NFPA, State Farm announce recipients of 2021 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Project Awards
April 10, 2021

Just 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. To be eligible for an award, applicants provided a brief description of the proposed project and how the State Farm award will fund that project that will begin or be completed on May 1. Descriptions included how groups or individuals would work toward reducing the risk of wildfire or impact of a recent fire, and/or advancing preparedness for wildfire in the community.

Five Tennessee individuals/communities were announced as grant winners:

Michael Dew, Townsend
Bryan Kerns, Kingsport
Mark Bernard, Friendsville
Julia Lowe, Gatlinburg
Weston Hofacker, Townsend

"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 wild land 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."

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.