Making Homes Less Vulnerable to Wildfire Through Home Ignition Zone Evaluation

W09
Making Homes Less Vulnerable to Wildfire Through Home Ignition Zone Evaluation
Beth Burnam, North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council Ryan Ulyate, North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council

Embers cause the ignition of over 50% of the homes that burn in wildfires. Carried by strong winds, they ignite vulnerable homes, well in advance of the flames. A fast moving wildfire can turn into an urban fire inferno. Long before a wildfire threatens, homeowners can take action to make their homes safer. The presenters will explain what the ember threat is and the Home Ignition Zone Evaluation program, which works by using trained volunteers to visit homes and make specific recommendations to homeowners.

Presented by:

Beth Burnam, North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council
Beth Burnam is actively involved in her local community, serving as Co-President and founding member of the North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council. This organization writes grants and manages large-scale fire hazardous vegetation removal projects and educates the Topanga community about pre-fire event preparation. Beth is also a Captain for the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness Neighborhood Network and is a member of Topanga CERT. Beth was a business person prior to becoming a professional volunteer.

Ryan Ulyate, North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council
Ryan Ulyate is Co-President of the North Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council and has lived in the Wildland/Urban Intermix of the Santa Monica Mountains for over 20 years. Along with Beth Burnam and fellow Fire Safe Council members, he has spent the past several years learning about wildfire behavior and working to make his community more fire-adapted. Ryan is also a Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness Neighborhood Network Captain. Professionally, he is a music producer and recording engineer who has worked with artists such as Tom Petty, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.