Forestry
Protecting Arkansas’s forests, and those who enjoy them, from wildland fire and natural hazards while promoting rural and urban forest health, stewardship, development, and conservation for all generations of Arkansans
Arkansas Firewise
The Arkansas Firewise USA Program is a wildfire-safety initiative that works through fire departments to educate and protect communities from wildfires. As part of the NFPA’s Firewise USA Program, the Forestry Division encourages local solutions for wildfire safety by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, firefighters, and others in creating fire-adapted communities – places where people and property are safer from the risk of brush, grass, and forest fires. Beyond training and education, the program offers grant money to fire departments that complete required training and projects to help fund wildfire equipment and future wildfire mitigation projects.
In Arkansas, many homes are built in the wildland/urban interface (communities with both homes and natural areas in close proximity to one another), making them at a higher risk for wildfire damage. The Firewise USA Program outlines specific strategies for improving the defensible space (area 30-300 feet surrounding a home between the structure and surrounding forested area) around homes through fire department efforts to improve community-wide wildfire danger.
Contact Us
Firewise Coordinator: Travis Haile
Phone (501) 580-9607
Email: travis.haile@agriculture.arkansas.gov
Firewise Public Information Specialist: Leslie Foster
Phone (501) 813-2554
Email: leslie.foster@agriculture.arkansas.gov
Mailing Address:
20 Industrial Blvd. Greenbrier, AR 72058
Physical Address:
20 Industrial Blvd. Greenbrier, AR 72058
Email: firewise@agriculture.arkansas.gov
Arkansas Firewise Forms
- How to Become a Recognized Firewise Community (1.57 MB)
- Step 1: Risk Assessment Paperwork (3.06 MB)
- Step 2: New Firewise USA Site Paperwork (6.64 MB)
- Step 3: Mitigation Grant Paperwork (2.16 MB)
- Renewal Paperwork 2024 (7.28 MB)
- Firewise FAQ (1.66 MB)
- Firewise General Information (2.09 MB)
- How to Order Educational Materials (1.51 MB)
- Wildfire Research Fact Sheets (5.76 MB)
- Ready, Set, Go! Kids Coloring Book (1.26 MB)
Additional Resources
This program is made possible through a grant from the USDA Forest Service.
