With climate change, the frequency and spread of wildfires have intensified globally, bearing disastrous impactson wildlife, the economy, and human well-being. Efforts on broad fronts are required, including proactive publicparticipation. However, studies related to citizen engagement in the context of wildfire management remainlimited. Therefore, there is a need for further studies in this area. This paper reports on ongoing work conductedin the context of an H2020 project called SILVANUS. The study investigates the methods, practices, needs andchallenges related to citizen engagement in wildfire management. The authors have developed a tentative citizenengagement framework, and preliminary results related to citizens' needs and challenges are presented. The studyidentifies relevant topics, training contents, and methods that can be used for public engagement in wildfiremanagement. The paper contributes towards designing future engagement modalities, technologies and trainingmaterials related to wildfire management and potentially even other crises.