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Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP)
Community Wildfire Protection Plans
What is a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)?
A Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or CWPP, is a locally driven plan that helps communities understand wildfire risk and identify actions that can reduce wildfire impacts to people, property, infrastructure, natural resources, and emergency response systems.
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Each CWPP is developed with input from local officials, fire departments, emergency management, landowners, residents, and technical partners. The final plan provides a roadmap for wildfire preparedness, mitigation priorities, public education, and future funding opportunities.
Identify Risk
Assess wildfire likelihood and values at risk across Hamilton County.
Prioritize Action
Identify and prioritize projects and stategies that reduce risk.
Support Preparedness
Strengthen coordination, communication, and community resilience.
Why CWPPs Are Important
Wildfire preparedness looks different in every community. Some counties may be focused on rural roads and emergency access, while others may be focused on expanding development, heavy vegetation, evacuation planning, or protecting homes and ranchlands.
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A CWPP helps bring these local concerns together into one shared plan. The process helps communities identify where wildfire risk exists, what values may be affected, and which projects or actions should be prioritized moving forward.
Managing Vegetation and Wildfire Fuels
More homes and infrastructure are in or near wildfire-prone landscapes.
Wildfire preparedness helps landowners reduce hazards around important structures.
Protecting homes, Ranches and Rural Properties
Strengthening Local Coordination
The CWPP creates a shared framework for communication, planning, and future mitigation efforts.
Strengthening Funding Opportunities
A CWPP can help align projects with grants and funding opportunites.
How a CWPP Comes Together
A clear process that puts local knowledge and collaboration at the center
Project Kickoff
The CWPP Working Group brings together local leaders, emergency responders, landowners, and planning partners to guide plan development, share local knowledge, identify wildfire concerns, and support community-based recommendations.
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Risk Assessment
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Risk assessments use local data on vegetation, fire history, WUI areas, infrastructure, and community assets to identify high-risk areas and guide mitigation strategies that fit local needs.
Community Input
Public meetings give residents, local officials, emergency responders, and wildfire experts an opportunity to share input, discuss concerns, and help shape CWPP priorities and strategies.
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Draft Plan
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The Draft Plan uses risk assessment findings to outline wildfire mitigation goals, recommended actions, and priorities that can be reviewed, refined, and updated as community needs change.
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Review & Revisions
Once developed, the CWPP is submitted to Texas A&M Forest Service for review to ensure the plan is feasible, effective, and aligned with wildfire planning standards before final revisions are made.
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Final Adoption
After Texas A&M Forest Service review is complete, the CWPP moves to local approval and final signing, formally recognizing the plan as a guiding document for wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
A clear process that puts local knowledge and collaboration at the center
How a CWPP Comes Together
Community Input
3
Public meetings give residents, local officials, emergency responders, and wildfire experts an opportunity to share input, discuss concerns, and help shape CWPP priorities and strategies.
Risk Assessment
2
Risk assessments use local data on vegetation, fire history, WUI areas, infrastructure, and community assets to identify high-risk areas and guide mitigation strategies that fit local needs.
Draft Plan
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The CWPP Working Group brings together local leaders, emergency responders, landowners, and planning partners to guide plan development, share local knowledge, identify wildfire concerns, and support community-based recommendations.
Final Adoption
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After Texas A&M Forest Service review is complete, the CWPP moves to local approval and final signing, formally recognizing the plan as a guiding document for wildfire preparedness and mitigation.
Review & Revisions
5
Once developed, the CWPP is submitted to Texas A&M Forest Service for review to ensure the plan is feasible, effective, and aligned with wildfire planning standards before final revisions are made.
Draft Plan
4
The Draft Plan uses risk assessment findings to outline wildfire mitigation goals, recommended actions, and priorities that can be reviewed, refined, and updated as community needs change.
CWPP Projects
Explore Our CWPPs Across the State of Texas
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Erath
Planning is underway to develop a CWPP that reflects local needs and priorities.
Lampasas
Planning is underway to develop a CWPP that reflects local needs and priorities.
Mills
Planning is underway to develop a CWPP that reflects local needs and priorities.
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Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Resources
These wildfire resources are here to help Coryell County residents, landowners, businesses, and community groups prepare for wildfire risks. They include information on making an emergency plan, getting ready to evacuate, protecting homes and property, preventing wildfires, checking fire activity, and staying safe from wildfire smoke. These tools can help the community stay informed, reduce wildfire risks, and be better prepared before, during, and after a wildfire.
