scholarly journals Interactions between Resident Risk Perceptions and Wildfire Risk Mitigation: Evidence from Simultaneous Equations Modeling

Fire ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
James R. Meldrum ◽  
Hannah Brenkert-Smith ◽  
Patricia Champ ◽  
Jamie Gomez ◽  
Lilia Falk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Publicly Supported ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Simultaneous Model

Fire science emphasizes that mitigation actions on residential property, including structural hardening and maintaining defensible space, can reduce the risk of wildfire at a home. Accordingly, a rich body of social science literature investigates the determinants of wildfire risk mitigation behaviors of residents living in fire-prone areas. Here, we investigate relationships among wildfire hazards, residents’ risk perceptions, and conditions associated with mitigation actions using a combination of simulated wildfire conditions, household survey responses, and professionally assessed parcel characteristic data. We estimate a simultaneous model of these data that accounts for potential direct feedbacks between risk perceptions and parcel-level conditions. We also compare the use of self-reported versus assessed parcel-level data for estimating these relationships. Our analysis relies on paired survey and assessment data for approximately 2000 homes in western Colorado. Our simultaneous model demonstrates dual-directional interactions between risk perceptions and conditions associated with mitigation actions, with important implications for inference from simpler approaches. In addition to improving general understanding of decision-making about risk and natural hazards, our findings can support the effectiveness of publicly supported programs intended to encourage mitigation to reduce society’s overall wildfire risk.

Living in a tinderbox: wildfire risk perceptions and mitigating behaviours

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Champ ◽  
Geoffrey H. Donovan ◽  
Christopher M. Barth
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Prone Area ◽  
The Usa ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Relationship

The loss of homes to wildfires is an important issue in the USA and other countries. Yet many homeowners living in fire-prone areas do not undertake mitigating actions, such as clearing vegetation, to decrease the risk of losing their home. To better understand the complexity of wildfire risk-mitigation decisions and the role of perceived risk, we conducted a survey of homeowners in a fire-prone area of the front range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We examine the relationship between perceived wildfire risk ratings and risk-mitigating behaviours in two ways. First, we model wildfire risk-mitigation behaviours as a function of perceived risk. Then, we model wildfire risk-mitigation behaviours and perceived risk simultaneously. The results of the simultaneous model suggest that perceived risk and wildfire risk-mitigating behaviours are jointly determined. By correctly specifying the relationship between risk perceptions and mitigating behaviours, we are better able to understand the relationship between other factors, such as exposure to a wildfire-mitigation program and wildfire risk-mitigating behaviours. We also find that having a wood roof, as well as homeowner age, income and previous experience with living in a fire-prone area, are associated with wildfire risk-mitigating behaviours.

scholarly journals Cost shared wildfire risk mitigation in Log Hill Mesa, Colorado: survey evidence on participation and willingness to pay

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 567 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Meldrum ◽  
Patricia A. Champ ◽  
Travis Warziniack ◽  
Hannah Brenkert-Smith ◽  
Christopher M. Barth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Risk Levels ◽  
Visual Impacts ◽  
The Cost

Wildland–urban interface (WUI) homeowners who do not mitigate the wildfire risk on their properties impose a negative externality on society. To reduce the social costs of wildfire and incentivise homeowners to take action, cost sharing programs seek to reduce the barriers that impede wildfire risk mitigation. Using survey data from a WUI community in western Colorado and a two-stage decision framework, we examine residents’ willingness to participate in a cost sharing program for removing vegetation on their properties and the amount they are willing to contribute to the cost of that removal. We find that different factors motivate decisions about participation and about how much to pay. Willingness to participate correlates with both financial and non-monetary considerations, including informational barriers and wildfire risk perceptions, but not with concerns about effectiveness or visual impacts. Residents of properties with higher wildfire risk levels are less likely to participate in the cost sharing than those with lower levels of wildfire risk. We find widespread, positive willingness to pay for vegetation removal, with the amount associated negatively with property size and positively with respondent income. These results can inform the development of cost sharing programs to encourage wildfire risk mitigation on private property.

scholarly journals Operationalising homeowner wildfire risk mitigation in fire-prone areas

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Walpole ◽  
Sarah McCaffrey ◽  
Claire Rapp ◽  
Robyn Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
In Fire

scholarly journals Examining the influence of biophysical conditions on wildland–urban interface homeowners’ wildfire risk mitigation activities in fire-prone landscapes

