NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 69

structures that have already been built. To stem the tide of
loss from wildfires, millions of homes and other structures
must be retrofitted to reduce the risk of ignition, a transformation that can be realized through continued research
and development, public education, financial incentives,
and robust support from all levels of government.
Research has consistently shown the role embers play in
igniting structures in the WUI. It has also shown that there
is an increased survival rate of homes constructed from
fire-resistant materials on property that has been mitigated
to remove sources of fuel for a fire. Continued research is
needed in several areas, including the development of per-

163%

Increase in the
number of structures
lost in wildfires
per year over the
past decade.
formance-based product test standards that better reflect
how materials perform when exposed to exterior flame
exposure, radiant heat, and the impact of embers from a
wildfire. Developing these referenced standards will help
guide architects, builders, and homeowners to easily source
products and materials that will perform as intended
during wildfires. Additional research is also needed to support the development and validation of retrofit methods,
particularly those that are most cost effective.
Standards developers also have an important role
to play. Building standards now exist to improve wildfire safety for new construction-including NFPA 1144,
Standard for Reducing Structure Ignition Hazards from
Wildland Fire, and Chapter 7A of the California Building
Code-but there is no consensus standard for the retrofit of
structures, particularly those within 30 feet of each other,
and standards-making organizations need to fill this gap as
soon as possible.
That's because this kind of development is unfortunately
common within the WUI, even in communities that have
experienced devastating losses as a result of wildfire. In
Santa Rosa, California, the city's Coffey Park neighborhood
lost more than 1,400 homes to the 2017 Tubbs Fire. But
instead of incorporating the state's ignition-resistance standards-some of the strongest in the world-in its efforts
to rebuild the community, Santa Rosa stuck to its original risk mapping that characterized the neighborhood as
" unburnable, " allowing developers to decide on their own
designs and materials, many of which ignore wildfire ignition guidelines. City government was lauded for its relative
speed in rebuilding Coffey Park, but all it has done is recreate a vulnerable community that exists inside the footprint
of disaster.
States also play a significant role and can provide building owners and homeowners with the latest guidance
on reducing the risk of structure ignition due to wildfire. States can do this through their own agencies and

Land-use planning
tools and practices
offer the means
to reduce the risk
posed by wildfires
to both future and
existing development.
But the use of these
tools and practices
is not widespread.
An extensive adoption
of land-use planning
at the local level,
supported through
state and federal
policies, is urgently
needed to lower the
danger wildfires pose
to thousands of
communities.

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NFPA Journal - Spring 2021

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