Southerners’ Attitudes about Wildfire

Residents of Florida’s Palm Coast perceive wildfire to be the most serious threat facing their community – more of a threat than hurricanes or tornadoes (Abt, Kuypers, and Whitson 1991).  A survey that was conducted 3 years after a destructive wildfire in 1985 of these people on Florida’s Palm Coast showed that  67% of residents had taken action to prevent wildfires and 95% of these safety measures were taken after the wildfire; this high rate was related to the personal experiences people had with fire (Abt, Kupers, Whitson 1991).

The belief that wildfires cause random destruction can deter people from taking action to reduce fire risks such as prescribed burning, creating defensible space, or converting to less-flammable construction materials (Winter and Fried 2000). 

While fire managers and fire workers should be aware of and respect homeowners’ perceptions of fire, homeowners’ beliefs are not always correct; for instance, homeowners in Michigan believe that visitors and camp fires are the primary ignition source of wildfires, but studies show that 80% of fires are caused by permanent residents and backyard debris burners (Winter and Fried 2000).