Network Headwaters Economics County CWPP Jack Cohen Videos Ready Set Go

Island Park Risk Map

Island Park Risk Map – this map depicts the relative risk of wildfire in the area based on vegetation and structure and property information.

Zoom in on the map to find your area and determine your risk.

Red is High Risk, Yellow moderate risk, Green is low risk.

In general, Island Park is at High Risk to wildfire.

Ready for Wildfire App

Visit their website

Idaho Firewise

Achieving a Firewise Culture in Idaho

As more people build in Idaho’s forests and rangelands, they become part of the ever-increasing landscape where urban meets wild—the wildland/urban interface (WUI).

Our Mission

Idaho Firewise is a non-profit organization that coordinates, supports, and promotes wildland fire education to broaden the understanding of wildfire’s role in ecosystems, and equips and motivates those who live in or visit Idaho to reduce loss from wildfire.

Wildfire Preparedness: Learning the Basics

People living in the WUI have higher wildfire risk, as well as greater responsibility for the safety of their families, property, pets, and livestock. Learn how to make your home and landscape less vulnerable to ignition from a wildfire. Develop an evacuation plan to ensure the safety of you, your family and your pets and livestock. Discover how you can prevent wildfires and learn more about fire ecology, fire-based ecosystems and how wildfires are managed.

Visit their website

unsung

Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes of the 1988 Yellowstone Fires: Church Leaders and Farmers

Liz Davy Island Park Sustainable Fire Community, Matthew Ward

A burning cigarette butt landed on a pile of sawdust, soaked with oil and gas. And like that, a firewood cutter started the North Fork “Yellowstone” Fire, a fire that would burn for four months and cover 531,182 acres. Eventually, it became the largest of the 51 fires that burned in and around Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 1988. As Americans watched those fires burn the crown jewel of the National Park system, the year 1988 and the flames became etched in our memories.
In total, the fires affected over 1.6 million acres and almost burned down the town of West Yellowstone as well as the historic Old Faithful Lodge.

What’s less widely known is why some of the town and the lodge remained standing and who played a role in that fate.

READ MORE….

Engaging Land Owners

The Island Park community is located in a unique natural landscape. While at risk of wildfire, the area has a long fire return interval, which means that most residents have never experienced wildfire firsthand. However, fire in the west is regularly present in the media and not completely out of the minds of residents. These conflicting realities have the effect of reducing the urgency felt by locals to take wildfire preparedness actions on their properties.

To overcome the ambivalence of residents regarding wildfire, IPSFC has developed a trusted and recognizable identity in the Island
Park community and has infused wildfire preparedness norms into the region.

broomvolunteers

Homeowners Checklist

Download a wildfire checklist to make your home fire safe inside and out.

Fire Learning Network

The Fire Learning Network (FLN) helps people work together to increase the capacity and social capital needed to build ecosystem and community resilience. FLN landscape collaboratives engage in a range of multi-agency, community-based projects to restore landscapes that depend on—or are susceptible to—fire. By sharing decision-making and responsibility among stakeholders, the ecological, economic and social values provided by healthy landscapes are maintained, and the negative consequences of wildfire can be reduced.

Visit their website

Headwaters Economics

Headwaters Economics is an independent, nonprofit research group that works to improve community development and land management decisions.

This website provides valuable information and resources about wildfire.

Visit their website

County CWPP

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan outlines the steps to mitigate wildfire within Fremont County Idaho and how to address the issues and concerns citizens have about wildfire in their area.

Fremont County’s CWPP is embedded in the County’s All Hazard Plan.

Visit their website

Wildfire: Prevent Home Ignition Part 1

Wildfire: Prevent Home Ignition Part 2

Spotlight on Jack Cohen and his research

Ready Set Go evacuation program

This website assists you in preparing for an evacuation during a wildfire.

Visit their website