The Homeowner's Responsibility
"Preventing WUI fire disasters requires that the problem be framed in terms of home ignition potential. Because this principally involves the home ignition zone, and the home ignition zone primarily falls within private ownership, the responsibility for preventing home ignitions largely falls within the authority of the property owner" "The Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Problem: A Consequence of the Fire Exclusion Paradigm". By Jack Cohen, 2008.
"Research around home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames as the main way that the majority of homes ignite in wildfires...There are methods for homeowners to prepare their homes to withstand ember attacks and minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments. Experiments, models and post-fire studies have shown homes ignite due to the condition of the home and everything around it, up to 200’ from the foundation. This is called the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ)." Preparing Homes for a Wildfire, NFPA
The Home Ignition Zone
- NFPA - Preparing Homes for WildfireThis article explains the concept of the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ), the different areas inside the HIZ, and what you should do for each area to minimize the fire risk to your home.
- Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety - Prepare and Protect Your Home from WildfireThe IBHS lays out specific actions homeowners can take to proactively protect their property and themselves in a wildfire event. Note that there are four sections. This link leads to the first one, "Critical Home Prep."
Protect Yourself
- Ready.gov - WildfiresReady.gov focuses on how to protect yourself before, during, and after a wildfire.
- CDC - Safety Guidelines: Wildfires and Wildfire SmokeEven if the flames are further away, wildfire smoke and ash can be harmful. Read what the CDC has to say about what you can do to keep yourself safe.
Community Efforts
- Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire"Working with communities across the country, Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) provides land use planning solutions, communications assistance, and customized research to better understand and manage wildfire-prone areas and reduce risks." - CPAW Website
- National Fire Protection Association's Wildfire Division
This site has information about the NFPA's "Firewise" community risk reduction program, policy strategies to reduce community fire vulnerability over time, and access to free resources about preparing homes and other property for wildfires. - U. S. Fire Administration Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)"Explore these resources to help you prepare a safe wildland fire response and create and sustain a fire-adapted community."
- Wildfire Risk to Communities
"Wildfire Risk to Communities is a free, easy-to-use website with interactive maps, charts, and resources to help communities understand, explore, and reduce wildfire risk. It was created by the USDA Forest Service under the direction of Congress and is designed to help community leaders, such as elected officials, community planners, and fire managers. It was first launched in 2020 and completely updated in May of 2024." - A Socio-Ecological Approach to Mitigating Wildfire Vulnerability in the Wildland Urban Interface: A Case Study from the 2017 Thomas FireThis scholarly article talks about how "pre-fire mitigation activities" implemented by "community partnerships between agencies and citizens" prevented the 2017 Thomas Fire from destroying as many homes as predicted.