Wildfires

Disaster Recovery Operations

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Disaster Recovery Creates Its Own Bubble
Shortages of workers and materials inevitably make rebuilding slower and more expensive after a natural disaster. In Maui, this is likely to be a problem for agencies like FEMA that provide public assistance. But it will also be a problem for individual households if private insurance payouts are insufficient to rebuild.
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Sep 20, 2023
Barron's
Aaron Strong @resourceecon

Educator Well-Being

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Teacher Pay, the Costs of Insomnia, Wildfire Prevention: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on teachers' dissatisfaction with their pay and work hours, the staggering costs of insomnia, connections between wildfires and food insecurity., and more.
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Sep 15, 2023
Environmental and Natural Resource Management

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After Maui Fires, Food Security Is a Major Concern and Opportunity
The full impact of the deadly Maui fires on food resilience strategies remains to be seen. But the disaster highlights an urgent need for a systems-based approach to address both food security and wildfire prevention.
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Sep 6, 2023
The Messenger
Lena Easton-Calabria
Academic Achievement

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Much of the Damage in Maui Will Be Invisible, but Very Real
In addition to decimating buildings and other infrastructure, disasters also destroy human capital, the collective knowledge and skills that drive individual economic earnings, as well as regional economic growth. Failing to address these more-hidden damages is incredibly costly.
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Aug 21, 2023
Barron's
Isaac M. Opper
Wildfires

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Maui Wildfires, Regulating AI, Ukraine's Civilian Resistance: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the invisible damage of Maui’s wildfires, making the artificial intelligence supply chain safer, how Ukrainian civilians resist Russia, and more.
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Aug 18, 2023
Ukraine

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Reconstructing Ukraine, Wildfires, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on reconstructing Ukraine, what to do about wildfires, virtual mental health care services, and more.
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Jun 16, 2023
Wildfires

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We Aren't Helpless in the Face of Increasing Fires and Smoke
Modernizing, better funding, and expanding wildland firefighting forces in North America won't make fires or smoke magically disappear. A massive paradigm shift is necessary. But it's clear something needs to happen immediately too.
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Jun 12, 2023
The RAND Blog
Jay Balagna
Wildfires

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Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.
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Aug 16, 2021
The Hill
Jim Whittington, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.
Racial Discrimination

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Historic Lynchings and Voter Registration, China in Space, Firefighters' Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the link between historic lynchings and voter registration, Afghanistan in the era of fentanyl, supporting firefighters’ mental health, and more.
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Jul 30, 2021
Workplace Well-Being

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As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms
Increasingly intense fire seasons are taking a physical and mental toll on wildland firefighters. Without more direct attention paid to firefighters' mental health, burnout could decimate the ranks of those who protect lives and property across the West.
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Jul 21, 2021
The RAND Blog
Grace Hindmarch, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.
Veterans Health Care

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Veterans Day, Psychedelic Drug Policy, Family Caregivers: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on supporting veterans with mental health and substance use disorders, changes to psychedelic drug policy, the vital role of family caregivers, and more.
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Nov 13, 2020
Wildfires

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Another Record-Breaking Fire Season Shows the Need for a Comprehensive Strategy
Year after year, fires across western U.S. states scorch forests, rangeland, and neighborhoods, wreaking havoc on rural economies and pushing smoke into cities. Policymakers should consider a coordinated and comprehensive effort that brings together the best minds in government, communities, and academia.
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Nov 6, 2020
United Press International
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg
Wildfires

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Wildfires, America's Wealth Gap, Screening for COVID-19 at Work: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the growing risk of wildfires, how Americans' incomes have grown (or not), workplace screenings for COVID-19 symptoms, and more.
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Sep 18, 2020
Community Resilience

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What Can FEMA Learn from the Historic 2017 Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons?
When a hurricane comes ashore or a wildfire ignites, most of a community's vulnerability to disaster is already set. Emergency managers including FEMA, states, and localities could do much more to identify statewide risks and build community resilience before an event makes headlines.
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Feb 3, 2020
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Jason Thomas Barnosky, Patrick S. Roberts @RamblingRoberts, et al.
Wildfires

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Australia's Fires, Artificial Intelligence, Fentanyl: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Australia's devastating fires, how artificial intelligence could manipulate the masses, the fentanyl crisis, and more.
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Jan 24, 2020
Wildfires

