The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has launched two new tools to raise awareness about Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas throughout the United States.
The WUI Fire Property Awareness Explorer and the WUI Fire Community Awareness Explorer aim to support local fire services and communities in reducing fire risks and building fire-adapted communities.
WUI areas face increasing scrutiny due to challenges posed by wildfires.
Expanding WUI areas from new building developments, climate change, and a rising number of structures destroyed and areas burned annually contribute to these challenges.
Notable fire disasters in the last decade include the Lahaina, Hawaii fire in August 2023, which damaged or destroyed more than 2,200 structures and killed 98 people, and the Almeda Drive Fire in Oregon in September 2020, which destroyed 2,600 homes and killed three people.
Creating fire-adapted communities is a key priority in national fire safety, prevention, and control policy in the United States.
To address increased fire risks in WUI areas, effective and comprehensive data-informed community risk reduction programs and local mitigations are necessary.
The WUI Fire Property Awareness Explorer allows users to search addresses or communities to understand their area’s context relative to the WUI and vegetative fuels.
It includes an assessment of structure density and proximity, crucial for developing mitigation plans and outreach campaigns.
The WUI Fire Community Awareness Explorer provides a snapshot of counties or places in the U.S. and their potential exposure to wildfire hazards.
Users can identify vulnerable structures or areas in the WUI to inform community risk reduction planning.
The new WUI Fire Property Awareness Explorer and the WUI Fire Community Awareness Explorer are designed to raise awareness about the location of the WUI and susceptibility to fire.
These tools provide data to help residents “Know Where You Live” in relation to the WUI and fire-prone areas.
Awareness is the first step towards preparing for and mitigating fire risks at the individual resident and property level.
Fire service and community stakeholders are encouraged to use these tools to inform their communities about where to focus mitigation and risk reduction efforts.
This will ultimately help in building more resilient, fire-adapted communities.
