Interviews by Dan Hounsell — June 8, 2022 — The threat of wildfires has exploded across the United States in recent years due to reduced precipitation in some regions, higher temperatures caused by climate change, and increased development along wildland-urban interfaces. In the face of this growing threat to institutional and commercial facilities and surrounding communities, the need for resilience has never been greater, and facility managers are critical members of the in-house teams seeking to improve the resilience of facilities and organizations.
In this series of video interviews, senior editor Dan Hounsell talks with key players in this effort about the threat wildfires pose to facilities. We’ll discuss wildfire threats facing facilities, and we’ll explore the steps managers can take to help their facilities prevent, respond to, and recover from wildfires. In the series:
Part 1: Wildfires and Facilities: Strategies for Ensuring Resilience
Nicole Gough, a senior environmental scientist with Dewberry, a national architecture, construction and engineering firm, talks about measures facility managers can take to successfully work with interested parties inside and outside their organizations to develop an effective emergency preparedness and resilience strategy. (11:44)
Part 2: Hardening Facilities Against Wildfires
Daniel Gorham, P.E., a research engineer on wildfires with the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, discusses practical steps facility managers can take to prevent damage to facilities and assets from wildfires and increase facility resilience. (9:42)
Part 3: Understanding the Role of FMs in Wildfire Resilience
John Carrillo, a facilities manager with 40 years of experience in emergency preparedness and corporate real estate with technology-related telecommunications and aerospace companies, discusses successful strategies and tactics facility managers can implement to ensure the resilience of facilities and operations. (17:33)
