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Watch leading wildfire experts from NFPA, IBHS, Verisk, Headwaters Economics, and FLASH as they address the urgent need for new strategies to minimize wildfire risks.
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Building Code Leadership
Leaders who support model building codes, including the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and International Fire Code (IFC), provide their communities with the best protection against devastating wildfires. This “Model Ordinance for Construction in WUI Areas” guide from IBHS details model ordinance options for local leaders looking to adopt research-informed, proven measures to protect families and homes.
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Wildfire by the Numbers: Understanding the Impact
This section provides key statistics that illustrate wildfires’ devastating human and economic toll. By understanding the full scope of wildfire losses, we can minimize their impact on our communities, economies, and environment.
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Protecting Communities from Wildfires: A Leadership Guide
This guide provides key actions leaders can take to safeguard lives, properties, and the environment from wildfires.
Learn MoreWildfire Prevention Product No-No List:
Avoid These Risky Materials
Avoid: Flammable roofing materials such as wood shakes and shingles.
Why: These materials ignite easily if embers land on them, putting your entire home at risk.
Better Choice: Use Class A fire-resistant asphalt shingles and noncombustible roof materials like cement, concrete slab, clay, copper, metal panels or slate.
Avoid: Plastic or vinyl materials for vents, soffits, or louvers
Why: These products can melt and break apart, allowing embers and flames to enter the attic and house.
Better Choice: Replace any non-metal soffits, ridge vents or wall louvers with metal vents.
Avoid: Unprotected vent openings and vents with fiberglass or plastic mesh.
Why: Unprotected vents allow embers and flames to enter and spread fires to the home interior.
Better Choice: Install 1/8 metal wire mesh over vent openings and a welded wire or woven wire mesh spark arrestor on chimneys.
Avoid: Siding made from materials that can catch fire and burn, like wood or plastic.
Why: Allows exterior house walls to ignite due to radiant and convective wildfire heat.
Better Choice: Replace exterior wall coverings with fiber-cement panels, fire-retardant treated wood siding or concrete, stucco, and masonry materials.
Avoid: Windows that has only one layer of glass.
Why: Reduces the chance of window breakage that could lead to ember and flame entry into the home.
Better Choice: Replace single-pane windows and dual-pane windows without tempered glass with dual-pane windows with at least one pane of tempered glass.
Avoid: Open eaves, overhangs, and soffits
Why: Allows embers to enter the attic or walls through unprotected openings or due to combustible material.
Better Choice: Enclose overhangs with fire-resistant soffits. Install fire-resistant, metal soffits or cover existing soffits with fire-resistant materials like fiber-cement boards.
Avoid: Placing fuel tanks (including propane tanks) close to the home.
Why: Protects the home from potential explosions due to fuel tank ignition.
Better Choice: Place fuel storage tanks 30 feet from the home, away from downhill slopes, and enclose them behind a noncombustible masonry wall.
Avoid: Wooden or vinyl fences within five feet of the home.
Why: Wood and vinyl fences when ignited can provide a pathway for fire to reach your home.
Better Choice: Replace combustible (wood/vinyl) fencing, posts, and gates within five feet of the home with a noncombustible fence, such as metal (aluminum, chain link, or iron) or concrete blocks.
Avoid: Using traditional wood for decks.
Why: Embers can land on deck or through deck gaps, causing your home to ignite and burn.
Better Choice: Use non-combustible, fire-retardant-treated wood or ignition-resistant deck materials, including posts, joists, railings, stairs, and walking surfaces.
May is
BUILDING SAFETY MONTH
Building Safety Month is an annual international campaign to raise awareness about building safety.
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First Saturday in May is
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national event that inspires individuals and organizations to unite for a day of action focused on increasing awareness and reducing the risks of wildfires.
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