The U.S. has witnessed a steady increase in wildfire activity over the past decade, and experts predict this trend will continue. Despite spending billions of dollars per year to support wildland fire suppression efforts, the number of homes lost in wildfires per year has increased exponentially. Wildfires now cost the US hundreds of billions per year in losses.
According to Headwaters Economics, an independent nonprofit research group, as of May 2024, more than 100,000 structures have been destroyed by wildfires since 2005, resulting in an untold number of fatalities, evacuations, and injuries. The number of structures destroyed by wildfires, rather than the number of acres burned, is a more telling measure of the broad social, economic, and community impacts of wildfires.
In 2022 NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) released a comprehensive strategy that pushes for a major transformation by 2050, which will significantly reduce risk to communities. The strategy is rooted in two realities—wildfires are going to happen, and the fire service will not be able to extinguish them at a pace to save all people and property in their path.
Outthink Wildfire® Summit Report Recommendations
NFPA hosted a summit in Sacramento, California, which brought together representatives from 40 organizations to focus on the complex problem of wildfire risk to existing properties and communities. Summit participants worked to identify the most critical areas needing national focus and recommendations for addressing them—which are detailed in this report.
The Five Tenets to Outthink Wildfire:
- Require all homes and businesses in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) to be more resistant to ignition from wildfire embers and flames.
- Current codes and standards, as well as sound land-use practices, must be in use and enforced for new development and rebuilding in wildfire-prone areas.
- Fire departments for communities in the WUI must be prepared to respond safely and effectively to wildfire.
- Government must increase resources for vegetative fuel management on public land.
- Members of the public must understand their role and take action in reducing wildfire risk.
Tenet #5 is where you the residents of Agoura Hills have a crucial role in taking action for us to reduce the risk of wildfire.
To learn more from NFPA about this please CLICK HERE.
To learn more from Headwaters Economics please CLICK HERE.
Please contact us to find out how you and your community can take advantage of the Agoura Hills Fire Safe Council and our Firewise community programs.
