Due to changing climate conditions in the West, the idea of a fire season is quickly becoming obsolete, as the reality of year-round wildfire exposure continues to grow.

Trends in snowpack data show decreasing volume and earlier melting, concurrent with rising summer temperatures—a combination that is exacerbating the potential for wildfires across the region.

Verisk’s 2017 Wildfire Risk Analysis identified over 4.5 million U.S. residences at high or extreme risk of experiencing a wildfire.

According to reports from the National Interagency Fire Center, 8.8 million acres were scorched by wildfires across 58,000+ individual incidents in 2018 alone.

Not only are wildfires becoming more common, but they are also becoming more costly. The total potential exposure for single-family residences to wildfire damage in California exceeds $240 billion.

Siemens has identified increasing wildfire risk as a megatrend that must be considered in the design of communities worldwide. Siemens aims to equip electric power system owners with the tools to mitigate ignition risks, analyze and respond to environmental hazards, and improve network monitoring and control for proactive planning and response.