The fire service must recognize the measures to reduce this risk to our customers. This is a national problem and many agencies need to play a role in wildland urban interface risk reduction. The solutions will be local and regional. Solutions may be different in different geographical areas. The fire service must play the lead role in reducing risk in the wildland urban interface.
As Americans migrated from congested cities and into more rural areas of the nation, they were confronted with the problem of wildfires in the urban interface areas. The problem was the Loveland Fire Rescue Department did not adequately identify the community risk reduction factors that may have reduced wildland urban interface (WUI) fires in the past 24 months. The purpose of this research was to identify those factors.
Recommendations included implementation of a WUI community risk reduction program, enhanced training for all personnel and adoption of wildland codes and regulations.
Land-use pressures, improved transportation, more leisure time and an increased desire for a more rural lifestyle have resulted in a proliferation of residential subdivisions and developments in wildland areas that are subject to forest fire hazards. The majority of the southern portion of Evesham Township has been planned and built without due consideration for wildland fire protection. Approximately 2,500 of Evesham Township's 22,000 single-family and multi-family housing units are located in a forested area. This forested area is known as the Pinelands National Reserve. This forested area provides a significant wildland/urban interface fire hazard within Evesham Township. The problem is that Evesham Fire-Rescue does not have a wildland/urban interface (WUI) fire risk reduction program.
This reference work encompasses the current, accepted state of the art in the science of wildfires and wildfires that spread to communities, known as wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. 171 author contributions include accepted knowledge on these topics from throughout the world, all written by the leading researchers, experts, practitioners, and academics. This encyclopedia is an invaluable reference for newcomers to the field, as well as researchers, students, developers, and professionals who are interested in exploring this dynamic area. General Sections include: Combustion Coordination System Locations Fire Whirls Firebrands and Embers Incident Management Team (IMT) Support Locations Incident Response Support Locations On-the-Incident Locations Soot and Effects on Wildland/WUI Fire Behavior Weathering Effects on Fire Retardant Wood Treatments Wildland Firefighting Locations Wildland Fuel Treatments
FEMA /DHS/USFA developed the “ Wildland Urban Interface: A Look at Issues and Resolutions” to stimulate action by raising awareness of the crisis that our nation faces related to wildfire in the WUI and lay out a unified, strategic approach to risk reduction at the national, state, regional and local levels. In developing this report, a cross-functional group of stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) from across the nation convened to identify 33 challenges within 13 key WUI issues and develop recommendations to address each challenge. In total, 112 recommendations are presented. These recommendations address challenges in firefighter health and safety, public health and safety, evacuations, forest and rangeland health and resiliency, climate change, community planning and resiliency, infrastructure and utilities, communication strategy and engagement operations, socioeconomic impacts, recovery, emerging technology, data use and modeling, and risk management in wildland fire. The recommendations should be pursued together, forming a system of strategies that require urgent, sustained and actionable implementations. These recommendations are not quick fixes, but solutions for the long term. Leadership on and commitment to the implementation of these recommendations results in a safer America.
Prior to this research it was suspected that Sandy City, Utah, had a significant wildland-urban interface (WUI) exposure, which presented an increased risk to the community for loss of life and property should a wildfire occur. The problem was that Sandy City had not developed any formal risk mitigation strategies to deal with its sizable wildland-urban interface areas. This presented a significant potential risk for catastrophic fire loss to life and property. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent and type of risk that existed to the community in Sandy City's extensive wildland-urban interface areas and determine what risk mitigation strategies could be implemented to reduce Sandy's risk profile. The questions researched were: 1. How much of Sandy City and its response area lies within a wildland-urban interface area? 2.What areas of Sandy City are at significant risk for loss of life and property due to wildfire in Sandy's wildland-urban interface? 3. Based on historical evidence, what are the potential impacts a wildfire may have on the residents of Sandy City and its government? 4. What risk mitigation strategies can be implemented within Sandy City to reduce the risk to life and property from a wildland-urban interface fire? A comprehensive review of historical data relating to prior interface fires with lessons learned, as well as the collection and utilization of noteworthy local fire history, terrain, and housing data was used in the completion of this research. Historical and descriptive research methods were used to determine that Sandy City did indeed have notable areas that were at increased risk for potential loss of life and property should a wildfire occur within the city's wildland-urban interface area. Recommendations included the implementation of specific risk mitigation strategies as well as increased fire protection to include training and wildfire specific equipment for fire service providers.
