AIAO Fire Resilience Series
Wildfire has long been endemic to our wild lands, especially in western states. Climate change, development patterns and other factors are increasing the threats from wildfire and wildfire smoke to our health, safety, and lives, and to our buildings and communities. This series will provide architects and other building professionals with a comprehensive overview of wildfire risks to our built environment and the design solutions to make our communities, neighborhoods, and buildings more fire resilient.
Cost:
AIA Members/Allied Members/NOMA: $15 per session or all 5 for $60
Non-Members: $40 per session or all 5 for $160
AIA CE will be Available - pending
Session 2: Lessons Learned from Lahaina and LA
The 2023 Lahaina fire and the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires shocked the nation with their intensity and devastation. This session will examine the key factors that made these events so destructive, including environmental conditions, community patterns, and building vulnerabilities. Participants will learn about the commonalities and differences between the two fires, how fire pathways penetrated the built environment, and what these events reveal about resilience planning. The session will highlight strategies architects and planners can apply to reduce conflagration risks and strengthen the interface between communities and adjacent wildlands.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to understand the Lahaina and Los Angeles County wildfire events and the conditions that contributed to their destructiveness.
Participants will be able to examine the primary drivers of conflagration, including drought, wind, and human activity, and their interaction with structure density, connective fuels, and building materials.
Participants will be able to identify common fire pathways into communities and recognize key vulnerabilities in the built environment.
Participants will be able to explore resilience strategies for reducing conflagration risk, drawing on lessons learned from Lahaina and Los Angeles County.
Evan Sluter, Research Scientist/Engineer, IBHS
Evan Sluder is a Research Engineer at the Insurance Institute of Business and Home Safety
(IBHS). Evan’s responsibilities at IBHS include investigating fire behavior and building material performance to wildfire exposures, post-fire analysis, and technically supporting the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home and Neighborhood Programs. Evan holds a B.S. and a M.S. in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. With over 5 years of experience in fire research and 3 years of experience working as a practicing Fire Engineering Consultant, Evan has a holistic understanding of construction and fire risk. Currently Evan is focused on developing a method to evaluate material performance to exterior fire exposures and understanding the driving factors of urban conflagration.