Bitter Root RC&D: FireSmart Wagon

FireSmart Wagon

Following the Bitterroot Valley 2000 wildfire season, the FireSMART Wagon was born! A mobile learning center to educate the public about “Living on the Edge” of forests and wildfire in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). The wagon is the product of small-town ingenuity and available for scheduled use by interested parties.

HOW CAN THE WAGON ASSIST YOU?

Informing the public about creating defensible space,
Share the values of prescribed fire,
Introduce the natural role of fire in our forested lands,
Be the information source during wildland fire
and perhaps most critically, major suppression efforts will become a little easier—thanks to the mobile unit called the “Living on the Edge—FireSMART Wagon.”

WHAT WE OFFER

The FireSMART Wagon is equipped with a full range of interpretive and educational materials, including a TV/VCR and videos, a laptop computer and Smokey Bear items for the kids. Incident Command Teams have used the wagon extensively during Montana’s busy fire seasons and universally mentioned what a unique and valuable resource it proved to be. During the most intense burning days, the wagon saw over 100 visitors daily.

The project was funded by a National Fire Plan “Living with Fire” grant from the State & Private Forestry program (S&PF) of the USDA Forest Service. The Wagon continues to engage the public with grant funds from Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC).

The FireSMART Wagon is a community
assistance response to the National Fire Plan.

The FireSMART Wagon shares proactive materials and ideas with current and new landowners on how to reduce their risks from wildland fires.
It increases the opportunity to expand the visitors' understanding of the forest’s fire-dependent ecosystems.
During wildfire suppression campaigns, the Wagon can be located where it’s easy for impacted residents to access up-to-date information about evacuations, fire fighting progress, and weather predictions.