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Safe at Home
Making the Federal Fire Safety Budget Work for Communities

Every summer, images of wildfires dominate TV screens and newspaper headlines. Yet despite the effort -- and the money -- that goes into emergency response, fires destroy hundreds of homes and whole neighborhoods in the American West during wildfire season. This 2007 issue paper outlines NRDC's pilot study of fire protection in the Love Creek community in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and describes how Western communities and homeowners can protect themselves against fire threats with proven techniques known as "firewise" measures. In addition, we recommend changes to federal fire policy to prioritize community and resident safety.

FULL ISSUE PAPER IN PDF
Adobe Acrobat file (size: 209 KB)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Forest Communities at Risk
Chapter 2: Preventing Fire Damage: What Works (and What Doesn't)
Chapter 3: The Love Creek Pilot Study
Chapter 4: Federal Fire Funds Don't Address Community Safety
Chapter 5: Recommendations for Protecting Homes and Communities from Forest Fires
Appendix A: The Love Creek Pilot Study: Experts and Methodology
Endnotes