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Defensive Actions and People Preparedness

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Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires

Synonyms

Mitigation; Preparedness

Definition

Defensive actions can be undertaken by homeowners to help protect themselves and their home from a WUI fire (wildfire impacting the wildland-urban interface).

Introduction

Defensive actions include preparedness and mitigation measures. Preparedness decision-making and actions enable individuals and groups to respond effectively when a WUI fire occurs in order to protect their life. Mitigation measures can be completed in advance to help reduce negative impacts from a WUI fire to a person’s life and property. Implementing defensive actions well in advance of the fire season can both reduce community vulnerability and increase resilience to WUI fires. It is an important element of adaptive capacity that allows people to coexist with the hazardous environment in which they live.

Being well-prepared for WUI fire involves both physical and mental preparedness measures. Making a plan for how to respond if a fire occurs nearby may involve residents...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Tara McGee

  2. Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Christine Eriksen

Authors
  1. Tara McGee
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  2. Christine Eriksen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tara McGee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. United States Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

    Samuel L. Manzello

Section Editor information

  1. Land & Water, CSIRO, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Raphaele Blanchi

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McGee, T., Eriksen, C. (2018). Defensive Actions and People Preparedness. In: Manzello, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_93-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_93-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51727-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51727-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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