IBHS Senior Director for Wildfire and 30-year CAL FIRE veteran Steve Hawks explains the hard science behind why homes burn and what you can actually do about it. Go inside the IBHS research lab where they create 135-mph ember storms to test full-size houses, and learn why a "systems-based approach"—not just one or two actions—is the only way to protect your home from a high-intensity wildfire.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
The IBHS Mission: How the insurance industry's nonprofit research lab is working to reduce property loss.
A Systems-Based Approach: Why you can't just clear brush; you must combine defensible space with home hardening.
The Critical "Zone Zero": The science proving why the first five feet around your home must be non-combustible.
Structure-to-Structure Spread: How IBHS research is revealing the ways fire jumps from home to home via fences, sheds, and radiant heat.
Inside the Lab: A look at the full-scale test chamber where they subject houses to hurricane-force winds and ember storms.
From Paradise to Prevention: How the guest's personal connection to the Camp Fire drives his passion for this work.
The Retrofit Challenge: Why retrofitting existing homes is the biggest hurdle we face in community protection.