Ready,
Set, Go!
Wildland Fire Program Now Available to
All Fire Departments
Fairfax, Va., Mar.
30, 2011... Today, the Ready,
Set, Go! program was launched
nationally at the Wildland Urban Interface
(WUI)
conference. Ready, Set, Go! offers tools
and resources for local responders to
teach individuals who live in high-risk
areas how to best prepare themselves and
their properties against wildland fire
threats.
Today’s launch also
unveiled the program’s online portal, www.wildlandfireRSG.org, which
offers local program participants
educational resources, tools to manage the
program, news and connections with other
program participants and partners.
“Ready, Set, Go! is a
dynamic program which was embraced by the
firefighters and the citizens of Pigeon
Forge,” said Chief Tony Watson of the
Pigeon Forge (Tenn.) Fire Department, one
of nine fire departments that have spent
the last year piloting the program.
“Through public-service announcements,
informational packets and community
outreach, we prepared the public for the
threat of wildland fire. Through wildland
training with state and federal resources,
we prepared our firefighters to be the
ambassadors of this program. Community
stakeholders have partnered with fire
department resources, and their
involvement continues to shape the
structure of our area.”
Ready, Set, Go! provides
fire departments and other public-safety
agencies with the tools, resources and
guidance necessary to deliver the wildland
fire safety message to individuals at the
local level. The program is a three-step
process that teaches homeowners to create
their own action plan of preparedness,
have situational awareness and leave early
in the event of a fire—all with the goal
of significantly increasing the safety of
residents and firefighters.
The three-step process is
easy to remember and implement:
“While this program can
be implemented by any local response
agency, we are encouraging fire
departments to step up and lead this
effort in their communities,” said Chief
Jack Parow, president and chairman of the
board of the International Association of
Fire Chiefs (IAFC). “The fire service is
uniquely positioned to understand the
fire-risk environment and is typically a
trusted voice that resonates with
community members.”
Ready, Set, Go! was
developed for national rollout by the IAFC
with support from the U.S.
Forest Service, U.S.
Fire Administration, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Firewise and
the Insurance Institute for Business &
Home Safety (IBHS). The
program works in complimentary and
collaborative fashion with Firewise and
other existing wildland fire public
education efforts. It amplifies their
messages to individuals to better achieve
the common goal we all share of
fire-adapted communities.
To participate in the
program sign
up online as a Ready, Set,
Go! department.
