This research paper studied the influences of building construction and external landscaping's contribution to property losses during a wildland fire. The problem was that our Fire District had no information to provide to homeowners regarding protecting their property, and our Fire District was experiencing considerable growth in our wildfire interzone areas. The purpose of this applied research paper was to develop a simple handout (Homeowners Guide) that would provide homeowners of our wildland interface/interzone areas with information that could assist them in protecting their property against the threat of a wildland fire.

This research employed both historical and action research methods: (a) to determine what external physical features of a residential building were the most hazardous and would contribute to its loss during a wildland fire, (b) to determine what types of vegetation were the most hazardous and would contribute to structural losses during a wildland fire, (c) what local or regional ordinances were on the books that govern building construction in the foothills area, and (d) what recommendations could be made on pamphlet form that would assist homeowners in protecting their home during a wildland fire. The primary procedure used for this research paper was a review of case studies and recommendations of experts found in trade journals and government brochures. Local fire department data was considered, as was information gained in a personal interview with the District Fire Chief.Results of the study revealed consistent recommendations regarding building construction materials and defensible space, both of which would significantly contribute to a home surviving a wildland fire. It was also learned that a county ordinance had been recently passed that mandated building requirements to parallel the recommendations made in the Homeowners Guide. As a direct result of this study, a Homeowners Guide was developed to be distributed directly to homeowners in our wildland interzone area, with the recommendations being: (a) distribution to be made annually during the month of June, (b) distribution to be made by firefighters on a door to door basis, and (c) new homeowners having built under the County Wildland Ordinance be included to insure construction met defensible space requirments.