Firewise homeowner's kit and free DIY home assessment form

How it works

St. Louis County says Firewise is a program created by the National Fire Protection Association and adopted by the Minnesota DNR and St. Louis County. The page presents it as a wildfire-preparedness and education program for homeowners.

Homeowners can order a free Firewise homeowner's kit and receive it in the mail. The kit includes a free DIY home assessment form, brochures, and other resources. The assessment form is intended to help you understand your home's current fire risk so you can take action to reduce risk on your property.

What the money covers

This is not a cash grant or rebate. The benefit is a free informational kit and assessment form. The page also points homeowners to educational resources about wildfire resilience, including:

• 50 Things You Can Do To Protect Your Home
• Firewise landscaping in Northeastern Minnesota
• Home building / retrofitting for wildfire resiliency
• Wildfire safety for renters / vacationers

Additional wildfire-preparedness context

The page also links to wildfire-related planning and safety resources, including fire danger rating, burning restrictions, burn permits, and the county's Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The CWPP is described as identifying and prioritizing wildland-urban interface areas for hazardous fuels reduction and outlining measures to reduce fire danger to structures in at-risk communities.

Timing and deadlines

The page does not state an application deadline, opening date, closing date, funding cap, or waitlist. It presents the homeowner kit as available now.