Idaho is known for panoramic vistas and large swaths of forested land where, unfortunately, fire has always been a natural part of the environment. As new home construction has pushed into these forests and other areas of natural vegetation, the risk of wildfire to lives and homes has increased. As a company dedicated to protecting Idaho’s communities and contributing a portion of our resources to them, Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho is uniquely positioned to help people in these wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas plan for and mitigate the devastating effects of a wildland, grass, and forest fires.

 

That’s why in 2013, Farm Bureau Insurance partnered with a southeast Idaho organization called the “Island Park Sustainable Fire Community” (IPSFC). Organized in 2012 and operating in the Island Park and West Yellowstone communities, the IPSFC is a collaborative group of concerned citizens, representatives from local private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local, state, and federal government agencies committed to “raising awareness and minimizing the risks of wildfire hazards, and building a strong social, ecological, and sustainable forest community.” As a participating member of the Fire Adaptive Communities Learning Network, the IPSFC also promotes “a culture of living with fire within the wildland-urban interface communities.”

 

Here are some of the tools the IPSFC uses to achieve its goals.

 

HOME EVALUATIONS

Experienced professionals visit homes in the Island Park and West Yellowstone WUI zones to help homeowners evaluate the vegetation and topography surrounding their home, and learn how it could contribute to fire behavior.

 

WILDFIRE AWARENESS DAYS

This community outreach event focuses on delivering a message of adaptive landscapes and features free food, Smokey the Bear, games for kids, and insurance information.

 

SLASH PICKUP

This free service removes forest debris and cuttings from homeowners’ properties.

 

The group is also engaged in delivering its message through community workshops, producing and delivering a door-to-door outreach education program, and conducting research and analysis of defensible spaces for demonstration purposes.

 

AWARD-WINNING WORK

The United States Forest Service recently awarded the IPSFC with a “Regional Foresters Award” that recognized and thanked the organization and its members for “all their hard work and commitment to making sustainable fire communities.”

 

Farm Bureau Insurance is proud to help support the IPSFC and its efforts to protect people and property from Idaho’s inevitable wildfires.

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For more information about the IPSFC, visit them online at:

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www.islandparkfirecommunity.com

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https://www.facebook.com/IPSustainableFIre/

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