Against the backdrop of the Spokane fires, Lauren Sommer with National Public Radio recently reported on the struggles of state governments to enact effective wildfire codes.
Sommer spoke with Spokane resident Dave Kokot, whose home was threatened by two of the three wildfires that destroyed over 800 Spokane homes. Neither fire made it into his neighborhood, but as a former fire protection engineer with the Spokane Fire Department, Kokot said, “You don’t know how the house would go through a fire, but I think ours would have done fine.”
Instead of wood siding, Kokot opted for fire-resistant materials. He removed flammable vegetation in the home ignition zone. In short, he protected his home from windblown embers that account for up to 90% of homes destroyed by wildfire.
Despite Sommer’s advocacy for building codes to protect against extreme wildfire, the State of Washington has vacillated on the issue, along with most Western states, all of which have communities facing the risk of extreme wildfire.
Photo: The Bradshaw home survived the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire in Oregon largely thanks to “home hardening” (photo by Ralph Bloemers, Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire).
