Good evening Ready marketing and social media teams!

After reviewing our company’s website pertaining to wildfires, I was able to learn more
about how to prepare and keep safe before, during, and after a wildfire. Our website does a great
job of highlighting on what wildfires are and sections off the different stages of a wildfire that
someone should be informed of. Although our website does a great job of informing audiences of
how to prepare at different stages of a wildfire, I feel as if we could broaden our platform to
other social media accounts to make people more aware of this information. Ready’s website
states that wildfires are unplanned fires that burn in natural areas like forests, grasslands, and
prairies. If someone were to be in one of these areas with no service, they would not be able to
obtain the information from your website if they have no access to internet or cell service.
Therefore, I believe it would be a good idea for your team to create an app for our company.
By creating an app for our website on natural disasters, people would be able to access
information at any point in time. Whether it is a wildfire, hurricane, tornado, or any other natural
disaster, users will be prepared for whatever is bound to occur. This app that your team creates
can be similar to our website by having links to the different natural disasters they would need
information regarding to.
Other than an app, having a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter would also be a great way
to broadcast this information to more people. Many younger audiences, like myself, receive most
of their news and information through social media platforms like these. By educating the
younger generation on how to prevent or be prepared for wildfires or other natural disasters, it
can assist in keeping more people safe or prevent some disasters like wildfires. After doing some
research, I found that most wildfires are started by humans. Informing all generations of this
knowledge, could help in preventing more wildfires from arising.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic and how social media could better help
our company and the community. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this topic
with me in further detail, you can contact me by emailing me at magofor@g.clemson.edu or
calling my work phone, (803)-480-1945. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you,

Mary Ashlyn Goforth

To: Social Media and Marketing Manager
From: Mary Ashlyn Goforth
Date: December 3, 2021
Subject: Social Media Applications for Ready.gov Pertaining to Wildfires

Wildfires play an important role in shaping the ecosystem by serving as an agent of change and
renewal. However, wildfires can also be very detrimental to the environment as well. Not only
can wildfires help with regrowth and replenishment of forests, but they can also cause many
harmful effects on the environment pertaining to the health, habitat, and food supply of wildlife
and humans. Wildfires can be controlled by humans or created on their own by natural causes.
Research shows that wildfires are caused by human activity about eighty-five percent of the
time.

Summary
Wildfires affect all aspects of the environment. Whether it is humans, animals, or the
environment itself, it effects it in positive and negative ways. Many websites inform people on
how to prepare or prevent wildfires. Ready is a prime example of a website that informs people
on how to prepare for wildfires before, during, and after the event. Although many wildfires are
started by natural causes, similar to tornados, hurricanes, floods, avalanches, etc., majority of
wildfires caused by human arson. Most people have not been affected by wildfires and do not
know the harm and detrimental effects wildfires can have on them and their community. By
implementing a social media page or app, people can become more aware of the danger wildfires
can have on society and our environment. An app or social media page would assist in reaching
out to more audiences on this serious subject and would help them prepare for this catastrophic
event if one were to ever occur in their area. Since Ready is already a very informative website
with step by step instructions on what to do before, during, and after a wildfire, they would be
able to properly create an app or page to inform audiences about this topic.

Problem
The main issue with wildfires is that most people are uneducated on this subject and are not
prepared when one occurs. According to the U.S. Department of Interior, as many as eighty-five
percent of wildfires in the United States are caused by human arson. These fires can be started
from campfires left unattended, the burning of debris, discarded cigarettes, downed power lines,
and intentional acts of arson. Because of human interactions such as these, about 4.5 million
homes were identified at high or extreme risk of wildfires in 2019 and 2020. Since humans are
the number one cause of wildfires, they can easily be informed and notified of how to prevent
this natural disaster from happening.

Recommendation
I believe the best solution to this problem for our company is to create a social media page or app
to prevent or prepare humans for wildfires. Ready is already a prime website to use when in need
of facts and information regarding to what to do with wildfires. Whether you are preparing for a
wildfire, in the midst of a wildfire, or recovering from a wildfire, our website tells users exactly
what they should do and when they need to do it. By using this information, we have on our
website to an app or social media page, we can reach more audiences of all ages.
If someone is in an area where a wildfire is occurring and has no internet or cell service, they are
unable to obtain Ready’s website with information to help them. By creating an app, users will
be able to obtain this knowledge at any time and place without the need for internet or cell
service. Other than just wildfires, this app can contain a plethora of information on other natural
disasters as well. That way users are prepared for any event that may occur.

Other than creating the app to help people in times of crisis with a wildfire, creating a social
media page will also assist in raising awareness for wildfires. Instagram and Facebook would be
two major social media outlets that your team could create to update users on information on
natural disasters. These platforms can be used to post about preparing for and preventing
wildfires as well as events to help raise money for people who have been affected by wildfires.

Conclusion
Wildfires can be scary and detrimental to our environment, but also can be easily prevented with
proper safety protocols and documents. Creating social media pages and an app for Ready will
help broadcast the importance of knowing information about wildfires and how to prevent them.
Broadening this topic will potentially lower the risk of wildfires in our country and assist in
preparing people for these natural disasters.