Precisely data saves lives
Data integrity leader Precisely (www.precisely.com) is helping to save lives by providing San Bernardino County with pro bono access to its Wildfire Risk solution to offer a detailed assessment of wildfire severity and probability in the region.

There’s been a dramatic increase in wildfires worldwide in recent years, with the United Nations predicting a 14% increase in global wildfires by 2030, rising sharply to 30% by 2050, and 50% by the end of the century – prompting public sector organisations around the globe to revolutionize the way in which they are assessing wildfire risk.

With California itself seeing a sharp increase in wildfire activity over the past few decades, San Bernardino County, the largest county in the region, knew it needed to act swiftly to help protect its population of over 2 million residents.

“Being able to show a citizen their home on a map, and the risk associated with that area, has a powerful impact on fire stewardship within the community, further reducing the risk of wildfire damage,” explains Laura Dyberg, President, Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council.  “Access to historical and real-time wildfire risk data is game-changing for us.  With tangible data to back it up, our grant applications are immeasurably stronger and more accurate forecasting allows us to better educate and prepare residents.”

Wildfire Risk data allows the fire safe councils to see which regions are more likely to experience wildfires, alongside the corresponding level of severity. It also helps to show how risk increases or decreases based on different scenarios and variables. Moving forwards, the county plans to use this data to power a forecasting tool that will be displayed via maps. These will be included as part of the ongoing grant application process – helping to visualise which areas to prioritise and serve as a powerful tool for citizen awareness.

“To help ensure competitive advantage in successfully getting grant allocation, it’s crucial to be able to make confident wildfire protection decisions based on trustworthy data,” adds Justin Merino, Managing Director, Morongo Basin Fire Safe Council.  “The bottom line is, if we fail to secure a grant, that loss of funding could mean life or death for our citizens.”

“The Precisely Wildfire Risk product is developed by a team of seasoned fire scientists with real wildfire expertise, ensuring that the methodology and models reflect the most accurate and reliable data in the market,” says Dan Adams, Senior Vice President – Data Enrichment, Precisely.  “It’s truly humbling to see the impact that access to trustworthy wildfire risk data has already had in San Bernardino County.  We’re pleased to be further extending our partnership, working with the fire safe councils to explore how the Precisely data enrichment portfolio of over 400 datasets, containing more than 9,000 attributes, can help to inform and enrich policymaking across several additional parts of the county.”

Wildfire Risk is crucial to better understanding wildfire behaviour and the likelihood of potential losses, allowing risk to be assessed based upon a combination of historical, risk, and forecasting data.  The insights are critical across a wide array of industries, from public sector organizations seeking to protect their people and land, to insurers identifying underestimated property risk5, telecom providers needing to understand the potential impact of wildfires on cell tower placement, and more.

More about how San Bernardino County uses Wildfire Risk to establish fire resiliency and help protect its community can be found at www.precisely.com/resource-center/customerstories/san-bernadino-county-increases-fire-resiliency-with-precisely-wildfire-risk?