1. Introductory Module Citizen Fire Academy
(this presentation may be given in person for either the hybrid or conventional models, however, it is recommended that the narrated version of this PowerPoint be made available on the hybrid version for participants to revisit as they may need to.)
(Narrated script:)
Welcome to Citizen Fire Academy! Over the next few minutes, we will go over what we hope to accomplish throughout the course of the program, and what you will get out of our time together.
Oregon State University Extension Service

2. Wildfire snapshot 2015
(CFA facilitator may wish to replace this slide with more local information) (Script:) So what problems does CFA address? Let’s just take a look at the results of the 2015 fire season to get a sense of the scope of the challenge. In Oregon alone, approximately 630,000 acres burned, including some massive fires such as the Cornet-Windy Ridge and the Stouts Creek fires, and hundreds of houses were lost. Fire seasons are lasting longer than ever and, thanks to decades of fire suppression, there is more fuel ready to burn than ever before. As a result, fires are becoming harder to control and their effects increasingly severe. There has to be a better way for those of us living in fire-prone areas to prepare for wildfire and deal with it when it comes.
Image: Teresa Zena Alcock, Oregon Department of Forestry

3. FIRE THREATS The problem PERCEPTION PERSPECTIVE CULTURE ADAPTATION
It is important to recognize that fires have occurred in this region for millennia, and they will continue to occur in the future. Eliminating all fire is impossible, and from an ecological and safety standpoint, may not even be desirable. In the end, it is not fire that is the problem, but the threat to homes and communities that come from nearby, uncontrolled fires.
We want to promote the learning and cultural change that will help individual homeowners, neighborhoods, and whole communities better prepare for wildfire when it does come. Better preparation can help reduce the loss of homes and property, improve personal safety, and reduce damage from severe wildfires to forests, rangelands, and watersheds.
Problems that cross boundaries, like a natural disaster, social problems or disease, require more than just personal action, they require a change in behavior, attitude and action throughout a community. In the context of wildfire, we refer to communities that have made these changes and are actively working together to prepare for and deal with fire as Fire-Adapted Communities. But the change into a fire-adapted community doesn’t occur by accident.
Animation 1 Our problem is the threat posed by wildfire, but first, we have to perceive that this is a problem before we can do anything. You have joined in this course, so obviously, you recognize the threat wildfire poses. So, what is the next step?
Animation 2
It’s not enough to understand that wildfire can pose a threat. We have to have a perspective that this is a problem that should have priority in our lives, and one that has workable solutions. That is where the educational part of the Citizen Fire Academy Program comes in. It is our job to work with you, and give you a science based perspective on the scale of the problem, and the strategies that exist to combat the problem.
Animation 3
After you graduate, you will have an enhanced perspective on the issue of wildfire preparedness. But since we are dealing with a landscape-wide problem, solutions are limited if we have only a few people with this perspective. This is where the Citizen Fire Academy volunteer comes in. A culture is a set of predominant attitudes, ways of thinking and behaviors that characterize a group or organization. When you are out there, working with your neighbors and in your community to discuss wildfire, and plan collaboratively, you are working to infuse a Firewise culture into your community.
Animation 4
Finally, as a Firewise culture sets into your community, you will find that you are better able to adapt to changing circumstances, whether they are a new wildfire, or are improved Firewise strategies that emerge. At this point, you have a fire-adapted community.
ADAPTATION
Graphic adapted from presentation by Ed Smith

4. Put fire on the agenda!
Help promote learning and adaptation that helps individuals, neighborhoods better prepare for and live with wildfire
Reduce loss of homes, infrastructure, and property
Increase community and firefighter safety
Reduce wildfire damage to forests, rangelands, and watersheds
Promote fire-adapted communities
In a nutshell, CFA is about living with wildfire and promoting fire-adapted communities. It is about changing the culture of your community from one that relies on 3rd parties to “take care of the problem” through fire suppression, to one that recognizes the role and responsibilities of everyday citizens in tackling the issue of wildfire.
As you go through this program, we want you take what you learn, and put fire on the agenda in your community!
Photo: Kara Baylog, © Oregon State University

