Today, May 6, is National Wildfire Community PreparednessDay and Governor Mike Dunleavy has proclaimed May 7-13 as “Wildland Fire Prevention and Preparedness Week” in Alaska. The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection is highlighting our new logo this week, which represents the public safety fire suppression responsibilities of the Division, as well as its forestry duties.
The Alaska image depicting forests and wildland fire has been used as a patch and internal emblem within the Division for years. We took this symbol of pride among our staff and firefighters and framed it within a shield to represent the Division’s place within Alaska’s public safety sector.
It does not matter where you live in Alaska, almost every one of our communities has a risk of wildfire. Areas around Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Mat-Su and the Kenai are probably the first fire-prone places that come to mind but, in recent years, wildland fires have burned near less likely places like Juneau, St. Mary’s and the North Slope.
Alaska and the nation now face more intense and longer fire seasons due to increasingly hot and dry summers and forest insect and disease outbreaks. In addition, Alaskans have increasingly chosen to live in high fire-risk, wildland-urban interface areas. An estimated 80% of Alaska’s population live in areas considered high risk for wildland fire.
Alaskan wildland firefighters have been preparing for the 2023 fire season for months. Please take some time this May to help them and your community by preparing your own home and property to be resistant to wildfire. Be sure to obtain your burn permit from the Division’s website or area offices and abide by the practices and guidelines within.
We will be sharing more information on wildland fire prevention and preparedness topics throughout the week, stay tuned!
Categories: AK Fire Info
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 