Severity and Frequency of Wildfires in the Western
U.S.
Homeowners in the western U.S. have been experiencing
record wildfire losses. In the last few years alone, hundreds
of thousands of acres of land — as well as thousands of homes
— literally went up in smoke.
Unfortunately, this
trend is not expected to change. As developers build deeper
into brush and forest areas, heavy winter rainfall continues
to yield robust brush growth — providing plenty of fuel for
ravenous wildfires.
Existing Mitigation Tactics
Several methods
are employed to reduce a property’s vulnerability to wildfire.
Static methods typically incorporate design and materials
proven to reduce the likelihood of wildfire taking hold.
They include:
- Non-combustible construction
materials
- Regular brush-clearing procedures
-
Non-combustible plantings in landscape design
Dynamic
methods — used to actively fight or suppress a wildfire —
include:
- Permanently installed exterior wildfire
suppression systems
- Response of local fire
firefighter
Of these two methods, only the dynamic one involves steps
that can be taken when a wildfire is bearing down. The use of
exterior suppression systems is becoming more popular but
their presence is sporadic at best — rendering the majority of
homes vulnerable to fire.
The esteemed members of area fire departments may not
always have the resources to adequately protect private
residences. In a wildfire emergency, community areas are,
appropriately, the first
priority.
