Firewise Assessment & Project

This is the only option in Requirement 9 that leaves something behind. When you finish, a real building is measurably harder to ignite than it was before — and that is a genuinely satisfying way to end a badge.

It has four steps: assess, identify, do the work, and write it up.

Step 1: Choose Your Building and Get Permission

Good candidates:

• A Scout camp building — dining hall, staff cabin, trading post, shower house, or a program shelter. Camp rangers are usually thrilled to have this done and can tell you exactly what has been bothering them.
• Your own home, if it is in or near wildland vegetation.
• A church, community building, or neighbor’s home in the WUI, with the owner’s clear permission.

Get permission in writing before you assess and again before you touch anything. Assessing a building is a fairly personal thing — you will be documenting what is wrong with someone’s property — so be clear from the start that the goal is to help, and share what you find respectfully.

Step 2: Conduct the Assessment

Work the home ignition zone framework from Req 4b, and work it in the order embers actually attack: the structure first, then out.

Print the assessment form, walk the building slowly, and photograph everything. Photographs of the “before” condition are what make your final report convincing, and you will want them for the comparison shots later.

Step 3: Identify Risks and Pick a Project

Sort what you found into three groups: high priority (likely ember entry points and anything combustible within five feet), medium priority (intermediate zone vegetation and deck issues), and long-term (roof replacement, window upgrades, tree removal — real work that needs a budget and a contractor).

Then choose a project you can actually finish, and get your counselor’s approval before you start. Realistic, high-value Scout projects include:

• Clean the roof, valleys, and gutters of needles and leaves. Boring, and probably the single highest-value hour of work on this list.
• Clear the first five feet completely — pull combustible mulch and replace it with gravel or pavers, remove shrubs touching the wall, and relocate door mats and cushions.
• Move the woodpile to at least 30 feet away and uphill of nothing.
• Clear everything out from under the deck and screen the opening.
• Screen vents with 1/8-inch metal mesh, working with an adult on ladder work.
• Rake and remove litter from the intermediate zone and haul it out.
• Limb up low branches on trees within 30 feet, using hand tools within your training.
• Clear the driveway of overhanging limbs so an engine has clearance.
• Install or repair reflective address numbers visible from the road.
• Assemble and post an evacuation plan for the building, with routes and an assembly point.

Step 4: Write the Report

The requirement asks for a brief report, so aim for one to three pages, plus photos. Cover:

• The building: what it is, where it is, and what makes it a WUI structure.
• The assessment: how you did it, what tool or form you used, and what you found — organized by zone.
• The risks you identified, with the high-priority ones called out and explained. Say why each one matters, in ember terms.
• The project: what you chose, why you chose it, who helped, how long it took, and what it cost if anything.
• Before and after photographs. These carry more weight than any paragraph.
• What you learned. Be specific and honest. The most interesting reports usually include something that surprised the Scout — how much debris was in the gutters, how many combustible things were within five feet, or how hard it was to get anyone to care until they saw the photos.
• What remains. Recommend the long-term items you could not do, so the owner has a roadmap.

If hands-on work is not your path, the next option is for Scouts who would rather change a hundred people’s behavior than one building’s condition.