FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Oct. 9, 2013  Contact: Richard Hackett, Communications Specialist, 720-564-2605

 Nationally-renowned building scientist to discuss home wildfire mitigation

“The Science of Home Ignition: Reducing your Home’s Vulnerability to Wildfire” program on Monday, Oct. 21, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

 Boulder County, Colo. – How do homes burn during wildfires? Dr. Stephen Quarles, one of the nation’s leading scientists studying this issue, has answers for homeowners looking to protect their property.

At the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s Research Center, Dr. Quarles injects burning embers into the wind stream in a large testing chamber, effectively reproducing ember storms typically observed during wildfires. Full-scale homes and commercial structures are built and transported into the test chamber so Dr. Quarles can study how ember attack and torching vegetation ignite structures. The primary objective of this research is to reduce the likelihood of wildfire-caused building ignitions in communities located in wildfire-prone areas such as the foothills of Boulder County.

To watch a video of the ember generator, visit http://www.disastersafety.org/video/page/5/.

Dr. Quarles will be presenting groundbreaking research in his presentation “The Science of Home Ignition: Reducing your Home’s Vulnerability to Wildfire,” on Monday, Oct. 21 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Boulder County Regional Fire Training Center, Boulder Reservoir, 5565 N. 51st St., Boulder.

What: The Science of Home Ignition: Reducing your Home’s Vulnerability to Wildfire

When: Monday, Oct. 21 from 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Where: Boulder County Regional Fire Training Center, Boulder Reservoir, 5565 N. 51st St., Boulder

To reach the Boulder County Regional Fire Training Center, drive through the Boulder Reservoir’s main entrance, continue past the recreational facilities, and drive to the end of the road where the center is located.

This presentation is part of Wildfire Awareness Month. Boulder County declared October as Wildfire Awareness Month in 2011 based on a recommendation from residents to help educate the community and promote individual responsibility in preparing for future wildfires. Other events planned for the month, including the Wildfire Mitigation Challenge, have been cancelled due to the impacts of the September flood.

For more information, visit www.BoulderCountyWildfireAware.org, or contact Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Andrew Notbohm at 720-564-2625 or anotbohm@nullbouldercounty.org.

–BoulderCounty.org–