Defensible space guidance
Zone-by-zone plans for the first 100 feet, written for the equipment and time a household actually has.
Program
Community Safety & Preparedness
Practical, local, and actionable: defensible space, evacuation readiness, and the tools neighborhoods use before a fire starts.
Defining metric
Most of what determines whether a home survives a wildfire is decided months before the ignition. This program publishes the guidance, checklists, and training materials that make those months count.
What we do
Evacuation readiness
One-page checklists, go-bag lists, and household plans designed to be printed and posted, not bookmarked.
Neighborhood organizing
Materials for HOAs, block captains, and Firewise groups running a coordinated fuels reduction on shared land.
Home hardening
What actually stops ember intrusion — vents, decks, roofs, and gutters — ranked by cost and effect.
Research in this program
All Community Safety & Preparedness researchStories & analysis
All stories
Analysis
Eastern Lane County Wildfires, Toxic Smoke, and Opportunity: Dr. Bob Zybach Presentation Index — National Wildfire Allia
Dr. Bob Zybach’s 59‑minute presentation on catastrophic wildfires, toxic smoke, forest management history, and reforestation opportunities in Eastern Lane County, Oregon
Analysis
Spotted Owls, Clinton's Plan, and Deadly Smoke: One Woman's 30-Year Fight for Forest Communities and Clean Air — Nationa
Nadine Bailey lost her livelihood to spotted owl politics — then watched those same unmanaged forests explode into catastrophic fire. Her 30-year testimony connects federal forest policy directly to lung cancer, lost towns, and toxic air.
Analysis
Another Year Of Deadly Wildfire Smoke?
In this article David L. Auchterlonie shows The WHO, the Lancet, the National Academy of Sciences, and dozens of peer-reviewed studies have reached the same conclusion: wildfire smoke is carcinogenic. It is linked to COPD, cardiovascular disease, and even autism in children — and kills an estima
Next step
Every preparedness guide we publish, filterable by topic, format, and audience.
Browse the research