The Living With Fire program began in 1997, when Ed Smith and Paul Tueller of University of Nevada, Reno and Fire Chief Loren Enstaad of the Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators applied for and received a Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station / Nevada Cooperative Extension Joint Program grant. Together with Nevada’s firefighting organizations, they developed a set of consistent wildfire threat reduction recommendations for Nevadans. Since then, these recommendations have been shared with thousands of homeowners living in fire prone areas throughout the country. Today, Living With Fire is a collaborative effort involving many organizations and is managed by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Visit our Sponsors page for additional information about these partnering organizations.
Ed Smith
Ed Smith is a natural resource specialist with University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, and the manager of the Living With Fire program. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in renewable natural resources management from the University of Nevada, Reno and has received a variety of national awards for his outreach efforts. Ed has written many of the research-based, peer-reviewed publications included on this website, and is often available to give presentations to interested audiences. Working with all of our program partners and other federal, state and local firefighting representatives, Ed continually reviews and updates the Living With Fire program components to provide the most up-to-date information. Contact Ed at 775-782-9960 or smithe@unce.unr.edu.
Sonya Sistare
Sonya Sistare is the program coordinator and assistant to Ed Smith. She also serves as the statewide coordinator for Nevada Wildfire Awareness Week. Sonya received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Nevada, Reno. She began working with the Living With Fire program in the fall of 2005 and was honored with a Bronze Smokey Bear, a national award for her wildfire threat reduction efforts in 2009. For any questions about the Living With Fire program, contact Sonya at 775-336-0271 or sistares@unce.unr.edu.
