Outreach is at the heart of community wildfire resilience. From shaping public conversations to building lasting relationships, community engagement is what turns good ideas into widespread action.
Over the years, the Fire Networks Blog (formerly the FAC Net blog) has published dozens of posts that highlight creative outreach strategies, lessons learned, event models, and reflections from practitioners. Below is a curated look at some of the most useful conversation starters and resources about community outreach that can help inform your work.
If you’re planning an outreach campaign, workshop series, or community event, revisiting these posts can spark new ideas and reinforce a people-centered approach to wildfire resilience.
Reflective Outreach Stories & Approach Examples
Community Voice & Empowerment
Engaging Communities with Prescribed Fire: Lessons Learned from PBA Outreach in Fire‑Prone Areas — A practitioner-centered roundup on designing outreach around Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs), including workshop logistics and trauma-informed communication approaches.
Volunteer Engagement Models
Engaging Volunteers, Empowering the Community: The FAC Neighborhood Ambassador Approach — Highlights a sustained volunteer outreach framework for wildfire readiness and mitigation, with practical tools and examples for launching neighborhood ambassador programs.
Practitioner Perspectives
Perspectives: Fire Practitioners on Neighborhood Resilience, Community Empowerment, and Building Bridges — A series of practitioner reflections that remind us why listening to neighbors and amplifying local voices is core to meaningful engagement.
Seasonal & Campaign-Driven Outreach Resources
Wildfire Awareness & Preparedness
Wildfire Awareness Month 2025: Resources for Community Preparedness — A collection of preparedness resources and outreach ideas tied to Wildfire Awareness Month activities, including downloadable materials and campaign links.
Community Collaboration Over Time
Reflecting on a Decade of Community Collaboration – We’ve Only Just Begun — A retrospective look at engagement efforts across network partners that showcases how collaborative outreach has evolved and built momentum.
Overarching Principles for Outreach
Across these posts, a few key themes emerge about community outreach.
Meet people where they are. Whether that’s a community event, local organization meeting, or neighborhood workshop, outreach that aligns with existing community rhythms gets more traction.
Design with intention. Thoughtfully planned workshop agendas, trauma-informed facilitation, and clear goals help ensure outreach conversations are constructive and include as many community representatives as possible.
Sustain engagement. Community engagement shouldn’t be a one-off campaign. Follow-through, continued communication, and ongoing connection keep wildfire adaptation work alive and moving forward in the community.
Make sure there’s a seat for everyone. Outreach that considers language, lived experience, and accessibility broadens its impact and ensures participation from voices often left out of wildfire conversations.
Additional Resources
While these blog posts offer lessons and stories, FAC Net also has related support tools that can reinforce outreach planning. Check out our Community Engagement worksheets, Community Engagement Guide for CWPPs, and Community Mapping for Wildfire Resilience.
Have other community engagement and outreach materials you find useful? Share them in the comments!
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