Wildfire Mitigation Outreach Videos
Watch the “Be Ember Aware” video to learn how to protect your structure from ember blizzards:
- Watch part 1 of 2: “Be Ember Aware” part 1 (14 minutes)
- Watch part 2 of 2: “Be Ember Aware” part 2 (12:03 minutes)
Watch the video “Wildfires! Preventing Home Ignitions” to learn about your “home ignition zone”. This video explains everything you need to know about how homes are lost in wildfires. The video is a product of Jack Cohen’s research at the Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, MT.
“Wildfires! Preventing Home Ignitions” Video Highlights:
- At 5:53 in the video it looks at three primary reasons homes ignite during wildland fires: 1) Direct flame contact 2) Radiant heat and 3) Flying embers.
- At 8:55 in Jack introduces the concept of the “Home Ignition Zone.” Pay special attention to this section as Cohen helps you understand why tree work and vegetation management within a relatively small distance of your structures is so important.Watch the video “Radiant Heat Vs. Firebrands.” In this interview, Jack Cohen explains what radiant heat exposure is and why effective mitigation in Zone 1 is so important.
Watch the video “Black Forest Structure Fire Protection” to learn about how fire fighters implement structure protection. Steve Schooper of the Colorado Springs Fire Department gives a behind the scenes look at firefighters efforts to protect property and lives.
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety Wildfire Research Station
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Research Center is a unique, state-of-the-art, multi-risk applied research and training facility on a 90-acre parcel of land in Chester County, South Carolina. This facility is one of the prominent research facilities in the nation looking at ember exposure to homes during wildfires. For more info visit: www.disastersafety.org/wildfire.
- Watch the IBHS Ember Storm Demo video to learn about the vulnerabilities a typical home has to ember storms.
- Read “Vulnerabilities of Buildings to Wildfire Exposures” by Stephen L. Quarles, PH.D., IBHS Senior Scientist.
- View Protect Your Property from Wildfire
Wildfire Mitigation Publications for Homeowners
- Wildfire Mitigation FAQ
- Protecting Your Home from Wildfire: Creating Wildfire-Defensible Zones – 2012 Quick Guide
- Wildfire Mitigation Checklist
- Firewise Construction: Site Design and Building Materials
- Recommended resource from the Firewise Communities Program: The basics of defensible space and the “home ignition zone“
- Visit the Colorado State Forest Service wildfire mitigation webpage for additional information on how to protect your home, property and Forest from wildfires
Wildfire Mitigation Scientific Reports and Research
- Fourmile Canyon Fire Findings
- Waldo Canyon Fire Study
- 2011 Texas Wildfires Common Denominators of Home Destruction
- 1989 Sugarloaf Mountain – Black Tiger Case Study
- Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Consideration Report
- The Combustibility of Landscape Mulches Report
Additional Resources for Communities
- Fire Adapted Communities
- National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise Communities USA Program
- Saws and Slaws – A new and exciting community based volunteer organization that is helping building a stronger community through a healthier forest.