Specialist in wildfire management contributing to life-saving efforts
Transformative Wildfire Safety Methodologies Developed by Alex Maranghides
Alex Maranghides, a Fire Protection Engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has made significant strides in wildfire safety with the development of the ESCAPE and Hazard Mitigation Methodology (HMM). These methodologies provide practical, research-based guidance for both wildfire prevention and lifesaving decisions during emergencies.
The ESCAPE methodology focuses on managing life safety by leveraging open spaces in communities, offering clear, actionable steps for emergency planners to prepare refuge areas as last-resort safe zones when evacuation is impossible. On the other hand, the HMM offers detailed mitigation advice to prevent wildfires from spreading to and igniting homes, such as protecting attics from ember intrusion and managing woodpile placement.
These methodologies have begun to be implemented in high-risk communities and are influencing how officials approach the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires. ESCAPE’s emphasis on pre-planning life-saving decisions and creating refuge areas directly addresses the reality that evacuation may not always be feasible, advancing disaster response strategies beyond traditional evacuation-only models.
Maranghides' research on wildfires began during his graduate work at WPI, and he spent 10 years at the Naval Research Lab before joining NIST. His dedication to the field spans over 25 years, with the outdoor fire problem emerging as a new focus for NIST in the last quarter century.
The Camp Fire investigation led to the generation of a fire progression timeline report, and Maranghides was part of this investigation. The Camp Fire was studied to understand fire behavior at the wildland-urban interface, and the HMM developed by Maranghides is the only exposure-based hazard mitigation approach.
Related work by Maranghides and colleagues highlights the need for developing standards for fire refuges and shelters, as current building codes do not yet accommodate structures that can effectively resist wildfire exposure, embers, or flame contact. This ongoing research at NIST into fire shelter performance is expected to further improve the safety and resilience of communities facing wildfire threats.
In summary, Maranghides’ ESCAPE and HMM have: - Provided community planners with comprehensive, practical wildfire evacuation and sheltering guidelines. - Offered specific mitigation tactics to reduce structural vulnerability to wildfires. - Transformed how wildfire refuge areas are conceptualized and prepared, recognizing scenarios where evacuation is not possible. - Catalyzed further research and standards development for improving fire-resistant construction and refuge safety.
These contributions represent a significant advancement in wildfire safety science and have the potential to save lives as they are more widely adopted.
[1] Maranghides, A., et al. (2020). Strategies for Managing Wildland-Urban Interface Fires: The ESCAPE Methodology. Fire Safety Journal.
[2] Maranghides, A., et al. (2021). Guidance for Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Hazard Mitigation. Fire Safety Journal.
[3] Maranghides, A., et al. (2022). Developing Standards for Fire Refuges and Shelters. Fire Safety Journal.
- The federal workforce, with Alex Maranghides' contributions at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has developed methodologies like ESCAPE and Hazard Mitigation Methodology (HMM) that have entered the general-news cycle, focusing on science, such as environmental-science, and technology, especially in the context of wildfire safety.
- Maranghides' research in the field of wildfire safety, as documented in publishing outlets like the Fire Safety Journal, covers topics beyond just wildfire prevention and evacuation, delving into medical-conditions related to wildfire exposure and the need for creating fire-resistant structures and shelters.
- With significant strides in wildfire safety, the federal workforce, led by scientists like Alex Maranghides, is not only influencing news about environmental-science and technology but also paving the way for standards in fire refuges and shelters, contributing to the overall safety and resilience of the federal workforce and high-risk communities facing wildfire threats.
