Why California should consider Australia's 'prepare, stay and defend' wildfire policy

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-02/uoc--wcs022609.php

Public release date: 26-Feb-2009

Contact: Sarah Yang
[e-mail]
510-643-7741
University of California - Berkeley

Why California should consider Australia's 'prepare, stay and defend' wildfire policy

Berkeley -- Even as debate rages over the safety of Australia's "Prepare, stay and defend, or leave early" policy of wildfire defense, fire researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and in Australia say that the strategy is worth consideration in California and other regions in the United States.

Questions about the policy, which encourages able residents to stay home and actively defend their property from wildfires, are being renewed in the wake of Australia's devastating fires, which began on Feb. 7 and killed 210 people, burned down 1,800 homes and scorched 1,500 square miles of land.

"The key element of Australia's policy is to train willing homeowners to protect their homes in an active wildfire," said Scott Stephens, associate professor of fire science and co-director of UC Berkeley's Center for Fire Research and Outreach. "What the Australian strategy does is actively engage and help homeowners to become part of the solution rather than just to need evacuation. However, it should be noted that some California communities are so vulnerable that a 'prepare and leave early' strategy may be the only option."

The Australian approach also includes a more strategic land-use management policy in which decisions about new housing in areas vulnerable to wildfires are overseen at the state level, ensuring a more consistent standard for fire-resistant building codes and in urban development, the researchers said.

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[msongs]

1. "stay & defend" people need to waive their rights to sue over outcomes...

if you elect to stay you ought to assume full responsibility for your choice other than for negligence on the part of authorities that is not a result of your choice to stay and defend.

Msongs