What Is the Firewise Community Program?
The Firewise Community Program is all about helping neighborhoods work together to prepare for wildfires—because wildfires can affect everyone, whether you’re near forests, parks, or even in the suburbs. It’s a team effort supported by Portland Fire & Rescue and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to make homes and neighborhoods more wildfire-resilient. The idea is to take proactive steps to reduce risks now so you’re ready if a wildfire ever comes your way.
Who Is It For?
This program is for any neighborhood at risk of wildfire, not just areas near forests or wildlands. Wildfires can travel through parks, greenbelts, and even jump into urban areas under the right conditions due to winds that can carry embers ahead of a wildfire. Whether you live in a rural area, a suburb, or the middle of the city, Firewise principles can help keep your home and community safer.
How Does It Work?
Here’s how the program breaks down:
- Assess Your Risks: Portland Fire & Rescue helps you figure out what puts your area at risk. This could be anything from overgrown vegetation in a backyard to shared green spaces that could carry fire closer to homes.
- Take Action as a Community: Once you know the risks, your neighborhood can tackle them together. This might include clearing dead vegetation, removing invasive plants, trimming trees, or organizing a community cleanup day.
- Get Recognized: You and other community members can work with PF&R to apply for Firewise recognition. It’s a way to show your commitment to wildfire safety—and sometimes even qualify for insurance benefits and possibly grants as well!
- Recognized Firewise Communities in Portland:
- Linnton
- Thurman Bridge
- Forest Park - North
- Forest Park - South
- Forest Heights
- Collins View
- Arlington Heights
- Overlook
- Governors Park
Why Should You Join?
- Wildfires Spread Fast: Fire doesn’t care if you’re in a WUI (wildland-urban interface), a suburb, or an urban area—it travels wherever fuel and weather conditions allow. Getting prepared as a community helps everyone.
- Protect What Matters: Firewise actions like preparing your home, clearing brush, maintaining defensible space, and working with neighbors can make a huge difference if a wildfire threatens your area.
- Save Money: Some insurance companies offer discounts to residents in Firewise-recognized communities.
- Build Community: Working together on a shared goal brings people closer and makes neighborhoods stronger.
What Can You Do?
Here are a few examples of Firewise actions your community can take:
- Around Your Home: Remove dead leaves from gutters and around the home, trim trees, and keep flammable materials (like firewood) at least 30 feet from buildings.
- In Shared Spaces: Work with neighbors and community partners and/or organizations to clear brush and debris from parks, greenbelts, or empty lots.
- Be Prepared: Learn about evacuation routes and wildfire safety measures so your community is ready if a wildfire occurs.
Support From Portland Fire & Rescue
You’re not doing this alone—Portland Fire & Rescue is here to help with:
- Free resources, guides, and checklists for wildfire preparation.
- Tips for organizing community cleanup events or workshops.
- Advice and support to help your neighborhood apply for Firewise certification.
Bottom Line?
The Firewise Community Program is for people that live near forests or wildland areas—it’s for anyone who wants to be ready for wildfire season. By working together, your neighborhood can take real, meaningful steps to protect homes, families, and the places you love.
Sign up for a WUI Assessment
To schedule an assessment, click on the link and fill out:
the Wildland-Urban Interface Home Assessment online form.
For questions regarding the program or need assistance with filling out an application, please contact us at (503)823-3741.
For further information, please visit the Firewise Communities USA Program page.
Portland Firewise Community Websites
Thurman Bridge Firewise Neighborhood
Collins View Firewise Neighborhood
SWHRL Firewise Neighborhood
Linnton Firewise Community Assessment
Forest Park Neighborhood - North and South Firewise Community Assessment
Thurman Bridge Firewise Community
More Details about the Firewise Community Program
The Firewise Communities/USA program is designed to provide an effective management approach for preserving wildland living aesthetics. The program can be tailored for adoption by any community and/or neighborhood association that is committed to ensuring its citizens maximum protection from wildland fire. Community members and environmental specialists work collaboratively to assess the community and gather data when considering a community as a Firewise community candidate.
Wildfires will happen--exclusion is not a choice. The variables in a fire scenario are when the fire will occur, and where. The assessment addresses the wildfire-related characteristics. It examines the area’s exposure to wildfire as it relates to ignition potential. The community assessment does not focus on specific homes but examines the community as a whole.
The result of the assessment will capture how wildfire behavior will be dominated by the residential characteristics of the community. The good news is that by addressing community vulnerabilities, residents will be able to substantially reduce their exposure to loss. Relatively small investments of time and effort will reap great rewards in wildfire safety.
In coordination with Portland Fire & Rescue, assessments are conducted upon the resident’s request. The assessments focus attention on the home ignition zone and provide recommendations on ways to eliminate the fire’s potential relationship with the house. It can be accomplished by disconnecting the house from high and/or low-intensity fire that could occur around it. Removal of some vegetation, trimming plants and cutting back trees around the home are some examples of good Firewise practices.
When adequately prepared, a house can likely withstand a wildfire without the intervention of the fire service. Further, a house and its surrounding community can be both Firewise and compatible with the area’s ecosystem. The Firewise Communities/USA program is designed to enable communities to achieve a high level of protection against Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) fire loss even as a sustainable ecosystem balance is maintained.