FireFighterNation

To overcome the growing WUI fire problem in the United States, many things need to happen, primarily, the improved protection of life and property. And to accomplish this, firefighters must first understand what they’re up against when battling a large conflagration that’s either burning in or toward a populated area. To help develop that understanding, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a WUI fire data-collection system. Chief researcher Alex Maranghides describes this two-stage system and how it has helped his team gather useful data on fires in California and Texas.