We can all help make the world a safer place by learning more about how and why wildfires start. From historical statistics, to the resources we use to put wildfires out, to ways to do your part to prevent wildfires, teaching people about wildfires is an important part of what we do.
FireWorks - an educational program about the science of wildland fire, designed for students in grades K-12. It provides students with interactive, hands-on materials to study wildland fire. It is highly interdisciplinary, and students learn about properties of matter, chemical and physical processes, ecosystem fluctuations and cycles, habitat and survival, and human interactions with ecosystems. Students using FireWorks ask questions, gather information, analyze, and interpret it, and communicate their discoveries. Curriculum available at https://www.frames.gov/fireworks/home
Other education curricula available:
- Southwest Fire Science Consortium Fire Ecology Curriculum- Funded by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), this curriculum includes topics on biotic communities of the Southwest, fire ecology and how fire plays a role in these communities, and wildland fire and natural resources careers.
- Living with Fire Wildfire Science - This curriculum is designed to help youth understand the role of wildfire in Nevada ecosystems and learn how to reduce their household’s wildfire risk.
- National Park Service Wildland Fire (for teachers) - Several national parks have developed specific curricula to help teach students about wildland fire and its role in park ecology.
- Smokey Bear elementary resources (for educators) - Share Smokey Bear’s Five Rules for Wildfire Prevention by integrating this hands-on program into your existing curriculum.