Minnesota Firewise
Firewise addresses the risk of homes in the wildland/urban interface to wildland fire. As more homes are built in the woods and fields of Minnesota, the existing firefighting resources are less able to protect everyone's property while trying to control a wildfire.
Homes close to evergreens and the tall grasses of prairies or marshes are most at risk. Making your home able to survive an approaching wildfire is the goal of the Firewise program.
Minnesota has adopted the national Firewise program. From this page you will find links to some of the national Firewise sites and all of the Minnesota related Firewise sites, plus general wildfire information.
See first hand how the Firewise program saved a home burning the Ham lake fire. Watch the Minnesota bound video.
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Minnesota Firewise in the Classroom
GIS 4 Schools provides technical support to The Minnesota DNR Firewise in the Classroom Project. Firewise in the Classroom introduces students to Geographic Information Technology (GIT) through a series of lessons that show students how to use GIT to help protect their homes and community from the threat of Wildfire or other natural or man-made disasters. FWC is an extension of Firewise Minnesota and consists of a series of integrated lesson plans that meet state and national classroom criteria/standards in Geography.
Since Firewise in the Classroom is accessed via the Internet, teachers can conduct a Firewise Project using MACs or PC computers. Over 110 teachers have attended one of the Summer or Fall Firewise training sessions. Each year a new Firewise Teacher DVD is produced that contains any updates to the curriculum, videos, presentations and additional resources to assist teachers conduct a Firewise project. Example of the New JMAPS Process.
U.S. Forest Service, Northern Reserarch Station has just published a case study that show cases Minnesota Firewise in the Classroom Project.
Firewise in the Classroom Curriculum:
Curriculum chapters
Firewise in the Classroom Links:
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