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine S. Olsen ◽  
Jeffrey D. Kline ◽  
Alan A. Ager ◽  
Keith A. Olsen ◽  
Karen C. Short
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
In Fire

scholarly journals Navigating the Wildfire–Pandemic Interface: Public Perceptions of COVID-19 and the 2020 Wildfire Season in Arizona

Fire ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Catrin M. Edgeley ◽  
Jack T. Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wildland Urban Interface ◽  
Wildfire Management ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Literature Highlight ◽  
Wildfire Season

COVID-19 has complicated wildfire management and public safety for the 2020 fire season. It is unclear whether COVID-19 has impacted the ability of residents in the wildland–urban interface to prepare for and evacuate from wildfire, or the extent to which residents feel their household’s safety has been affected. Several areas with high wildfire risk are also experiencing record numbers of COVID-19 cases, including the state of Arizona in the southwestern United States. We conducted a mixed-mode survey of households in close proximity to two recent wildfires in rural Arizona to better understand whether residents living in the wildland–urban interface perceive COVID-19 as a factor in wildfire safety. Preliminary data suggest that the current challenges around collective action to address wildfire risk may be further exacerbated due to COVID-19, and that the current pandemic has potentially widened existing disparities in household capacity to conduct wildfire risk mitigation activities in the wildland–urban interface. Proactive planning for wildfire has also increased perceived ability to practice safe distancing from others during evacuation, highlighting the benefits that household planning for wildfire can have on other concurrent hazards. Parallels in both the wildfire and pandemic literature highlight vast opportunities for future research that can expand upon and advance our findings.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Community Sports Provision on Social Inclusion and Public Health in Rural China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 597
Author(s):  
Qiu Chen ◽  
Tianbiao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Community Sports ◽  
Sanitary Conditions

It is well known that increasing participation in physical activities is not only positive for individual health promotion, but also beneficial for community-level public health by enhancing the individual’s social well-being by facilitating social inclusion. Although the provision of community sports affects participation in physical activities, the magnitude and direction of this effect are still not clear. Under this circumstance, this paper examined the effects of community sports provision on social inclusion and public health using the micro-level data from a household survey conducted in eight provinces of rural China. For the purpose of this paper, the degree of social inclusion was proxied by participation in community sports, while public health was measured by the probability of getting ill for members of each household. The empirical results show that community sports provision was partially effective in promoting inclusion and health in rural areas. Specifically, constructing public sports facilities significantly increases participation in community sports and decreases the risk of getting ill. In contrast, organizing public sports activities increases the opportunity for households to play sports. Nonetheless, it does not promote public health. Equally important is that economic growth (reflected in the increase in income level) may enhance public health through advancing medical technologies and improving sanitary conditions instead of encouraging participation in community sports.

scholarly journals What People Really Think About Safety around Horses: The Relationship between Risk Perception, Values and Safety Behaviours

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2222
Author(s):  
Meredith Chapman ◽  
Matthew Thomas ◽  
Kirrilly Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
First Principles ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Serious Injuries ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Safety First

The equestrian industry reports high rates of serious injuries, illness and fatalities when compared to other high-risk sports and work environments. To address these ongoing safety concerns, a greater understanding of the relationship between human risk perception, values and safety behaviours is required. This paper presents results from an international survey that explored relationships between a respondents’ willingness to take risk during daily activities along with, their perceptions of risk and behaviours during horse-related interactions. Respondents’ comments around risk management principles and safety-first inspirations were also analysed. We examined what humans think about hazardous situations or activities and how they managed risk with suitable controls. Analysis identified three important findings. First, safe behaviours around horses were associated with safety training (formal and/or informal). Second, unsafe behaviours around horses were associated with higher levels of equestrian experience as well as income from horse-related work. Finally, findings revealed a general acceptance of danger and imminent injury during horse interactions. This may explain why some respondents de-emphasised or ‘talked-down’ the importance of safety-first principles. In this paper we predominantly reported quantitative findings of respondents self-reported safety behaviours, general and horse-related risk perceptions despite injury or illness. We discussed the benefits of improved safety-first principles like training, risk assessments, rider-horse match with enriched safety communications to enhance risk-mitigation during human–horse interactions.

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