WUI FIRE INSTITUTE
WUI FIRE INSTITUTE
The Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Institute is a mission driven organization that seeks solutions to the Wildland Urban Interface fire problem through innovative research, training, and education to create safer and more fire resilient communities in California and the West.
LEARN BY DOING
Develop and evaluate methods of designing and managing forests and communities in ways that reduce wildfire severity and threats to human welfare and property while maintaining environmental and community health.
FIRE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Applying engineering and science-based solutions to fire management problems, including:
- Design and protection of the built environment
- Responder health and safety
- Social and economic factors
- Prescribed fire use in WUI environments
INFORMATION AND INTELLIGENCE
Gathering, analyzing, and dissemination of timely, actionable situational intelligence and information for practitioners, policy makers, municipalities, planning staff, and stakeholders.
RESEARCH
Multidisciplinary applied research for timely solutions to contemporary problems using science, technology, engineering, and analysis for projects like fuels monitoring and management; ecosystem responses to fuel treatment practices, and more.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Use Cal Poly’s Learn By Doing educational approach to connect students into the process of developing and applying solutions; and for providing advanced training for current and future workforce education, practitioners, regulators, and public preparedness and outreach.
WEBINARS
OUR TEAM
The Institute uniquely leverages faculty, staff, and students from across all six Colleges to educate, train and solve complex problems through an interdisciplinary, solutions-oriented approach. By bringing together teams of fire ecologists, architects, engineers, chemists and city planners, and many other disciplines, the Institute can address WUI fire issues in an integrated and holistic manner to spur innovation and novel solutions.
Contact Jim Prince, Interim Director, at jpprince@calpoly.edu for more information.
INSTITUTE SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
We seek to engage a broad range of stakeholders as sponsors and partners in the Institute. Sponsorship of the Institute will help financially support a dedicated team of professionals leading our efforts and enable us to carry out the critical research and action need to address the urgent WUI fire crisis impacting California’s communities.
Through partnerships, we will strengthen our collective knowledge and capacity for implementing solutions across the state. For more information about institute sponsors and partners or to become a partner or sponsor, contact Tim Northrop, Senior Development Director at tnorthro@calpoly.edu or (805) 801-6662.
EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Institute is informed by an external advisory council representing government, academia, business, and nonprofit partners. We welcome diverse leadership and thought to create a coordinated, strategic approach to problem solving and to maximize our impact.