Wildland fires have destroyed an average of  850 homes per year since 1984, according to a National Fire Protection  Association official. From 1983 through 2002, costs  and damage from wildland fires in the United States exceeded $1 billion in  2 years and $2 billion in 3 years. However,  homeowners and state and local governments have the primary  responsibility for ensuring that preventive steps are taken to help protect  homes from wildland fires. State and local governments, as well as the federal government and  nongovernmental groups, help to educate homeowners and others about  wildland fire and ways to minimize or prevent property damage. In addition to operating on different frequency bands, some agencies use  incompatible communications systems that are not interoperable. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our review addressed the following objectives: (1) measures that can help  protect structures from wildland fires, (2) factors that affect the use of  these protective measures, and (3) the role that technology plays in  improving firefighting agencies’ ability to communicate during wildland  fires. Defensible Space and Fire-resistant Roofs and Vents Are Key to Protecting Structures; Other Technologies Can Also Help

Creating and maintaining defensible space and using fire-resistant roofs  and vents are critical to protecting structures from wildland fires. Fire-resistant windows. Chemical agents. Competing Concerns Affect Homeowners’ Use of Protective Measures, but Efforts to Increase Their Use Are Under Way

Homeowners may not take steps to protect their homes from wildland fires  because of the time or expense involved, competing concerns such as  aesthetics or privacy, lack of understanding of the nature of wildland fire  risks, and failure to recognize that they share responsibility for protecting  their homes. In addition, some insurance companies direct  homeowners in high-risk areas to create defensible space. In such  cases, defensible space and fire-resistant building materials greatly reduce  a structure’s risk. Some Insurance Companies Direct Homeowners to Use Protective Measures

Although wildland fire has not resulted in significant losses for the  insurance industry in comparison with other disasters, some insurance  companies have instituted programs designed to increase policyholders’  use of protective measures in some at-risk areas. Effective Adoption of Technologies to Achieve Communications Interoperability Requires Better Planning and Coordination

While a variety of existing technologies can help link incompatible  communications systems and others are being developed to provide  enhanced interoperability, effective adoption of any technology requires  planning and coordination among federal, state, local, and tribal agencies  that work together to respond to emergencies, including wildland fires. The Department of  Homeland Security (DHS) is leading federal efforts to address  interoperability problems across all levels of government, but as we  previously reported, progress so far has been limited. Technologies Can Enhance Communications Interoperability

A number of current and emerging technologies can help overcome  differences in frequencies or communications equipment and improve  communications interoperability among firefighting agencies. Public safety agencies in several localities, including  Washington, use them. However, software-defined  radios are still being developed and are not yet available for use by public  safety agencies. In addition to federal efforts, a variety of steps have been taken by state  and local agencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

Since 1984, wildland fires have burned an average of more than 850 homes each year in the United States and, because more people are moving into fire-prone areas bordering wildlands, the number of homes at risk is likely to grow. The primary responsibility for ensuring that preventive steps are taken to protect homes lies with homeowners and state and local governments, not the federal government. Although losses from wildland fires made up only 2 percent of all insured catastrophic losses from 1983 through 2002, fires can result in billions of dollars in damages. Once a wildland fire starts, various parties can be mobilized to fight it, including federal, state, local, and tribal firefighting agencies and, in some cases, the military. The ability to communicate among all parties--known as interoperability--is essential but, as GAO has reported previously, is hampered because different public safety agencies operate on different radio frequencies or use incompatible communications equipment. GAO was asked to assess, among other issues, (1) measures that can help protect structures from wildland fires, (2) factors affecting use of protective measures, and (3) the role technology plays in improving firefighting agencies' ability to communicate during wildland fires.

What GAO Found

The two most effective measures for protecting structures from wildland fires are: (1) creating and maintaining a buffer, called defensible space, from 30 to 100 feet wide around a structure, where vegetation and other flammable objects are reduced or eliminated; and (2) using fire-resistant roofs and vents. In addition to roofs and vents, other technologies--such as fire-resistant windows and building materials, chemical agents, sprinklers, and geographic information systems mapping--can help in protecting structures and communities, but they play a secondary role. A lthough protective measures are available, many property owners have not adopted them because of the time or expense involved, competing concerns such as aesthetics or privacy, misperceptions about wildland fire risks, and lack of awareness of their shared responsibility for fire protection. Federal, state, and local governments, as well as other organizations, are attempting to increase property owners' use of protective measures through education, direct monetary assistance, and laws requiring such measures. In addition, some insurance companies have begun to direct property owners in high-risk areas to take protective steps. Existing technologies, such as audio switches, can help link incompatible communication systems, and new technologies, such as software-defined radios, are being developed following common standards or with enhanced capabilities to overcome incompatibility barriers. Technology alone, however, cannot solve communications problems for those responding to wildland fires. Rather, planning and coordination among federal, state, and local public safety agencies is needed to resolve issues such as which technologies to adopt, cost sharing, operating procedures, training, and maintenance. The Department of Homeland Security is leading federal efforts to improve communications interoperability across all levels of government. In addition to federal efforts, several states and local jurisdictions are pursuing initiatives to improve communications interoperability.