Post-Fire Preparedness and Recovery

After a fire, it is common for external attention and investment to disappear. However, as recovery practitioners know, this is just the beginning of the long, complex process that is rebuilding and repairing communities. The importance of recovery, of caring for communities that are impacted by fire beyond the response and suppression phases, needs to be made a focal point of our approach to wildfire. 

Between 2015 and 2017, WRCD participated in several recovery workshops, listening sessions, and meetings after the 2014/15 wildfires. In 2024, we began incorporating recovery more fully into our Community Wildfire Resilience Portfolio.

In collaboration with the Washington Department of Natural Resources Post-Fire Recovery Program, WRCD has begun to engage in efforts to build out Washington’s recovery functions. Accomplishments and outcomes associated with this work so far include, 

• Presenting at DNR’s annual All Hands, All Lands Post-Fire Recovery Workshops in 2024 and 2025
• Participating in field trips to visit burned areas and discuss lessons learned with agency partners, land managers, and partner organizations. 
• Updating and relaunching afterthefirewa.org, which serves as a hub of Washington-specific post-fire recovery resources and information for wildfire survivors.  This collaborative resource hub is the result of a shared vision of resilient communities where every wildfire survivor has the resources and support they need to recover. 
• Developing a CWPP Post-Fire Recovery Planning Toolkit for community stakeholders and planning partners involved in CWPP development or updates. 
• Attending a Learning Exchange in Ashland, Oregon focused on community-led recovery in the aftermath of the Almeda Fire.