Join Us for a Virtual Presentation on Performance-Based Guidelines for the WUI

Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM (PST)
Location: Microsoft Teams (link will be provided upon RSVP)Topic

Performance-Based Guidelines for the WUI for Engineers

Presented by Pascale Vacca, PhD, CERTEC - Centre d'Estudis del Risc Tecnològic, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
2023 Student Scholar Award, Research Presented at SFPE Annual Conference 2023

Wildfires that reach the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) are posing increasing management challenges due to the vulnerability of WUI environments. Risk-reduction strategies are therefore needed for the creation of fire-adapted communities.

At the smallest WUI scale (i.e., microscale or property scale), the complexity of the different interactions that can occur between fire, structures, and residents can be analyzed through a Performance-Based Design (PBD) approach. A PBD guideline specific for WUI microscale scenarios is presented. The guideline follows the classic PBD framework: scope, goals, objectives, performance criteria, and design fire scenarios are identified for WUI environments.

Within the guideline, suggestions on the choice of design fire scenarios for WUI environments are given, along with the variables that should be included, such as fire, environmental, and property characteristics. The guideline is then applied to a case study of a property located at the Spanish WUI, and suggestions are proposed on how to improve the existing vulnerabilities of the building.

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