Experts say mandatory wildfire building codes can reduce the loss of homes when blazes hit communities. But states across the Mountain West are taking very different approaches.
Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Wyoming have no statewide wildfire building codes. Colorado adopted a code last year, with enforcement expected to begin this year. Most other Western states are somewhere in between. That’s according to a recent report and accompanying map from the nonprofit thinktank Headwaters Economics.
“I think the most important takeaway of our map is that most of the states in the West are considering implementing some type of building code to reduce their wildfire risk at the state-wide level,” said Ryan Maye Handy, a planner with Headwaters.
One of the map’s goals is to show state leaders and regular residents possible solutions being tried elsewhere.
“They're all beginning to wonder and explore, ‘how should we do this?’” Handy said. “And we wanted to give them a resource that gave them some tips.”
“We're in one of those moments now when we have come to realize that how we build homes – they aren't capable of withstanding the wildfires of today,” she added.
Some Western states, like Washington, have statewide codes, but are waiting to develop wildfire risk maps to enforce them, or their local implementation is voluntary, as in Montana, according to the report.
Research shows that home hardening and other measures can significantly increase home survivability. Handy also says they could help address rising insurance premiums and policy non-renewals facing many Western communities.
But Handy said improvements – like Class A roofs and yards cleared of combustible materials near the structure – need to be implemented neighborhood-wide to be fully effective, which is why she says mandatory building codes are so important.
“I think people typically think of reducing their wildfire risk as cutting down a few trees on their property and maybe moving a few plants away from their home, but we have learned that this is not enough,” she said. “You can be the most prepared possible on your parcel, but if your neighbors have done nothing to prepare themselves for a wildfire, your neighborhood could still be burned or severely compromised.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
