Russell Springs, KS
Russell Springs wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Russell Springs at the 59th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 87 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Russell Springs's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 57th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
97.7% of Russell Springs's 87 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 85 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 2.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Russell Springs compares
Russell Springs scores 59th nationally and 51st within Kansas — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Russell Springs ranks 12,950 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,617 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 354 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Russell Springs and the insurance market
Russell Springs's elevated rating (59th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 97.7% of Russell Springs in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Russell Springs's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 87 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Russell Springs. The exposure-zones guide covers what Russell Springs's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.