Joseph Wartman, director of the Natural Hazards and Disaster Reconnaissance Facility and a professor of civil engineering at the University of Washington, recently authored an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle calling for California’s leaders to master wildfire safety in the same way that they mastered earthquake safety.
He notes that California has become a global leader in earthquake preparedness through decades of investment in infrastructure, policy and public education, spurred by past disasters like the 1971 San Fernando quake. However, the devastating January 2025 wildfires exposed critical gaps in the state’s wildfire readiness, including fragmented governance, outdated building codes and a lack of public awareness.
Wartman asserts that California should apply the same long-term, coordinated approach to wildfire mitigation that it successfully used for seismic safety.