Fire and Fire Management Questionnaire

OMB 0596-0186 (Expiration 09/2011)

Group # ____

ID # ____

Fire and Fire Management Questionnaire

The following questions focus on your views about fire and fire management in the [insert name of forest] National Forest.

Note: For this first set of questions, we will ask you about fire management. When we ask about that, we are referring to forest management techniques to reduce fire risk as well as fire management and suppression during an actual fire. Please circle one number from 1 to 8 indicating your response to each question. For any item that you are unable or do not wish to answer, circle the “D/K; N/A” (“don’t know or no answer”) option.

1. How concerned are you about fire and the risk of fire on the [insert name] National Forest?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not at all concerned							Very concerned

2. In your opinion, how concerned are [insert name] National Forest community residents regarding fire and the risk of fire?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not at all concerned							Very concerned

3. How knowledgeable are you about what should be done for effective fire management on the [insert name] National Forest?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not very knowledgeable							Very knowledgeable

4. How knowledgeable do you think community residents are about what should be done for effective fire management on the [insert name] National Forest?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not very knowledgeable							Very knowledgeable

5. How knowledgeable do you think the Forest Service is about what should be done for effective fire management on the [insert name] National Forest?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not very knowledgeable							Very knowledgeable

6. To what extent do you believe the US Forest Service (FS) shares your values about fire management?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	FS does not share my values							FS shares my values

7. To the extent that you understand them, does the FS have the same goals for fire management as you do?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	FS has dissimilar goals							FS has similar goals

8. To what extent does the FS support your views about fire management?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	FS does not support my views							FS supports my views

9. To what extent do you trust the FS in their fire management efforts?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	I completely distrust the FS							I completely trust the FS

10. How often is the following true? “The FS makes decisions and takes actions consistent with my values, goals, and views.”

0	1	2	3	4	5	6
D/K N/A	Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Usually	Almost always	Always

11. How much do you agree or disagree with the following? “If or when the FS makes decisions or takes actions inconsistent with my values, goals, and views, the reasons for doing so are valid.”

0	1	2	3	4	5
D/K N/A	Completely disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Completely agree

12. Earlier, we asked about trust of the FS in fire management efforts. In general, do you find people to be:

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Generally not trustworthy							Generally trustworthy

13. There are various reasons why individuals may or may not rely on the Forest Service’s fire management on the [insert name] National Forest. Please rate each of the items below, using the following scale:

3 = I strongly agree, this is a reason that I rely on the Forest Service

2 = I agree, this is a reason that I rely on the Forest Service

1 = This is not a reason that I rely on the Forest Service

0 = I have no opinion or am not sure

Reasons	Circle one response for each reason
The Forest Service’s past record of fire management	3	2	1	0
The laws controlling the Forest Service’s fire management	3	2	1	0
Personal relationships I have with Forest Service personnel	3	2	1	0
Values that the Forest Service shares with me	3	2	1	0
Procedures that ensure the Forest Service uses effective fire management	3	2	1	0
Congress holds the Forest Service accountable for its fire management	3	2	1	0
Opportunities that I have to voice my views about fire management	3	2	1	0
Media coverage of Forest Service fire management	3	2	1	0

14. Considering the Forest Service’s record of fire management on the [insert name] National Forest, what is your assessment of their performance?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Very poor							Very good

15. Thinking about the Forest Service’s record of fire management, how confident are you that you will be protected in the future?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not at all confident							Very confident

16. When you think about current Forest Service fire management, to what extent do you experience each of the following reactions? Use the scale from 0 to 8, where 0 means don’t feel this at all, to 8, which means you feel it very strongly. (circle the number representing strength of each feeling)

	Strength of feeling
Frustration	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Satisfaction	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Calmness	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Fear	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Optimism	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Pessimism	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Stress	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Relaxation	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Worry	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Reassurance	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8

17. Fire management can accomplish multiple and varied objectives. In your opinion, what are the most important objectives for fire management on the [insert name] National Forest?

18. Which of these personal experiences with fire have you had during your lifetime?

Personal Experiences with Fire	Circle no or yes for each
Saw a wildland fire	No	Yes
Experienced smoke from a wildland fire	No	Yes
A prescribed burn occurred near my home	No	Yes
Experienced road closure due to wildland fire	No	Yes
Was evacuated from my home because of wildland fire or risk of fire	No	Yes
Went without power, shut off to reduce fire risk	No	Yes
Lost or suffered damage to personal property due to a wildland fire	No	Yes
If yes, approximate value of loss -- $
Family, friend, or close neighbor lost or suffered damage to personal property due to a wildland fire	No	Yes
Was injured by a wildland fire	No	Yes
If yes, please describe
Family, friend, or neighbor was injured by a wildland fire	No	Yes
If yes, please describe
Experienced health problems or discomfort caused by smoke from a wildland fire	No	Yes
If yes, please describe

19. Please rate the degree of impact that fire on the [insert name] National Forest has had on you directly.

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	No impact							Extensive impact

20. Following is a series of questions focused on difficulties people sometimes have after stressful life events. Please indicate which if any of the following difficulties you have experienced during the PAST SEVEN DAYS with respect to the risk of wildland fire.

