What Local Leaders Can Learn from the ILG Advanced Wildfire Risk Reduction Series
XyloPlan Co-Founder Dave Winnacker joined the Institute for Local Government to share practical, science based guidance on understanding local fire behavior, identifying vulnerable structures, and designing realistic mitigation programs. Explore key takeaways from the Advanced Wildfire Risk Reduction webinar series and how communities can use these insights to strengthen wildfire resilience.
Local governments are facing growing pressure to reduce wildfire risk in ways that are realistic, community driven, and based on how fire actually behaves. As part of the Institute for Local Government’s Webinar Series: Advanced Wildfire Risk Reduction, Dave Winnacker joined fire officials and local leaders to share practical tools for understanding fire movement, identifying vulnerable structures, and designing achievable mitigation programs. The sessions translate complex modeling into clear guidance that helps cities, counties, and fire agencies focus limited resources where they can make the greatest impact.
Below are summaries of the first two webinars in the series, each offering actionable insights for communities working to strengthen wildfire resilience.
Webinar 1: Building Fire-Adapted Communities: A Roadmap for California Leaders
In this session, Dave Winnacker walked participants through how wildfire behaves differently across communities and why planning must be grounded in local conditions. He explained how topography, wind exposure, vegetation characteristics, housing age, and structure spacing shape fire movement, and how Fire Pathways modeling helps identify the specific corridors where wildfire is most likely to advance into neighborhoods. The discussion emphasized the value of matching mitigation strategies to the areas that truly matter, enabling communities to design plans that reflect real risk and available capacity.
Learn more about Webinar 1: Building Fire-Adapted Communities: A Roadmap for California Leaders
Webinar 2: Creating the Right Wildfire Risk Reduction Plan for Your Community
The second webinar in the series focused on understanding which homes and neighborhoods are most vulnerable to ignition and how agencies can design mitigation programs that residents can realistically implement. Dave illustrated how building materials, structure spacing, and nearby vegetation interact to drive ignition potential, and how mapping these conditions can reveal clusters of homes most likely to support urban fire spread. The conversation highlighted how combining data-driven insights with achievable community programs helps agencies prioritize the structures where defensible space, home hardening, and resident engagement will have the greatest impact.
Learn more about Webinar 2: Creating the Right Wildfire Risk Reduction Plan for Your Community
Ready to strengthen wildfire resilience in your community?
Contact us to learn how localized modeling and practical mitigation strategies can support your planning efforts.
About the Institute for Local Government
The Institute for Local Government (ILG) empowers local government leaders and delivers real-world expertise to help them navigate complex issues, increase their capacity, and build trust in their communities. The Institute for Local Government is the nonprofit training and education affiliate of three statewide local government associations (Statewide nonprofit affiliated with The League of California Cities, California Special Districts Association and the California State Association of Counties). Their mission is to help local government leaders navigate complexity, increase capacity and build trust in their communities.