Weather Monitoring Tools
Firewise Communities
The national Firewise Communities program is a multi-agency effort designed to reach beyond the fire service by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the risk of wildland fire - before a fire starts. The Firewise Communities approach emphasizes community responsibility for planning in the design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response, and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance.
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Florida is home to millions of residents who enjoy the state's beautiful scenery and warm climate. But few people realize that these qualities also create severe wildfire conditions. Each year, thousands of acres of wildland and many homes are destroyed by fires that can erupt at any time of the year from a variety of causes, including arson, lightning and debris burning. Adding to the fire hazard is the growing number of people living in new communities built in areas that were once wildland. This growth places even greater pressure on the state's wildland firefighters. As a result of this growth, fire protection becomes everyone's responsibility.
Florida Forest Service
The mission of the Forest Protection Bureau is to to provide a level of fire management that reduces threats to life and property, forests, and other related at-risk wildland resources, while promoting natural resource management through the use of prescribed fire
Forest Fire Prevention - Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear and his famous warning, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires," was introduced to Americans in 1944. The Forest Fire Prevention campaign has reduced the number of acres lost annually from 22 million to 8.4 million (in 2000). Responding to the massive outbreak of wildfires in 2000, the campaign changed its focus to wildfires and Smokey's slogan to "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires."
National Association of State Foresters
The National Association of State Foresters is a non-profit organization that represents the directors of the State Forestry agencies from all fifty states, eight U.S. territories (American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the District of Columbia.
National Weather Service
The starting point for official government weather forecasts, warning, and meteorological products for forecasting purposes.
National Wildfire Coordinating Group
The purpose of NWCG is to establish an operational group designed to coordinate programs of the participating wildfire management agencies.
USDA Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management
The first forest reserves were establish in 1891 and were initially under the management of the Department of Interior's General Land Office, but the first foresters worked for the Bureau of Forestry in Department of Agriculture. In 1905, President Roosevelt transferred the forest reserves to the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture. Today, the Bureau of Forestry is the US Forest Service, although it is still funded under the Interior Appropriations bills passed by Congress each year. The forest reserves grew in time, and today's National Forests encompass 191 million acres.
