By Kristin Bender
Inside Bay Area (California)
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All Rights Reserved
BERKELEY, Calif. — A new Web site developed by UC Berkeley fire researchers will tell you if your home, neighborhood or business is at risk for being severely damaged or destroyed by a wildland fire.
Here’s how it works: Type in a specific California address at http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/homeassessment/ and then fill out a short questionnaire about roofing, vents, siding, decking, window and eaves to learn if a structure is in a region at risk for wildfires.
“There are no other sites like this that allow people (all over California) to get suggestions for reducing fire risk that are targeted to their own homes,” said Faith Kearns, associate director of the Center for Fire Research and Outreach at UC Berkeley, which launched the site Wednesday.
Using answers from the questionnaire, the Web site (http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/homeassessment/) will tell users what part of their property is at high risk, moderate risk and low risk, and then offer possible solutions.
“It’s a good thing. If you put in your address you get anindication of how much threat is there,” said Berkeley Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief David Orth. “I validated it by putting in the address to my own house.”
Damage from wildland fires is significant.
During the past 15 years, wildland fires have caused more than $2.5 billion in damages to residential property, according to data used by UC Berkeley. Between September 1923 and October 1991, there were 14 major fires in the East Bay hills, the data show.
The site, which is free, will give homeowners, community leaders and researchers information about historic fires that have burned in the area since 1950. It also shows locations of major wildfires from the previous week and links to recent fire-related news.
Max Moritz, the lead researcher on the fire toolkit project, said homeowners and community officials can get an assessment of a building’s fire risk based on material used in their roofs and the density of vegetation near the structure.
“The toolkit then provides immediate feedback that helps identify areas where people would get the biggest payoff in mitigation,” Moritz said.
The city of Berkeley also has a Web site at that shows fire risks for 8,300 parcels in the city limits.
Interns gathered the information by walking the hills last year and collecting information about means of access, vegetation, roofing assembly and building construction, available fire protection and the placement of utilities at the homes.