Academy, summit keep safety at forefront
As fire season gets under way in earnest in the United States, please remember that the safety of our firefighters is our highest priority.
To that end, the National Academy of Public Administration is the preeminent organization dedicated to improving the performance of governance systems: the network of public institutions, nonprofit organizations and private companies that share in the implementation of public policy. As an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress, the academy responds to specific requests from public agencies and non-government organizations. The academy also promotes discourse on emerging trends in governance through its standing panels and with external funding.
NAPA recently completed a report on wildland fire suppression, which found that federal, state and local agencies must strike at the main causes of wildland fires to bring the costs of fighting them under control. These costs have increased dramatically with the buildup of hazardous fuels, rising home construction in fire-prone areas and severe drought. The NAPA report focused on federal wildfire assistance to state and local governments, and offered steps to better prepare federal, state, local and tribal officials to work together.
NAPA also has three documents available for your review and comment. They include:
- Coordinating Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Actions,
- The Wildland Fire Grant System: Characteristics and Potentials for Reform, and
- A Proposal for Mobilizing Wildfire Hazard Mitigation within States and Communities at Risk.
You can obtain the documents at their Web site, www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/ongoing_wildfirepage.html.
Also on the safety front, mark your calendars for the Seventh Annual International Wildland Fire Safety Summit, to be held in Toronto, Ontario, Nov. 18-20. The Safety Summit will be hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Aviation and Forest Fire Management Branch. The main themes of the conference will be:
- Protection on the Fireline and
- Security and Well-Being of Firefighters.
For more details and registration information, go to www.safetysummit.org.
Planning also is well under way for Wildfire 2004, to be held in Reno, Nev., from March 3-6. Plan on attending the most exciting wildfire conference to be held next year.
International Association of Wildland Fire
4025 Fair Ridge Drive
Fairfax, Va. 22033
phone: 785-423-1818
fax: 785-542-3511
e-mail:
iawf@iawfonline.org
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