March 16, 2022 –The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) and State Farm® have announced the winners of the 2022 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (Preparedness Day) project awards.
This year’s event, which takes place on May 7, focuses on what people can do on and around their homes to help protect against the threat of wildfire. Thanks to generous support from State Farm, NFPA is giving each of the 100 winning communities a $500 project funding award to complete a planned wildfire risk reduction project on event day. See the list of winners.
Preparedness Day encourages people and organizations to come together to take action and raise awareness of wildfire risks. It also provides a platform to share information and offer guidance to residents as they make changes to improve the survival of their homes and neighborhoods. Each year individuals and communities can apply to receive a funding award to help support their risk reduction projects on Preparedness Day. This year’s award recipients were chosen from 24 states.
As the U.S. has witnessed a steady rise in wildfire activity, research around home destruction versus home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames as the main way most homes ignite in wildfires; voluntary individual and community actions continue to be a major component to reducing wildfire risk around homes and neighborhoods.
“There are a number of simple but effective steps residents can take to prepare ahead of a wildfire,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “Preparedness Day brings awareness to these activities and helps guide actions on event day. It’s also exciting to see people use this annual event as a springboard to engage in more wildfire mitigation work in their communities throughout the year.”
There is still time to make homes and communities safer from wildfire. NFPA and State Farm encourage people to get involved by planning a project and participating on May 7. Take the first step with the help of NFPA’s free Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Toolkit.
For more resources and information about national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day including videos and tip sheets, visit www.wildfireprepday.org.
For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research, and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.
About State Farm®
For 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been, and continues to be, to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and approximately 53,400 employees serve over 87 million policies and accounts – which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 39 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
NFPA: 125 Years of Protecting People and Property
The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The association began its work to solve the fire problem in a young, industrialized nation in 1896 and has since become a global force known for advancing safety worldwide. NFPA delivers information and knowledge through more than 325 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach, and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. In celebration of its 125th Anniversary, NFPA is hosting a Conference Series through March 2022 and undertook several initiatives in 2021 that reflect the association’s steadfast commitment to advancing fire and life safety. For more information or to view NFPA codes and standards for free, visit www.nfpa.org.
Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1-617-984-7275