Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire
Parcel-level risk (PLR) describes how wildfire risk varies from home to home based on characteristics that relate to likely fire behavior, the susceptibility of homes to fire, and the ability of firefighters to safely access properties. Here, we describe the WiRē Rapid Assessment (RA), a parcel-leve...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Fire |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/1/24 |
| _version_ | 1797480409146064896 |
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| author | James R. Meldrum Christopher M. Barth Julia B. Goolsby Schelly K. Olson Adam C. Gosey James (Brad) White Hannah Brenkert-Smith Patricia A. Champ Jamie Gomez |
| author_facet | James R. Meldrum Christopher M. Barth Julia B. Goolsby Schelly K. Olson Adam C. Gosey James (Brad) White Hannah Brenkert-Smith Patricia A. Champ Jamie Gomez |
| author_sort | James R. Meldrum |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Parcel-level risk (PLR) describes how wildfire risk varies from home to home based on characteristics that relate to likely fire behavior, the susceptibility of homes to fire, and the ability of firefighters to safely access properties. Here, we describe the WiRē Rapid Assessment (RA), a parcel-level rapid wildfire risk assessment tool designed to evaluate PLR with a small set of measures for all homes in a community. We investigate the relationship between 2019 WiRē RA data collected in the Columbine Lake community in Grand County, Colorado, and whether assessed homes were destroyed in the 2020 East Troublesome Fire. We find that the overall parcel-level risk scores, as well as many individual attributes, relate to the chance that a home was destroyed. We also find strong evidence of risk spillovers across neighboring properties. The results demonstrate that even coarsely measured RA data capture meaningful differences in wildfire risk across a community. The findings also demonstrate the importance of accounting for multiple aspects of PLR, including both hazards and susceptibility, when assessing the risk of wildfire to homes and communities. Finally, the results underscore that relatively small actions by residents before a fire can influence wildfire outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:59:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f5b3f1bbad049c28de7b6e100987041 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-6255 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:59:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fire |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f5b3f1bbad049c28de7b6e1009870412023-11-23T19:51:05ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552022-02-01512410.3390/fire5010024Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome FireJames R. Meldrum0Christopher M. Barth1Julia B. Goolsby2Schelly K. Olson3Adam C. Gosey4James (Brad) White5Hannah Brenkert-Smith6Patricia A. Champ7Jamie Gomez8U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USAU.S. Bureau of Land Management—Montana/Dakotas, Fire and Aviation Management, Billings, MT 59105, USAU.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USAGrand County Wildfire Council and Grand Fire Protection District No. 1, Granby, CO 80446, USAGrand County Wildfire Council and Grand Fire Protection District No. 1, Granby, CO 80446, USAGrand County Wildfire Council and Grand Fire Protection District No. 1, Granby, CO 80446, USAInstitute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USAU.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USAWest Region Wildfire Council, Montrose, CO 81401, USAParcel-level risk (PLR) describes how wildfire risk varies from home to home based on characteristics that relate to likely fire behavior, the susceptibility of homes to fire, and the ability of firefighters to safely access properties. Here, we describe the WiRē Rapid Assessment (RA), a parcel-level rapid wildfire risk assessment tool designed to evaluate PLR with a small set of measures for all homes in a community. We investigate the relationship between 2019 WiRē RA data collected in the Columbine Lake community in Grand County, Colorado, and whether assessed homes were destroyed in the 2020 East Troublesome Fire. We find that the overall parcel-level risk scores, as well as many individual attributes, relate to the chance that a home was destroyed. We also find strong evidence of risk spillovers across neighboring properties. The results demonstrate that even coarsely measured RA data capture meaningful differences in wildfire risk across a community. The findings also demonstrate the importance of accounting for multiple aspects of PLR, including both hazards and susceptibility, when assessing the risk of wildfire to homes and communities. Finally, the results underscore that relatively small actions by residents before a fire can influence wildfire outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/1/24parcel-level riskrisk assessmentpost-fire analysisrisk mitigationrapid assessmentnatural hazards |
| spellingShingle | James R. Meldrum Christopher M. Barth Julia B. Goolsby Schelly K. Olson Adam C. Gosey James (Brad) White Hannah Brenkert-Smith Patricia A. Champ Jamie Gomez Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire Fire parcel-level risk risk assessment post-fire analysis risk mitigation rapid assessment natural hazards |
| title | Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire |
| title_full | Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire |
| title_fullStr | Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire |
| title_short | Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire |
| title_sort | parcel level risk affects wildfire outcomes insights from pre fire rapid assessment data for homes destroyed in 2020 east troublesome fire |
| topic | parcel-level risk risk assessment post-fire analysis risk mitigation rapid assessment natural hazards |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/1/24 |
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