Search for: All records

This study investigates the complexities faced by emergency managers in wildfire-prone areas to uncover pressing issues and potential solutions. Four themes are discerned through three focus group discussions with emergency managers from nine counties across California. First, there is unequal access to resources for both risk assessment and response, with counties that have fewer resources facing significant challenges in effectively managing wildfire risks. Second, effective risk communication depends on the available resources and the unique characteristics of each community. Participants stress the need for improved communication tools to reach vulnerable groups (e.g., seniors, individuals with disabilities, non-English-speaking residents). Third, the complexity and confusion surrounding multi-level collaboration in wildfire management is a recurring theme. Participants note that unclear roles and responsibilities between state and federal agencies hinder response efforts, underscoring the need for better coordination and transparent communication at all levels. Fourth, innovative responses (e.g., creative evacuation strategies, collaborative efforts) are recognized as imperative for managing wildfires and their cascading impacts in resource-constrained areas. The findings highlight that achieving equitable and effective preparation, response, and resilience for vulnerable communities requires a comprehensive understanding of wildfire severity and community susceptibility, coupled with active collaboration among emergency managers, policymakers, and both governmental and non-governmental organizations. 

This study proposes measuring access to shelters and wildfire risks in tandem rather than in isolation to prevent wildfires from turning into human disasters. By leveraging a human-centered design approach in California, which has an active wildfire history and experience with some of the deadliest wildfires, three key findings are discerned. First, California experiences undesirable resource allocation where regions with a high risk of wildfire are surrounded by regions with a low level of access to emergency shelters, and regions with a low risk of wildfire are surrounded by regions with a high level of access to emergency shelters. Second, neither access to shelters nor wildfire risk is evenly distributed across space. This uneven distribution, however, discriminates against exurban areas. As one moves away from core cities, higher wildfire risk and comparatively limited access to emergency shelters are noticed, underscoring the heightened susceptibility of exurban areas to wildfires. Third, in contrast with existing research solely focusing on wildfire risk, it is revealed that the elderly, people with disabilities, and Hispanics are at a higher risk of experiencing high wildfire risk and low access to shelters. The findings suggest instilling equity into wildfire preparedness strategies while minimizing the gap in access to resources between disadvantaged and advantaged communities, given the trichotomy of exposure to the hazard (risk of wildfire), proximity to aid (access to shelters), and vulnerability to threat (community characteristics).