Understanding Wildfires in the Wildland Urban Interface, the Built Environment, and Public Health - Chemical Insights
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DATE: June 13, 2024

TIME: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

LOCATION: Virtual

Your Resiliency for Health Blueprint: Safeguarding Public Health When Wildfires Burn in the Wildland Urban Interface

Please join Chemical Insights Research Institute (CIRI) of UL Research Institutes (ULRI) on June 13, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. ET for the second session of CIRI’s 2024 webinar series Building Resilience for Health.

Wildfires are a growing worldwide threat as climate change drives more extreme weather events. Urban development has been rapidly expanding to meet or intermix into wildland areas, known as the wildland urban interface (WUI). With close to one-third of the U.S. population living in the WUI, these communities face a unique public health challenge as fires in these areas lead to additional toxic pollutants that are different from wildland fires. Beyond the direct health, structural, and economic impacts from WUI fires that these communities face, people far downwind from the WUI fire are exposed to these unique fire emissions, which present distinct health hazards.

During our webinar, “Understanding Wildfires in the Wildland Urban Interface, the Built Environment, and Public Health,” we will define and describe the WUI and its uniquely toxic fires and subsequent health effects, share strategies for mitigating risks and preparing communities in the WUI, and give attendees an interdisciplinary path to answer some of today’s most challenging questions. Join us and our expert panelists as we embark on this educational journey, laying the foundation for a series of discussions on effectively adapting and thriving in an ever-changing world.
Expert panelists include:

Brian Metzger
Fire Protection Engineer I National Fire and Emergency Medical Services Program Division I United States Fire Administration

Chuck Miccolis
Managing Director of Commercial Lines and Building Resiliency Expert at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Annette Stelmack
Sustainable Designer and Founding Principal of Inspirit-llc

Dr. Christopher Weis
Science Director and Principal at Weis Toxicology, LLC

Dr. Mark Wilson
Director of the Center for Exposure Science at Chemical Insights Research Institute of UL Research Institutes
As a key change-maker, we call on you to help protect the health of people and the planet.

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