Wildland fire captures the public’s attention every summer, but public understanding of fire is limited. This lack of understanding may contribute to poor support of fire management activities, particularly those that use fire for resource benefit. The FireWorks Educational Program uses hands-on activities to increase the public’s understanding of wildland fire. Although primarily designed for K-12 students, many of the activities are both suitable and fun for adults. FireWorks teaches students not only about wildland fire science, but also about how fire affects their local ecosystems.
Many FireWorks activities are derived from research produced at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. They cover the physical science of wildland fire, the wildland fire environment, fire effects on the environment, fire ecology, fire history and succession, and people’s relationships with fire. This seminar will introduce the FireWorks program, share its latest developments around the U.S., and showcase some of the exciting activities.
Details about FireWorks curricula and associated hands-on materials are available at: https://www.frames.gov/fireworks/fireworks-home/