Report says mitigation measures lessen the impact of wildfires

How valuable are Santa Fe’s efforts to reduce fire risks on private and public property? Similar mitigation efforts by its neighbors to the north in Colorado Springs helped save thousands of homes and millions of dollars last year during the Waldo Canyon wildfire, according to a new report. The report found $300,000 spent to reduce fire risks in one subdivision alone helped the neighborhood avoid an estimated $77 million in losses due to the fire. The report, “Lessons Learned from Waldo Canyon,” analyzed the fire’s aftermath and is the first of its kind produced in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service, fire chiefs, the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, the National Fire Protection Association and The Nature Conservancy. In July, a wildfire mitigation assessment team went back to the communities to see which fire prevention techniques had worked best to protect homes. Structural experts analyzed the fire’s impacts on 40 homes — some destroyed, some damaged and some unscathed. Social science and education experts talked to residents who had experienced the fire. The team’s report looks at vegetation near the homes, building materials, windows and home-to-home spacing that either contributed to a structure’s destruction, or helped save it. They looked at how groups had worked with the city and fire officials to prepare ahead of time for wildfire...more

You can view the report and a companion video by going here.