SFPE Foundation updates handbook to support fire services addressing WUI fire risks
Iain Hoey
Share this content
New handbook to support WUI fire risk assessment
The SFPE Educational & Scientific Foundation (SFPE Foundation) has announced the upcoming release of the second edition of its Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Virtual Handbook for Fire Risk Assessment & Mitigation.
According to the SFPE Foundation, the handbook will be available online and for download from 19 August 2025.
The second edition has been produced with funding from a 2022 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency Fire Prevention & Safety Grant.
The organisation said the handbook expands on the original 2023 edition with new content covering parcel-level and community-level mitigation.
It explained that the new version includes assessment tools, educational flyers, four instructional videos and a basic risk checklist.
The SFPE Foundation stated that the handbook is not intended to replace existing programmes, but can be used as a supplementary training and mitigation tool by any department.
Assistant Fire Chief Brad Cronin, Chair of the SFPE Fire Service Subcommittee, said: “With more and more areas becoming prone to wildfires, having the WUI Virtual Handbook available free to the fire service is an invaluable resource in addressing this hazard.
“This versatile reference can be used by departments that have no experience with WUI risk assessments to quickly evaluate areas of their jurisdiction or by those departments that are well-versed in the topic to dial in their methods.”
Handbook designed for use across all fire department experience levels
The SFPE Foundation stated that the handbook was developed to support both experienced and less experienced departments.
It said the resource can be used to support property inspection training, structure-specific fire risk assessments, homeowner education and stakeholder engagement.
The Foundation added that it may be particularly useful in jurisdictions with limited WUI experience or where fire risks are emerging.
Dr Hubert Biteau, Senior Technical Advisor at Code Red Consultants, said: “It is important to promote the 2nd Edition of the SFPE WUI Handbook for Fire Risk Assessment & Mitigation to fire services located in the WUI and with little to no WUI expertise.
“It is equally important to identify WUI locations where wildland fires are not currently a threat but may become a challenge in the near future to proactively educate communities on the identification of the foreseen hazards, adequate prevention and mitigation.”
New training pilots to test advanced WUI modules
The SFPE Foundation also announced a pilot training programme for advanced WUI fire engineering.
According to the Foundation, the training is supported by a 2023 FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety Grant and will be delivered through in-person and virtual sessions over the next nine months.
It stated that the pilot modules will cover WUI fire dynamics, fire modelling, and human behaviour in wildland-urban fires.
Two virtual pilot courses will take place in September 2025 and early 2026, and a pre-conference feedback session will be held at the SFPE Annual Conference on 21 October in Vancouver, Canada.
The Foundation said registration details for training participation will be provided during a free webinar scheduled for 19 August.
White paper highlights global collaboration and engineering approaches
In July 2025, the SFPE Foundation published a white paper titled The Contributions of Fire Engineering in Addressing the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Problem.
The Foundation said the paper was authored by Dr Pascale Vacca and based on findings from the WUI Working Group and the 2023 Virtual WUI Summit.
According to the Foundation, the paper presents an overview of knowledge gaps, fire engineering challenges and proposed solutions related to WUI fire risk.
It stated that the paper highlights the contribution of international volunteers and is available at https://doi.org/10.64167/x5h6-75nw.
The Foundation said this forms part of its strategy to build a body of open-access WUI research.
Online WUI library launched to share global research
The SFPE Foundation has also launched a new online WUI research library.
It said the resource brings together articles, research projects and tools that focus on the role of fire engineering in addressing WUI fire risk.
The Foundation explained that the library includes outputs from its Grand Challenges Initiative and Student Research Grants, as well as other publicly available resources.
Lisa VanBuskirk, WUI Programme Manager, is coordinating submissions of new open-access content.
Dr Leslie Marshall, Director of the SFPE Foundation, said: “Over the last few years, the SFPE Foundation has greatly expanded our efforts to bring fire engineering expertise and resources to addressing the growing wildland-urban interface fire problem, both in the United States and around the world.
“With the announcement of the Second Edition of the WUI Virtual Handbook, our efforts to develop advanced WUI training modules for the U.S. Fire Service, the publication of a white paper on WUI Fire Engineering, and our efforts to promote and publicize a growing body of global WUI research and resources through our new online library, we hope to demonstrate that fire engineers have a unique and important role to play in this ecosystem, and that we are committed to working alongside our partners – like the U.S. Fire Service, among others – to develop tools, education, research, and resources that fill critical knowledge gaps.”
Updated WUI handbook and training launched in United States: Summary
The SFPE Foundation has announced the release of the second edition of its WUI Virtual Handbook for Fire Risk Assessment & Mitigation.
The handbook will be available for free download on 19 August 2025.
It includes new content for both parcel-level and community-level mitigation.
The resource was funded by a 2022 FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety Grant.
Four videos, flyers and a risk checklist are included in the updated edition.
The Foundation said it is designed for use by fire departments with varied levels of WUI experience.
It stated the handbook does not replace existing tools but serves as a flexible companion resource.
A free webinar on 19 August will provide further guidance on how to use the handbook.
The SFPE Foundation is also piloting advanced training modules covering WUI fire dynamics and human behaviour.
These pilots will run over the next nine months, with initial sessions in late 2025.
A white paper on fire engineering and WUI fires has also been published.
An online library of WUI research has been launched by the Foundation.
This collection includes open-access material from funded and independent studies.