Fire Outreach Resources

To Help You Communicate About Fire

These products are useful in educating others about wildland fire management and are provided without cost from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). All materials on this and other FWS websites are non-copyrighted and may be used freely without risk of copyright infringement.

NOTE: You will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view some of these files. The free reader can be obtained at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Communications Products

Suggested use:Distribute at public events, group presentation, and visitors centers. Include in information packets for organizations. Single handouts are suitable for combining with each other into 2-sided products, as needed.

• Wildland Fire Management, Keeping Fire on Our Side (pdf, 10-pp)
• Fire on National Wildlife Refuges (1-page)
• Burning for Wildlife (1-page)
• FWS Fire Contacts 2012 (1-page)
• Wildlife and Habitat Management (2-pp)
• FWS at the National Interagency Fire Center (1-page)
• Careers in Fire

Short Videos (wmv)

Suggested use: Incorporate into group presentatiosn. Display as a repeating loop during public exhibits. Copy onto DVDs and distribute to schools or other interested organizations.

• Managing Fire to Benefit Wildlife and People (.wmv, 8:41 min)
• Does Wildlife Need Help During a Fire? (video 4:00 min)
• Stepping into a Controlled Burn (video, 4:30 min)
• Dressed for Fire (video, 3:00 min)
• What's in the Bag (video, 3:00 min)
• Tools of the Trade (video, 3:00 min.)
• Prescription for Excellence (FWS Fire History) (video, 12:20 min)

For Teachers

Suggested uses: Incorporate age-appropriate materials and activities into K-12 natural resources curriculum, outdoor education, or fire prevention presentations for children.

• The Magic Field - A story about Prescribed Fire (.ppt, 38 slides)
• Role of Fire in Alaska (Curriculum)
• Official Smokey Bear Web Site (A cool place to visit!)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages public land in every U.S. state and territory, including 550 national wildlife refuges and 70 national fish hatcheries.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages more than 75 million burnable acres, including 24 million acres of forest/brushland and 4 million acres of grassland.

More than 80% of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in the continental U.S. (and more than 90% in Alaska) include fire-adapted ecosystems with vegetation dependent on periodic fire.

An average of 500 wildfires burn 300,000 acres each year on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. The Service also burns more than 350,000 acres a year using prescribed fire.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual fire program budget is approximately $80 million.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employs more than 500 permanent fire professionals, along with 200 seasonal and temporary fire employees during fire season.

More than 2,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees are qualified to assist with wildland fire management on an interagency basis.

The U.S. Fish and Wildland Service Fire Management Program protects more than 700 communities and wildland-urban interface areas.

Historically, an acre was the amount of land tillable by one man behind an ox in one day. This measures 90% of a football field. There are 640 acres in a square mile.

More than 90% of the hazardous fuels reduction by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completed using prescribed fire.