FSH 5109.18 - WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION HANDBOOK
                    WO AMENDMENT 5109.18-99-1
                      EFFECTIVE 06/10/1999

	CHAPTER 30 - WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION AND WILDLAND FIRE EDUCATION

30.2 - Objective.  To develop effective wildland fire prevention 
and fire education programs and increase public understanding 
about the role of fire, including:

   1.  The reasons why unplanned and unwanted human-caused 
wildland fires need to be prevented.

   2.  Actions that individuals and groups can take to prevent 
unwanted wildland fires.

   3.  Risks, hazards, responsibilities, and actions to minimize 
fire loss in the wildland/urban interface.

   4.  Fire's role in ecosystems.

   5.  Fire's use to restore the health of ecosystems and to 
reduce hazardous fuel loads, especially in wildland/urban 
interface areas or other areas of high value.

30.3 - Policy.  Conduct fire education programs to promote 
understanding of fire and ecosystem management; integrate the 
role of fire and ecosystem management processes and products; and 
create an understanding of the individual responsibilities in 
public lands stewardship that relate to prevention of unwanted, 
human-caused wildland fires.

30.4 - Responsibility.  All Forest Service employees have a 
responsibility for providing basic information about wildland 
fire prevention to the public as appropriate (FSM 5110.4).  The 
degree of involvement and responsibility of Forest Service 
employees in fire prevention and fire education programs is 
determined through the fire assessment process conducted for each 
unit (sec. 12 and FSH 5109.19, sec. 42).

30.6 - References and Resource Materials.  Resource materials and 
curricula for wildland fire education, suitable for various grade 
levels, are available from the following Forest Service units, 
State agencies, and other organizations:

   1.  Project Learning Tree (State Forestry Associations or agencies).  
Web site: www.plt.org

        a.  The Changing Forest:  Forest Ecology, grades 8-12.

        b.  Focus on Forests, Exploring Environmental Issues, 
        grades 8-12.

   2.  USDA Forest Service, Symbols Center of Excellence Cache, 
Northeast Interagency Fire Cache, 402 11th Street SE, Grand 
Rapids, MN 55744, 218-327-4282. 

   3.  National Fire Protection Association.  Wildland Fire 
Section, adult.  Firewise web site:  www.firewise.org

   4.  National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). 

        a.  Fire in Pacific Northwest Ecosystems, for grades 7-12.  
        Produced by Environmental Education Association of 
        Oregon and Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group.  

        b.  Web site:

        www.northmason.webnet.edu/NMHSonline/student_gallery/
        fire/homepage.html

        c.  National Wildland Fire Prevention and Education Materials.
        Web site:  www.nife.gov/news/preved

   5.  California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.  
Smokey and Me, pre-school through grade 3.

31 - SMOKEY BEAR PROGRAM.  Direction on the Cooperative Forest 
Fire Prevention (CFFP) Program in chapter 20 lists basic fire 
prevention messages and rules for using the Smokey Bear image.

32 - STRUCTURED EDUCATION PROGRAMS.  Develop education programs 
to address specific wildland fire management objectives.

32.1 - Complexity of Message.  Use public involvement, the fire 
assessment process, teaching, communications, and marketing tools 
to design an education program for different audiences and for 
fire issues of different complexities.  

32.2 - Sample Programs.  Coordinate fire education efforts with 
other agencies and cooperators involved in the fire or land 
management of a targeted geographic area (FSM 5121.3).

The following may be included in the fire prevention education 
programs: 

   1.  Define unwanted human-caused wildland fires.

        a.  Show why unwanted fires need to be prevented.

        b.  Remind individuals of their responsibility to prevent 
        fires.

        c.  Discuss how to be careful during activities that have 
        a high potential to cause fires.
        
   2.  Explain the complex fire issues of the wildland/urban 
interface:

        a.  Basics of fire behavior;

        b.  Suppression strategies and limitations;

        c.  Responsibilities for self-protection; and

        d.  Ways to minimize loss:  vegetation 
        manipulation-hazard reduction, fire-resistant 
        landscaping, fire-resistant construction design and 
        materials, and preparations for disaster evacuation.

   3.  Explain the role of fire in ecosystems.

        a.  Fire-adapted ecosystems and fire philosophy.

        b.  Discussion of local fire ecology and fire history.

   4.  Explain what needs to be done locally to manage fire and 
ecosystems and to protect communities, using fire as a tool.