Genesee Fire Rescue (GFR) partnered with WiRē (Wildfire Research) in 2021 to better understand our wildfire risks at the parcel level, both through the eyes of a wildfire practitioner and those of our community residents. The goal of the project was to couple social science with wildfire research so that the fire district can best adapt our community approach and programs to the needs and perspectives of our residents. To do so, our wildfire professionals conducted rapid wildfire risk assessments of every parcel in the district from public spaces, conducted a districtwide household survey, and then collated and compared the data collected. What we learned will now guide our communication strategy and the wildfire programs for the fire protection district.

The WiRē approach is leading-edge in terms of understanding our wildfire risks and how we can adapt as a community with the goal of mitigating that risk. Through this collaborative process many reports, documents, and presentations were created, and we would like to share these with you.

A community-wide presentation was held on April 14, 2022, to provide an overview of the program and the results; a recording of that presentation cam be viewed below.