Why do we need the MWPA?

Fire has always been a part of the natural history of Marin County. For nearly a century, the land management stance upon wildfires was immediate suppression. Decades of fire suppression coupled with the impacts of climate change have dramatically increased wildfires’ size and intensity throughout the west. Building in or near forests and natural vegetation, an area known as the wildland-urban interface (WUI), has exacerbated wildfire problems. Total elimination of wildfire is not only impossible, but not advisable. Instead, we must build resiliency into our communities and learn to coexist with wildfire. With the creation of MWPA, there is now a single agency in Marin coordinating a county-wide response to prepare and adapt to this new wildfire paradigm.