Fighting Fire with FIRE: Preventing Catastrophic California Wildfires

Decades of fire suppression, climate change, and development in the wildland urban interface have made California’s forests a matchbox. Death tolls from acute exposure and health impacts from widespread smoke inhalation are both climbing. Diverse and disadvantaged populations, including Native Americans and migrant worker communities, are among the most vulnerable to wildfire and smoke exposure. Fighting wildfires costs billions, and current practices are allowing the risks to grow. With expertise in engineering, ecology, climate science, social science, health, and policy, the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment delivers a practical system focused on fuels, ignitions, relocation, and extensive and intensive health impacts (FIRE). The FIRE approach strategically targets dangerous areas, reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfires in a cost-effective way, and provides guidance for communities, including on smoke exposure and planning for relocation. This will benefit all Californians and serve as a model relevant to wildfire threats around the globe.