|
|
|
|
 |
July 9, 2007  Sarah Yang, (510) 643-7741, scyang@berkeley.edu Fire center Web site assesses wildfire risk to homes
Hot, dry weather combined with lightning have sparked fires throughout the state. To assess the risk of wildfire damage to their houses and communities, homeowners can use an interactive Web site designed by University of California, Berkeley, fire researchers. At http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/toolkit, residents can enter information about their home’s construction and landscaping to get a science-based assessment of its vulnerability to wildfire and suggestions for reducing their risk. The Fire Information Engine Toolkit was developed by scientists at the Center for Fire Research and Outreach, based at UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources. Californians can also type in a specific address to see if they live in a region at risk for wildfires and obtain information about fires that have occurred in the area since 1950. For people living in fire-prone areas, tips and resources for recovering from wildfire have recently been added to the site. "What's new about these tools is that homeowners and community officials can get an individualized assessment of a specific building's fire risk based upon such factors as the material used in their roof construction or the density of vegetation near the structure," said Max Moritz, UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension wildland fire specialist and lead researcher for the fire toolkit project. "The toolkit then provides immediate feedback that helps identify areas where people would get the biggest payoff in mitigation." "There are no other sites like this that allow people to get suggestions for reducing fire risk that are targeted to their own homes," added Faith Kearns, associate director of the Center for Fire Research and Outreach. The researchers reviewed a number of the most widely used fire hazard ranking methods - each dealing with different risk factors including dense vegetation, installation of attic vent screens, or the width of the roads leading to the homes - as well as the latest wildfire research to create one comprehensive risk assessment tool. In addition, the researchers are using geographic information systems and Google Maps to display fire hazard information. Locations of major wildfires active within the previous week are also mapped on the fire center site, and readers can link from there to recent fire-related news stories. Local officials and decision makers can also download forms to complete a communitywide assessment on fire risk, and easily upload the results to a Web map. Such information could be used to plan education and risk reduction campaigns, the researchers said. "One of our goals with this project is to raise grassroots awareness of the fire risk of one's home or neighborhood among the public, since we are ultimately most concerned with the loss of lives and property in fire-prone areas," said Moritz. MEDIA CONTACTS: |
|
