What does it mean to be a Fireshed Ambassador?

Background: What is a Fireshed?

A ‘Fireshed’ is a delineation of where fires ignite and are likely  - or not  - to spread to wild areas and communities. The Santa Fe Fireshed comprises 18 focal areas, with Tribal, Federal, State, City, and Private land.

The fireshed can be divided into private and non-private regions. Non-private lands are managed by their respective agencies, which communicate and often coordinate through the GSFFC. However, private landowners are left to manage their lands independently, lacking access to the same resources, personnel, and funding available to agencies. The Fireshed Ambassador program was established to bridge this gap.

A Fireshed Ambassador mitigating wildfire risk around his home

The Fireshed Ambassador approach involves engaging with your neighbors to help them understand their wildfire risk and encourage and motivate residents to take action to reduce that risk. This approach promotes collective action through taking personal responsibility for where you live – which is in a fire-adapted ecosystem! Within this program, offerings are tailored to the needs and context of each community while meeting the overarching goals and purpose.

There are numerous benefits to the Fireshed Ambassador approach, whether you are an Ambassador or a community member working with your local Ambassador, such as:

  • Improving egress strategies and evacuation preparedness.

  • Home hardening and fuels reduction around homes.

  • Enhancing relationships with local forest and fire professionals.

  • Building a network of residents who can share their experiences and help others.

  • Connecting to a network of supporters who can effect wildfire-adapted policies and codes.

  • Generally increasing community capacity and preparedness in the event of a wildfire.

As an Ambassador, you will...

have access to education and training, connect with experts in the field, and receive notice regarding grant opportunities. Your job is to bring together your community to work collaboratively on wildfire preparedness and risk mitigation. This may involve hosting trainings on home hazard assessments, leading a fuels reduction project in your community’s wildland interface, or networking with the Coalition network to amplify your impact.

As a community member, you will...

work with your local Ambassador to assess your level of risk to wildfire and identify actions you can take to mitigate that risk, develop an evacuation and preparedness plan in the event of a wildfire, and encourage your neighbors to do the same in order to create a safer and more resilient community.

Please submit the contact form below if you are interested in becoming a neighborhood ambassador.

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Pam Ryan
Pam Ryan
The GSFFC is a coalition of public and private organizations. The GSFFC is not a subdivision of the State of New Mexico, as defined in the state’s Open Meetings Act, §§ 10-15-1 to 10-15-4 NMSA 1978. Although federal agencies participate in the GSFFC, the Coalition is not a federal advisory board and was not created by a federal agency, as defined by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5.U.S.C. app. 2, §§ 1 to 16 (2012). The GSFFC operates informally to support its partners, and is not incorporated as a non-profit, 501(C)(3), partnership, or other legal status.