Difficulties	Circle no or yes for each
Any reminder brought back feelings about it	No	Yes
I had trouble staying asleep	No	Yes
Other things kept making me think about it	No	Yes
I felt irritable and angry	No	Yes
I avoided letting myself get upset when I thought about it or was reminded of it	No	Yes
I thought about it when I didn’t mean to	No	Yes
I felt as if it hadn’t happened or wasn’t real	No	Yes
I stayed away from reminders about it	No	Yes
Pictures about it popped into my mind	No	Yes
I was jumpy and easily startled	No	Yes
I tried not to think about it	No	Yes
I was aware that I still had a lot of feelings about it, but I didn’t deal with them	No	Yes
My feelings about it were kind of numb	No	Yes
I found myself acting or feeling as though I was back at a time when there was a fire	No	Yes
I had trouble falling asleep	No	Yes
I had waves of strong feelings about it	No	Yes
I tried to remove it from my memory	No	Yes
I had trouble concentrating	No	Yes
Reminders of it caused me to have physical reactions, such as sweating, trouble breathing, nausea, or a pounding heart	No	Yes
I had dreams about it	No	Yes
I felt watchful or on guard	No	Yes
I tried not to talk about it	No	Yes

21. People might be concerned about fire and fire risk because of potential consequences. However, people differ in the consequences that concern them the most.

I am concerned about fire and fire risk because of the consequences for:

22. How vulnerable do you feel about the possibility of a wildfire physically affecting you or your family (including your property and possessions)?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not at all vulnerable							Extremely vulnerable

23. Assuming you have 100 points to characterize full responsibility for reduction of fire risk, please assign the number of points (using whole numbers only please) you think each party has in reducing the risk of wildland fires on the [insert name] National Forest.

Party	Points
Federal legislators and representatives
State legislators and representatives
Scientists and researchers
Local fire departments (e.g. county or volunteer)
The US Forest Service
Cal Fire
Local officials who make land use and zoning decisions
Local business owners
Visitors and tourists
My local community
Me and the people who live with me
Other (please fill in)
TOTAL	100

24. Taking only those who you assigned points to (even if 1 or 2), assign each a grade (from A for excellent through F for failing, avoiding pluses or minuses) on how you think they have done in the past 12 months in reducing the risk of wildland fires on the [insert name] National Forest. If you did not assign points to someone listed, please circle “N/A.”

Party		Grade
Federal legislators and representatives	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
State legislators and representatives	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Scientists and researchers	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Local fire departments (e.g. county or volunteer)	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
The US Forest Service	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Cal Fire	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Local officials who make land use and zoning decisions	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Local business owners	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Visitors and tourists	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
My local community	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Me and the people who live with me	N/A	A	B	C	D	F
Other (please fill in)	N/A	A	B	C	D	F

25. Which of the following actions have you taken as a resident in a community near the [insert name] National Forest?

Action	Circle no or yes for each action
Read about home protection and risk reduction from wildland fires	No	Yes
Attended a public meeting about wildland fire	No	Yes
Implemented defensible space around my property (used removal, reduction, and or replacement of vegetation to reduce fire risk)	No	Yes
Removed flammable vegetation on my property because I was required to do it	No	Yes
Made inquiries of the local fire department how to reduce risk of property damage from wildland fire	No	Yes
Made inquiries of the local forest ranger how to reduce risk of property damage from wildland fire	No	Yes
Made inquiries of the local Fire Safe Council office or volunteer(s) on how to reduce risk of property damage from wildland fire	No	Yes
Changed structure of my home to reduce risk of property damage from wildland fire If yes, check any of these that apply: ____Made major investment (e.g., roof or deck) ____Made minor retrofits (e.g., put screens on vents)	No	Yes
Worked with community effort focused on fire protection	No	Yes
Worked on wildland fire suppression effort as part of paid or volunteer position	No	Yes
Other (please describe)	No	Yes

26. If you circled yes for any actions you took that are designed to reduce the risk of losing your home during a wildland fire (in item 25), how effective do you think these actions are?

