The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is helping serve the need for information and knowledge toward wildfire safety with the launch of two new online learning courses thanks to a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from FEMA.

Developed with the help of wildfire safety experts and based on the latest structure ignition research, the new courses are hoped to reach millions of Americans living and working in areas prone to wildfire, motivating them to take action to help reduce structure loss and community devastation.

The new courses supplement NFPA’s wildfire safety programs, including the national Firewise USA Recognition Program, and support the tenets of its Outthink Wildfire policy initiative by dramatically increasing public access to wildfire risk reduction education.

“There are nearly 45 million American homes at high risk to damage from wildfire, and many people in these areas have no easy access to risk reduction training or education,” said NFPA Wildfire Division Director Michele Steinberg.

“Digital delivery can reach millions directly, helping expand their knowledge of wildfire causes and disaster prevention strategies. Most importantly, the trainings engage people in safety actions long before a fire starts, spurring much needed risk-reduction measures at the property and neighborhood levels.”

Reducing Wildfire Risk to Property: Protecting Your Home or Business

This course is designed to educate homeowners, business owners, and property managers on the key factors that determine risk to property from wildfire, steps they can take to protect their homes and businesses, and tips on how to share the information with other community members. An Individual Property Protection Plan is built into the course, which offers tailored, practical steps to help prevent the destruction of property.

The course also comes with a mobile app, the “NFPA Wildfire Risk Simulator” that includes an interactive 3D and augmented reality (AR) tool illustrating wildfire risk to structures. Users can select the environment, type of structure, and other details that most closely match their own scenario. As the simulated wildfire approaches, users will see the variables that help contribute to the destruction of their virtual home or building. Based on this learning, users can then adjust those variables for a more successful outcome.

Reducing Wildfire Risk to Property: Professional Online Training

This course is designed for wildfire mitigation professionals who want to increase their knowledge and confidence in evaluating wildfire risk in their communities and effectively communicating with property owners and community leaders.

The two-hour self-guided online training includes dynamic videos, animations, and graphics that illustrate key concepts of wildfire spread, structure ignition, and risk reduction. Interactive exercises help users practice how to communicate risk and mitigation options to home and business owners and guide them to take effective steps to protect their property.

This course provides continuing education units that can support job requirements as well as the maintenance of the NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (CWMS) credential.

To learn more about reducing wildfire risk to property and to register for these free courses, visit nfpa.org/wildfirepreparedness.