‘MISSOULA, MT, May 3, 2011 –/WORLD-WIRE/– The International
Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) announces Global Wildfire
Awareness Week, from May 1-7, 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere, with a
theme of “Your Home…Your Responsibility.

Wildfire affects residents, businesses and governments on every
continent and we are using our resources to link and assist those
groups,” said IAWF President Chuck Bushey. “This is a key time to
share wildfire prevention information with the world,” he added. The
IAWF’s full proclamation and a growing body of resources are available
on a new website — wildfireworld.org — orientated towards
homeowners, firefighters, communities and governmental organizations
throughout the world.

We are excited to globally link wildfire professional to share
information, research, and practical tools in the effort to reduce
wildfire impacts,” said Bushey. This dynamic site allows sharing of
community wildfire profiles, fire prevention materials and real-time,
global fire occurrence information. “The site will build as time
goes on and will become more vibrant with submissions from all parts
of the globe,” he continued. The Southern Hemisphere Awareness Week
kicks off October 1.

This initiative grows from IAWF’s mission to foster leadership and
communication for the wildland fire community. This bi-annual
campaign seeks to expand IAWF’s commitment to wildfire prevention
around the globe. As the Proclamation notes, “Our vision is a
global society that is not only vigilant but also knowledgeable on
how to live in fire-prone environments. We ask for your
participation, not only through this week, but throughout the
year.”

“Wildfires are a growing problem, globally and locally,” said
IAWF Board Member Ron Steffens. “The first year of Global Wildfire
Awareness Week we are building a clearinghouse of current, evolving
information.” The new site showcases community profiles such as
Greece, home to massive wildfires in 2010, and Washington state
(USA), with more profiles being added over the coming months. Fire
prevention and home safety evaluation resources are available along
with links to global wildfire news. Wildland firefighters are
encouraged to upload their “Community Profile” as we observe
globally how each local community prevents unplanned wildfires.

About the International Association of Wildland Fire.

The IAWF is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) professional association
representing members of the global wildland fire community
(www.iawfonline.org <http://www.iawfonline.org/>
and http://wildfireworld.org <http://wildfireworld.org/>
) and is uniquely positioned as an independent organization whose
membership includes experts in all aspects of wildland fire
management. IAWF’s independence and breadth of global membership
expertise allows it to offer a neutral forum for the consideration of
important, at times controversial, wildland fire issues. IAWF produces
Wildfire magazine, the International Journal of Wildland Fire, and
FireNet.

1418 Washburn Street
Missoula, MT 59801 USA
www.iawfonline.org <http://www.iawfonline.org/>

Contact:

Paula Nelson,
Public Affairs Officer

publicaffairs@iawfonline.org
or 406-821-0042