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
D/K N/A	Not at all effective							Extremely effective

27. Sometimes there are barriers to effective reduction of fire risk.

Among the possible barriers listed below, please circle no or yes to indicate if a barrier (or barriers) apply to reducing the risk of fire in the area immediately surrounding your property.

Barrier	Circle no or yes for each barrier
I don’t have adequate financial resources If you checked yes, please check any that apply: _____ I don’t have resources for major change (e.g., new roof) _____ I don’t have resources for low cost retrofits _____ I don’t have any financial resources to put towards risk reduction right now	No	Yes
My own physical limitations	No	Yes
I don’t know who to call/hire to help	No	Yes
I don’t want to change the landscape	No	Yes
I don’t want to change my roof or other built structures	No	Yes
I am not sure what will really work	No	Yes
I am not worried about fire risk	No	Yes
My neighbors have not done their part	No	Yes
Public agencies have not done their part	No	Yes
The Forest Service has not done its part	No	Yes
Other (please describe)	No	Yes

28. For each of the statements below, please indicate whether or not the statement is characteristic of you. If the statement is extremely uncharacteristic of you (not at all like you) please answer "1"; if the statement is extremely characteristic of you (very much like you) please answer "5" next to the question. And, of course, use the numbers in the middle if you fall between the extremes. Please keep the following scale in mind as you rate each of the statements below.

0	1	2	3	4	5
D/K N/A	Extremely uncharacteristic	Somewhat uncharacteristic	Uncertain	Somewhat characteristic	Extremely characteristic

Statement	Circle one answer for each
I consider how things might be in the future, and try to influence those things with my day-to-day behavior.	0	1	2	3	4	5
Often I engage in a particular behavior in order to achieve outcomes that may not result for many years.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I only act to satisfy immediate concerns, figuring the future will take care of itself.	0	1	2	3	4	5
My behavior is only influenced by the immediate (i.e., a matter of days or weeks) outcomes of my actions.	0	1	2	3	4	5
My convenience is a big factor in the decisions I make or the actions I take.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I am willing to sacrifice my immediate happiness or well-being in order to achieve future outcomes.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I think it is important to take warnings about negative outcomes seriously even if the negative outcome will not occur for many years.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I think it is more important to perform a behavior with important distant consequences than a behavior with less-important immediate consequences.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I generally ignore warnings about possible future problems because I think the problems will be resolved before they reach crisis level.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I think that sacrificing now is usually unnecessary since future outcomes can be dealt with at a later time.	0	1	2	3	4	5
I only act to satisfy immediate concerns, figuring that I will take care of future problems that may occur at a later date.	0	1	2	3	4	5
Since my day-to-day work has specific outcomes, it is more important to me than behavior that has distant outcomes.	0	1	2	3	4	5

29. How would you like to receive information from the FS regarding fire and reduction of fire risk?

Source of Information	Your preference
Articles in our local paper	No	Indifferent	Yes
Attendance at community meetings	No	Indifferent	Yes
Public meetings the FS leads so community can ask questions	No	Indifferent	Yes
Information and displays at FS visitor center	No	Indifferent	Yes
Brochures and pamphlets available on request	No	Indifferent	Yes
Website	No	Indifferent	Yes
E-mail tree sent by a FS representative and forwarded by Fire Safe Council volunteers	No	Indifferent	Yes
Local television/radio spots, put on by local FS ranger	No	Indifferent	Yes
Other (please fill-in)	No	Indifferent	Yes

30. Check the highest grade or year of school that you have completed and received credit for.

Highest Grade or Year of School	Check only one
Middle school or less
High school degree (or G.E.D.)
At least one year of college, trade, or vocational school
Graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
At least one year of graduate work beyond a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
Don’t wish to answer

31. Check the category that contains your age.

Age Group	Check only one
18 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 or over
Don’t wish to answer

32. Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Check One
Hispanic or Latino
Not Hispanic or Latino

33. Race

Race	Select all that apply
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White

34. Check the one category that best describes your household’s total income for last year before taxes?

Income	Check only one
Under $25,000
$25,000 - $50,000
$50,001 - $75,000
$75,001 – $100,000
$100,001+
Don’t wish to answer

35. How many years have you lived in your current home?

Years

36. Is this your primary residence or a secondary/vacation home?

Primary
Secondary/vacation

37. How many years have you lived within the perimeter of or close to the [insert name] National Forest?

Years

38. What is your ZIP code?

ZIP code of primary residence	_ _ _ _ _
Zip code of secondary/vacation residence (if applicable)	_ _ _ _ _

BURDEN AND NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENTS

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0596-0186. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (voice). TDD users can contact USDA through local relay or the Federal relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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