Living with Wildfire Class

Business and Ecology Consulting invites homeowners, business owners, and community leaders to attend the three-hour class, “Living with Wildfire:  Reducing Property Risks, Habitat Losses, and Costs.”  It is fast-paced, filled with photos, and taught by local experts who are passionate about reducing wildfire risks. 

Learn about the physics of fire behavior, the ecology of southern California’s fire regimes, and how they relate to structure ignition and property losses.  Understand the reasons behind local codes for building ignition-resistant structures and managing 100-foot defensible space, and the costs of excessive vegetation reduction.  Get clear examples of building design, exterior materials, landscaping practices, and quick-low-cost property maintenance and modifications to reduce property risks.

The Online Wildfire Risk Assessment Tool complements this course.  Each homeowner can identify structural and landscape risks around the house, and enter that data on the website, http://www.communitygreenscene.org/pgs/.  Suggested retrofit and maintenance actions are listed, in the feedback that is provided (both on-line and in printable form).  This online assessment is currently offered on the website, http://www.communitygreenscene.org/pgs/, based on the research conducted at the University of California at Berkeley, available at http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/homeassessment/. 

Why is it worth taking this class?

• We have flyers and webpages.  They are common wildfire education tools, but don’t explain “why” or illustrate the risks or show solutions. 
• We have codes.  Local building, landscaping, and brush reduction codes have been passed in virtually all jurisdictions, but no one explains why they reduce wildfire risks. 
• We get stuck.  We didn’t realize that low-cost retrofit and maintenance actions can prevent most structure ignitions. 
• Business and Ecology Consulting “educates to action,” and these programs successfully move homeowners from “awareness” to “action.”