As wildfires continue to take a devastating toll on communities nationwide, several sessions at the NFPA Conference & Expo 2025 provided attendees with the information, tools, and knowledge to effectively address this ever-growing threat. A common message throughout these sessions was the fact that while wildfires are an inevitability, there are many steps individuals and communities can take to substantively reduce the risk of home ignition. Oftentimes, however, motivating individuals, code officials, policymakers, and other to take the needed actions can prove challenging.

By Susan McKelvey

As wildfires continue to take a devastating toll on communities nationwide, several sessions at the NFPA Conference & Expo 2025 provided attendees with the information, tools, and knowledge to effectively address this ever-growing threat. A common message throughout these sessions was the fact that while wildfires are an inevitability, there are many steps individuals and communities can take to substantively reduce the risk of home ignition. Oftentimes, however, motivating individuals, code officials, policymakers, and other to take the needed actions can prove challenging.

On Monday, June 16, Michele Steinberg, director of the NFPA wildfire division; Anne Cope, chief engineer at Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS); and JulieAnna Anastassatos, vice president of wildfire at Verisk co-hosted the panel discussion, “Reimagining Wildfire Resilience: An End to Disaster and the Start of a Sustainable Future,” highlighting the urgent need for new approaches to minimizing risks to homes and communities from wildfire.

Lively discussion around the myths and facts of wildfire disasters, the deficiencies in our current fragile regulatory and financial safety nets, and simple and effective science-based strategies to greatly reduce the likelihood of structure ignition and community conflagration were a large focus of the conversation. The panel also provided an update on where code use and enforcement is happening and how the insurance industry is responding to increased pressure to recognize wildfire mitigation efforts. Finally, the panel shared a call to action based on feedback from local fire departments who are on the front lines attempting to protect communities from wildfire when the inevitable occurs.

Science-based Strategies Work

On Tuesday, Steinberg and Cope teamed up once again to co-host a session on lessons learned from the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, CA, and to share details about the ongoing partnership between NFPA and IBHS, including joint activities between NFPA’s Firewise USA^® and IBHS’s Wildfire Prepared Programs.

Cope kicked off the session by outlining the factors that contribute to the likelihood and severity of wildfires. From there, she showed the burn tests that IBHS has conducted to scientifically measure wildfire’s threat to buildings with the goal of better understanding what’s needed to change those outcomes. Cope also reviewed what IBHS’s Wildfire Prepared Home Programs and the components that work to mitigate structural wildfire risk.

Steinberg built on Cope’s messages with an overview of the components that support NFPA’s Firewise USA program, highlighting the social science behind the program that helps motivate people and communities to action.

“Helping people understand that wildfire presents a real threat to their homes and providing simple steps to reduce vulnerability are proven methods for increasing the likelihood of taking action,” said Steinberg.

Australia’s Learnings Provide New Perspectives and Insights

Also on Tuesday, Dr. Maria Kornakova, national bushfire manager at Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia), hosted the session, “Planning for Wildfires: Australian Planning and Building Practice.” Kornakova has been managing Australia’s Bushfire Planning and Design (BPAD) Scheme since joining in 2018.

The session began by tracing the historical roots of wildfires in Australia, dating back millennia to the most recent events, along with an overview of the country’s long, intricate history with wildfires, characterized by both their natural occurrence and their increasing intensity and frequency due to climate change.

Kornakova also addressed the contemporary planning and building practices that have evolved in response to the ongoing threat of wildfires. As the devastating consequences of wildfires have become all too apparent, she showed how Australia has adapted its urban planning and building strategies to mitigate risks through innovative design approaches and materials employed in constructing homes and communities in high-risk areas, emphasizing the role that building codes and regulations play in saving lives and property.

To learn more about Kornakova and her work, keep a lookout for the NFPA Journal podcast interview she did with NFPA Journal Editor Jesse Roman at the conference.

NFPA has valuable information about wildfire risk reduction.

SOURCE: NFPA