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Writer's pictureJennifer Kretschmer, AIA

Prevention To Save Homes From Wildfires

Updated: Mar 14, 2021

With the recent fires there have been a lot of discussion about the intensity of the recent fires and how it seems that there is no way to save homes in their path. But, research has shown that there are strategies that can prevent destruction of homes from some fires.

Here are some interesting podcasts, videos and articles on the subject:


99% Invisible: “Jack Cohen was a few years out of graduate school, and a recent transplant to California at the time of the fire. He was working as a research scientist for the Forest Service, studying fire behavior, and he was interested in how the Panorama fire had destroyed so many homes — especially when there was such a robust firefighting response.

One of the first things that Cohen did was to listen to emergency dispatch tapes from the day of the fire. And as he listened, he began to notice a pattern. People were calling in about houses on fire long before the fire front ever reached their neighborhoods…”


READ/LISTEN MORE:


Jack Cohen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL_syp1ZScM) has a video “Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire.”


“Five Steps to Rebuilding Wildfire-Ravaged Communities: California’s recent bout of fires has many wondering how to build with resiliency in mind.” from Builder Magazine https://www.builderonline.com/building/code/five-steps-to-rebuilding-wildfire-ravaged-communities_o



“What California Needs Now: Affordable Fire-Resistant Homes: Connect Homes’ line of resilient modular houses are ideal for wildfire-prone areas.” from Builder Magazine https://www.builderonline.com/building/structure-durability/what-california-needs-now-affordable-fire-resistant-homes_o


“Flood? Quake? Fire? Call an Architect: Architects can make the difference between a resilient community and one whose hidden fissures become chasms.” from Residential Architect https://www.residentialarchitect.com/aia-architect/aiacollaboration/flood-quake-fire-call-an-architect_o

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