Nevada Wildfire Awareness month underway

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is once again coordinating the collaborative efforts of federal, state and local fire services; public safety agencies; community organizations; and others to participate in Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month throughout May.

This year’s theme is “Wildfires Happen. Is your Community Prepared?” to encourage residents of Nevada’s wildfire-prone communities to prepare their homes, families and communities for wildfire.

“Wildfire can threaten Nevadan communities and impact homes, property and human life,” Jamie Roice-Gomes, manager of Cooperative Extension’s Living with Fire program, said in a news release from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. “The key to minimizing the wildfire impact is proactive communities that take steps to prepare.”

Events are scheduled across the state to encourage residents to take action.

They include a June 1 “Pine Needle Pickup,” from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Mount Charleston Fire Protection District Station 853, 36-40 Kyle Canyon Road in Mount Charleston.

Nevadans are invited to find other activities in their area at www.livingwithfire.info/calendar and to learn about the steps they can take to prepare their homes for wildfire.

Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month is a collaborative effort by local, state and federal firefighting agencies; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; and many others. Major funding partners include the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Nevada Division of Forestry.

For more information on Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month events and for information on how to reduce the wildfire threat, visit www.LivingWithFire.info or contact Roice-Gomes at roicej@unce.unr.edu or 775-336-0261.