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Australia's Fires: Respond Now, but Also Measure Toll on People for the Future
As an Australian, Melissa Finucane has watched with anguish as massive bushfires devastated wide swaths of her home country. As a researcher who studies community resilience, she can't help but think of how much blood, sweat, tears, and money will be required to recover.
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Jan 20, 2020
The RAND Blog
Melissa L. Finucane
Artificial Intelligence

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Artificial Intelligence, Refugees, Global Health Security: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the Pentagon's artificial intelligence strategy, technology's role in the refugee crisis, threats to global health security, and more.
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Dec 20, 2019
Wildfires

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A Climate Scientist's Brush with Wildfire
RAND researcher Robert Lempert was evacuated from the path of a wildfire. This experience emphasized for him the challenges of adapting to climate change, not merely because it is hard, but because it makes the familiar become unfamiliar in unexpected ways.
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Dec 18, 2019
CalMatters
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert
Domestic Terrorism

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White Supremacist Terrorism, Wildfires, the Dark Web: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on violent white supremacy, power outages to prevent wildfires, how to catch criminals on the dark web, and more.
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Nov 1, 2019
Wildfires

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Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection
While intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires, is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.
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Oct 28, 2019
CalMatters
Joie D. Acosta, Regina A. Shih @ReginaShih
Wildfires

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Uncovering the Links Between Fires and Public Health in Equatorial Asia
Fires in Indonesia, if left unchecked, could cause an average of 36,000 premature deaths annually across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Researchers built a tool that models the effect of the fires on public health.
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Oct 25, 2019
Google Earth and Earth Engine on Medium
Miriam E. Marlier
Environmental Pollution

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We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze
Forest and land-use fires are ravaging Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Haze from these fires is life-threatening; inhaling smoke can cause heart and respiratory diseases, leading to premature deaths. We developed a new tool to provide decisionmakers with information to protect people who live downwind.
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Sep 10, 2019
The Conversation
Tianjia Liu, Miriam E. Marlier, et al.
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Allocating Costs for California Wildfires
Wildfires in California have caused and will likely continue to cause substantial losses for residents, businesses, and government agencies. It is important to distribute these losses in a manner that provides incentives to reduce their magnitude over time.
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Jul 24, 2019
The RAND Blog
Lloyd Dixon
Public Health Preparedness

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Wildfires Getting More Destructive
The potential for smoke to harm air quality and cause health problems was especially acute in 2015 because a record number of wildfires broke out in the United States. Pre-wildfire season preparedness could go a long way toward protecting public health.
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Dec 28, 2015
Orange County Register
Jaime Madrigano @JMadrigano
Aircraft

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Fighting Fires From Above
A newly deployed airborne firefighting resource is helping the United States Forest Service (USFS) battle wildfires, while at the same time providing valuable lessons on the utility and cost effectiveness of water-dropping scooper aircraft.
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May 15, 2014
The RAND Blog
Edward G. Keating, Dulani Woods
Wildfires

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Investing in Firefighting
While the U.S. Forest Service has not completely agreed with RAND's proposal to transition to a fleet dominated by water-dropping scooper aircraft for fighting fires, they have leased one CL-415 scooper aircraft. It might be more cost-effective for the USFS to simply purchase it outright.
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Dec 30, 2013
The Orange County Register
Edward G. Keating, Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, et al.
Wildfires

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The Desirability of 'Free' C-27s for the U.S. Forest Service
Although we believe that a scooper-centric firefighting aircraft portfolio for initial attack would still be preferred, Air Force-provided 1,850-gallon C-27Js could be a cost-effective component of the retardant-bearing portion of the Forest Service's airborne firefighting arsenal, write Edward G. Keating and Daniel M. Norton.
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Sep 6, 2013
The RAND Blog
Edward G. Keating, Daniel M. Norton
Tanker Aircraft

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Firefighting Aircraft: Is Bigger Better?
An aircraft's capacity and speed largely determine the rate at which water or retardant can be applied to a fire. Very large air tankers (VLATs) certainly have the capacity to apply large amounts of fluids to a fire, but because of the distances travelled they may not be able to get a second load very quickly.
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May 20, 2013
The RAND Blog
Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice
Community Resilience

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Planning for Superstorms, Wildfires, and Deep Uncertainty
The path to climate change preparedness should start at the intersection of resilience and robustness — that is, building resilient communities with the individuals and organizations within those communities making robust decisions, ones designed to work well over a wide range of ever-changing conditions.
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Apr 18, 2013
The RAND Blog
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Anita Chandra