2023 Firewise Program
The Anchorage Fire Department is accepting new applications for Firewise Home Assessments.
Available resources will focus on properties in the Wildland Urban Interface areas of the Hillside, Eagle River and properties adjacent to larger forested municipal properties and park lands.
Funding was not allocated to the Municipality to reimburse property owners for mitigation work this season. Assessments are still being offered. Follow the link below to apply.
Objectives
Reduce life and property
losses from fire spread and intensity of a wildland urban interface fire by treating privately owned forested
areas.
Educate homeowners about NFPA Firewise principles to reduce the potential for structural ignitions from brush
fires.
Improve the health of local forested public lands by thinning and pruning conifer trees to enhance vigor and encourage regeneration.
Provide information about
safe burning practices, emergency preparedness, and forest stewardship.
Program Overview
For residents living in neighborhoods exposed to wildfires, AFD provides on site visits to offer specific recommendations for vegetation management and Firewise home maintenance. This includes recommendations to remove both live and dead conifers within 15 feet of homes, maintain a non-combustible area within 3 feet of the home, keep lawns trimmed and watered, clean gutters and maintain metal screening on eaves and chimneys.
The primary goal is to reduce the potential for homes to ignite during a wildfire.
The potential for home ignition is determined by the “home's fuel
characteristics and the heat sources within 100-200 feet adjacent to a
home" (Cohen 2000). Treating the fuels in this area can reduce the
severity of fire behavior by limiting the amount of combustible material.
Forest fuels in Southcentral Alaska account for the trees, shrubs, and grass in
your yard that can burn toward your home and ignite any combustible materials
on or around your home.
Sign Up for an Assessment
The Firewise Program is accepting applications for the 2023 season!
Please note: Funding does NOT exist for homeowner reimbursements in 2023.
Crews will happily meet with you and make recommendations on how to make your property safer.
AFD PROVIDES FIREWISE HOME ASSESSMENTS ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS AND ONLY WHEN CREW RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE.