Every year, the NFPA hosts a national conference to share the latest information on fire prevention, insurance, and mitigation policies with fire departments and other engaged persons. This year, the event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MySafe:LA Commander David Barrett attended the conference and in addition to sitting in on a wide array of presentations, met with the Wildfire USA rep for the NFPA Megan Fitzgerald-McGowan. The NFPA’s wildfire team is small, but busy and Commander Barrett had a productive discussion with Megan. The Firewise USA website pages are being updated and should be available by the end of summer. There will be some new policies to assist with insurance discounts, and some improved mapping and Firewise USA site search capabilities. MySafe:LA is eager to assist the NFPA in L.A. County, as well as in Riverside County (via MySafe:Riverside). This meeting was a big step in the right direction.

There were a number of fascinating presentations. Among them was the “science behind community resilience” presented by Dr. Anne Cope, PhD, P.E., the Chief Engineer for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. Dr. Cope discussed home cladding, how bay windows can trap heat, and the many steps that make up a properly defended home. The organization’s report, Living with Wildfire is worth reading.

Everyone at MySafe:LA and MySafe:Riverside are eagerly looking forward to NFPA 2024 in Orlando, Florida.