Community Preparedness

Req 9c — Firewise Home Assessment

9c.

Conduct a Firewise assessment of a home or a building in the wildland-urban interface, which could include a Scout camp building or facility. Identify potential risks and fire hazards. With your counselor’s approval, complete a project to reduce the wildfire risk and increase the preparedness of the building. Write a brief report about what you did and learned from the assessment and project. Option C — Firewise Assessment & Project

Option C involves evaluating a real building in the WUI and executing a hands-on fuel reduction project.

Assessment & Project Steps

  1. Conduct the Assessment: Use a Firewise assessment form to inspect the roof, gutters, vents, decks, and defensible space zones (0–5 ft, 5–30 ft, 30–100 ft).
  2. Identify Specific Hazards: Note accumulated pine needles on roofs, firewood stacked against wooden walls, or low-hanging branches over gutters.
  3. Execute a Mitigation Project: With counselor approval, complete a practical hazard reduction task (such as clearing a 5-foot non-combustible zone around a camp cabin, pruning low branches up to 8 feet, or screening vents).
  4. Write a Brief Summary Report: Document before-and-after photos, steps taken, and lessons learned.

Requirement 9c Resources

Separating Your Home From Wildfire - The Zones of Defensible Space — NFPA Firewise USA
Firewise USA® Home Preparation National Fire Protection Association official guide on preparing structures and landscapes for wildfire resilience. Link: Firewise USA® Home Preparation — https://www.nfpa.org/en/education-and-research/wildfire/preparing-homes-for-wildfire Fire Home Assessment Form (PDF) Printable inspection checklist for assessing structure hazards and defensible space zones. Link: Fire Home Assessment Form (PDF) — https://dem.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur861/files/programs/bnatres/forest/pdf/fire/fire-home-assessment-form.pdf

Next Steps

If you are completing Option 9c, proceed to Requirement 10. You can also view Option 9d.