Washington, D.C.—The inaugural Forest Service Employees Wildfire Preparedness Challenge concluded May 4. The event drew employees from around the nation. During the challenge, employees were asked to follow a simple three-step process to know their risk, plan to reduce their risk and act. The program helped kick off Wildfire Awareness Month, encouraging employees to connect with wildfire mitigation resources and do their part to mitigate wildfire risk around their homes and communities.

Employees from every Forest Service region and the national headquarters office participated in the challenge. The Intermountain Region sent the most employees, representing 20% of the participants. Nearly 70% of the participants identified their work location as in the office while 30% identified as remote or telework. Half of the participants live in areas of high or very high wildfire risk. 

For some, the challenge was more than understanding risk or removing vegetation from their yards. One participant shared their experience about the importance of preparing for wildfires. “My 13-year-old daughter had stressful experiences with fire at an impressionable age. As a result, she is terrified of fire, even candles,” the participant said. “The challenge inspired me to prepare and mitigate risks, which helped reduce her stress and allowed her to feel prepared in the face of the unpredictable nature of wildfire.”

The Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation staff thank everyone who participated in the challenge and congratulates all who took steps to understand and reduce their risk. Three lucky participants were selected at random to receive prizes for participating. The prize package includes a retro Smokey Bear cooler filled with unique Smokey Bear items, just in time for his 80th birthday celebration! The following participants will receive their prize package later this month:

• Jim King, Northern Rockies Region District fire management officer. King lives in an area that is at a high wildfire risk.  

• Mollie Liskiewicz, Region 4 environmental protection specialist. Liskiewicz lives in an area that is at a very high wildfire risk.

• Jen Croft, Washington Office applied fire ecologist. Croft lives in an area that is at a very high wildfire risk.

If you missed the Wildfire Preparedness Challenge, it’s not too late! You can learn more about your wildfire risk and what to do about it by visiting www.wildfirerisk.org.