NFPA, State Farm Announce Recipients of 2021 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Project Awards

There is still time to make homes and communities safer from wildfire

 

 

National Fire Protection Association

In the past few years, the U.S. has seen 40,000 structures destroyed, more than $25 billion in property losses, and 100 fatalities due to wildfire. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm® are helping communities take steps toward safety with their national Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (Preparedness Day) event on Saturday, May 1, 2021.

Preparedness Day encourages people and organizations to come together on a single day to take action to raise awareness and reduce wildfire risks, and it provides a platform to share information and offer guidance to residents as they make changes to improve the survival of their homes and neighborhoods. Given that in-person gatherings are limited or on hold in many areas, this year’s event focuses on what people can do on and around their home to help protect against the threat of wildfire. Thanks to generous support from State Farm, 150 communities across 24 states will receive project funding awards of $500 each to support their wildfire mitigation activities on Preparedness Day. See the list of winners.

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“As the largest home insurer in the U.S., it is important that we take a leadership role in helping homeowners stay safe and better protect their property,” said Vickie Hodges, P&C Underwriting Analyst at State Farm. “Since working with NFPA on the first Preparedness Day event in 2013, we have seen an increase in the number of grant applications each year. We are pleased to provide 150 communities with a grant to help fund wildfire risk reduction activities on May 1.”

Over the past decade, the U.S. has witnessed a steady rise in wildfire activity. Experts predict this trend will continue. Despite the $2 to $3 billion per year to support wildland fire suppression efforts, the number of homes lost in wildfires per year has increased by more than 160 percent.

“Voluntary individual and community actions remain a key component to reducing wildfire risk around homes and neighborhoods,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “Preparedness Day serves as a reminder to homeowners about the simple but effective steps they can take to prepare ahead of a wildfire. It is inspiring to see the great work these communities are doing to reduce their risk.”

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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 1. 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®

The mission of State Farm is 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 19,200 agents and 59,000 employees serve approximately 84 million policies and accounts – over 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies and over 2 million financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for rentersbusiness ownersboats 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. 36 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

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About the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)

Founded in 1896, 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 delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.

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There is still time to make homes and communities safer from wildfire     National Fire Protection Association In the past few years, the U.S. has seen 40,000 structures destroyed, more than $25 billion in property losses, and 100 fatalities due to wildfire. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm® are helping communities take steps toward safety with […]

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