Wildfire risk reduction in the United States: Leadership staff perceptions of local fire department roles and responsibilities

As wildland fires have had increasing negative impacts on a range of human values, in many parts of the United States (U.S.) and around the world, collaborative risk reduction efforts among agencies, homeowners, and fire departments are needed to improve wildfire safety and mitigate risk. Using interview data from 46 senior officers from local fire departments around the U.S., we examine how leadership staff view their departments’ roles and responsibilities in wildfire risk reduction. Overall, our findings indicate that local fire personnel are often performing a variety of mitigation tasks and roles, acting as informants, educators, partners, and planners. The challenges these local departments have experienced also point to how funding, information sharing, and staff buy-in can better facilitate engagement in mitigation work and ultimately help improve community wildfire safety.