5. What will you learn?
The fundamentals of fire behavior from a scientific perspective
Property owner responsibilities with regards to fire preparedness in your area
Resources that exist on a federal, state and local level that you can access for help in preparation to and during a wildfire
Strategies you can use around your home to improve the chances it will survive
Strategies you can use in forested wildlands that are being used to help communities adapt to fire
What you can do in your community to get your friends, family and neighbors on board to prepare for wildfire!
The educational portion of Citizen Fire Academy covers several topics that will be relevant to you and your community in preparing for wildfire, including the science behind our understanding of wildfire and wildfire behavior, fire related infrastructure in your area, what is required out of those living in a fire environment, and some strategies they can employ both near their homes and on forested wildlands to prepare for fire, and how to engage and motivate the rest of your community into action!

6. How does CFA work? 7 in-person classes Interactive field tours
Introduction
Fire Science
Living in a Fire Environment
Home Protection Strategies
Fuels Reduction Strategies
Effective Volunteering
Graduation
Interactive field tours
Field tours and outdoor demonstrations build on lessons learned in class
CFA Participant Work
Completion of the Wildfire Preparedness Plan for each participant
20 to 30 hours of volunteer service to community wildfire preparedness
(Remove this slide if doing the hybrid version. Not in narrated version.) Citizen Fire Academy consists of a combination of in-person classes, field tours and participant work, including a completed Wildfire Preparedness Plan and volunteer work in your community.
In person classes give you the basics in topics ranging from Fire Science to Effective Volunteering.
Field tours get you out into the woods to apply what you learn real-life situations.
By the end of the coursework, you will have learned what you need to complete a Wildfire Preparedness Plan, a document that can be targeted for you and your family, or if you prefer to work with a larger group, your neighborhood or Home Owners Association. You will present the basics of your plan at Graduation.
Following course work, it is expected that you will take your knowledge to your community and volunteer in any number of ways to develop a Fire-Adapted Community. This may include one-on-one talking with your neighbors, developing a neighborhood organization such as a Firewise Community, doing fuels reduction work in your community, or however your skills and talents are best put to use. Begin thinking about how you might wish to volunteer now! n.

7. How does CFA work? 2 in-person classes
Introduction / Learning Canvas
Effective Volunteering and Graduation
4 online modules, including a conference call “office hour” to answer questions
Fire Science
Living in a Fire Environment
Home Protection Strategies
Fuels Reduction Strategies
2 interactive field tours
Field tour #1: builds on lesson learned in Fire Science and Living in a Fire Environment
Field Tour #2: builds on lessons learned in Home Protection Strategies, Fuels Reduction Strategies and Effective Volunteering
CFA participant work
Completion of the Wildfire Preparedness Plan for each participant
20 to 30 hours of volunteer service to community wildfire preparedness
(Remove this slide if doing the conventional version.)
Citizen Fire Academy consists of a combination of in-person classes, online modules, field tours and participant work, including a completed Wildfire Preparedness Plan and volunteer work in your community.
Each online module is punctuated with an in-person or conference call “office hour” where participants can ask questions about content, and online forums and self-assessment exercises provide lots of opportunities to interact with the CFA Facilitator and fellow students; all from the comfort of your own home!
Two field tours get you out into the woods to apply what you learn online to real-life situations.
By the end of the coursework, you will have learned what you need to complete a Wildfire Preparedness Plan, a document that can be targeted for you and your family, or if you prefer to work with a larger group, your neighborhood or Home Owners Association. You will present the basics of your plan at Graduation.
Following course work, it is expected that you will take your knowledge to your community and volunteer in any number of ways to develop a Fire-Adapted Community. This may include one-on-one talking with your neighbors, developing a neighborhood organization such as a Firewise Community, doing fuels reduction work in your community, or however your skills and talents are best put to use. Begin thinking about how you might wish to volunteer now!

8. Thanks!
We look forward to working with you as you progress through this program. Don’t hesitate to ask questions of your CFA Facilitator and remember to have fun too!
Photo: Alexandra Steinmetz