In September 2020, a fast-moving wildfire threatened the small town of Mansfield, Washington. Driven by powerful winds, the fire crossed the Columbia River and rapidly spread across the landscape. Residents watched, uncertainty mounting, as flames approached. Like many communities across the western United States, Mansfield faced a moment that would forever change how its residents think about wildfire.

But this story isn't just about what happened during the fire.

It's about what happened afterward.

In the years since the wildfire, the American Red Cross has continued working alongside community leaders, local fire departments and residents to help strengthen wildfire preparedness, reduce risk and build resilience for future disasters. The goal is to help areas like Mansfield shape a future in which disaster preparedness is not limited to a response after an emergency, but becomes part of everyday community life.

Building Relationships Before They Are Needed

When disasters strike, people often turn to organizations and neighbors they already know and trust.

That's why the Red Cross is investing in long-term partnerships that help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters together.

Our Community Partner model focuses on building sustained relationships with local organizations, community leaders and residents to strengthen local capacity before an emergency occurs. By working alongside trusted partners, communities can identify risks, develop solutions and build systems that better protect people when disasters happen.

These relationships help ensure that preparedness efforts reflect local needs and that communities are better equipped to respond when emergencies occur.

Turning Lessons Learned Into Action

For wildfire-prone communities, those efforts often begin with simple but impactful actions.

In Mansfield, Red Cross teams partnered with local fire departments and other organizations to help residents understand how wildfire spreads and what steps they can take to better protect their homes.

Those efforts included:

• Educating residents about defensible space and ember-resistant homes.
• Helping families create personalized evacuation plans.
• Connecting people to emergency alert systems.
• Working alongside local partners to identify and reduce wildfire hazards.
• Conducting door-to-door outreach to meet residents where they live and learn about their concerns.

The work goes beyond sharing information.

Many residents understand the importance of wildfire mitigation but face challenges carrying out the physical work required to reduce risk around their homes. By partnering with fire agencies, natural resource organizations and community leaders, communities can connect residents with resources and support that make mitigation efforts more achievable.

Community Resilience Is a Team Effort

The most effective preparedness efforts happen when communities lead the way.

That's why Red Cross teams work alongside local fire departments, emergency managers, nonprofit organizations and community leaders to strengthen existing networks and expand local capacity.

These partnerships help create a shared approach to preparedness, one built on trust, local knowledge and collaboration.

For smaller communities, that support can be especially meaningful.

Years after a major disaster, residents can sometimes feel forgotten as public attention shifts elsewhere. Continued engagement helps communities maintain momentum, strengthen preparedness efforts and build confidence that they are not facing future challenges alone.

Why This Work Matters Now

As wildfire activity continues to affect communities across the western United States, Red Cross teams have spent months helping people impacted by fires while also supporting efforts aimed at reducing future risks.

Response and recovery remain at the heart of the Red Cross mission. But increasingly, preparedness and resilience are becoming equally important parts of helping communities navigate a future marked by larger, more frequent and more complex disasters.

The goal is simple: help communities become stronger before the next emergency occurs.

Because the strongest disaster response often begins long before disaster strikes.