Wildfire Preparedness & Safety
Ready.gov (Wildfires)
Official federal guidance for preparing your household before a wildfire occurs. This resource helps residents make an evacuation plan, identify escape routes, prepare emergency supplies, plan for pets, and know what to do if a wildfire threatens their area. Ready.gov is especially useful for families who need a simple checklist for getting ready before fire conditions become dangerous.
American Red Cross (Wildfire Preparedness & Recovery)
A practical household resource for wildfire readiness, evacuation, and recovery. The Red Cross provides guidance on building emergency kits, preparing family communication plans, staying safe during evacuation, and returning home after a fire. This resource is helpful for residents who want step-by-step preparation and recovery information in one place.
Texas Ready (Wildfire Safety & Preparedness)
A Texas-focused emergency preparedness resource with guidance for what to do before, during, and after a wildfire. Texas Ready includes evacuation planning, family communication, emergency supply kits, pet planning, smoke safety, and post-fire cleanup precautions. This is a useful starting point for residents who want practical steps tailored to Texas wildfire conditions.
Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Wildfire)
Health guidance for protecting yourself and your family from wildfire smoke, ash, and post-fire hazards. The CDC explains how smoke can affect breathing and heart health, who is most at risk, and what steps residents can take to reduce exposure during smoky conditions. This resource is especially important for older adults, children, pregnant individuals, and people with asthma, heart disease, or other health conditions.
Home, Property & Community Protection
Firewise USA
Guidance for reducing wildfire risk around homes, neighborhoods, and communities. Firewise USA focuses on practical mitigation actions such as defensible space, home ignition zone improvements, vegetation management, and community-level wildfire preparedness. This is a strong resource for neighborhoods, HOAs, and landowners interested in coordinated wildfire risk reduction.
Wildfire Prepared (Institute for Business & Home Safety)
Science-based recommendations for making homes and businesses more resistant to wildfire damage. IBHS focuses on actions such as reducing ember exposure, improving roofs and vents, clearing combustible materials near structures, and strengthening buildings before a wildfire occurs. This resource is especially useful for property owners looking for specific mitigation projects they can complete around a home or business.
Texas A&M Forest Service
Texas-specific wildfire prevention and preparedness information for homeowners, landowners, and communities. This resource includes guidance on assessing wildfire risk, preparing homes, preventing fires, monitoring current wildfire activity, and reporting wildfires safely. Texas A&M Forest Service notes that wildfire preparedness begins with recognizing and addressing local risk, especially in wildland-urban interface areas where homes and undeveloped vegetation meet.
Wildfire Prevention & Risk Education
Smokey Bear
(Wildfire Prevention Education)
Public education materials focused on preventing human-caused wildfires. Smokey Bear provides easy-to-understand tips for campfire safety, debris burning, vehicle safety, grilling, lawn equipment use, and home safety. This is a helpful resource for families, schools, outdoor recreation users, and community outreach programs.
U.S. Forest Service
Federal wildfire information covering fire management, prevention, fire science, land stewardship, and national wildfire response efforts. This resource helps users understand how wildfire is managed across forests and grasslands, why prevention matters, and how land management and community preparedness fit into broader wildfire resilience.
Wildland Fire Leadership Council
A national strategy resource focused on long-term wildfire resilience. The Cohesive Strategy emphasizes three broad goals: restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes, helping communities become more fire-adapted, and improving wildfire response. This resource is most useful for planners, local governments, land managers, and organizations working on community-scale wildfire mitigation.
Texas A&M Forest Service Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal
An interactive mapping and planning tool that helps residents, communities, and local officials better understand wildfire risk across Texas. The Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal provides maps, reports, statistics, and mitigation resources that can support home hardening, defensible space planning, grant applications, and community wildfire planning.
Fire Monitoring & Incident Information
Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Viewer
A real-time wildfire map showing active and recently contained wildfires that Texas A&M Forest Service personnel are responding to. Residents can use this tool to stay aware of wildfire activity in Texas, but it should be used alongside official local emergency alerts and instructions from emergency management officials.
National Wildfire Incident Map – InciWeb
View official wildfire incident information across the United States, including active fire maps, incident updates, closures and public safety notices. InciWeb is a trusted national source for larger wildfire incidents and should be used along with local emergency alerts and Texas-specific wildfire updates.