Description

Michele Steinberg, Wildfire Division Director, National Fire Protection Association

Get an introduction to the problem of wildfire disasters – the destruction of homes and neighborhoods -- and learn the science behind preventing home ignitions and community-wide devastation. Learn more about a voluntary risk reduction program in which more than 100 Texas communities participate with support from local fire service staff and state wildfire mitigation specialists. The presentation will provide examples of effective wildfire risk reduction to individual structures and across adjacent parcels. It will also address insurance impacts in areas that have experienced dramatic property losses in the past few years, and discuss approaches the insurance industry may consider to help promote loss reduction.

• Introduction to the wildfire disaster problem – how did we get here?
• Current state – wildfire conditions and near-term predictions 
• How homes ignite – the science behind wildfire and urban conflagrations 
• Voluntary risk reduction – the Firewise USA® recognition program
• Insurance impacts and potential approaches open to discussion, segue to Q&A