Paired parcel risk assessment/household survey data; Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (Cooper Landing, Funny River, Nikiski); 2023-2024

Homeowner wildfire risk mitigation and preparedness are important components of community wildfire readiness. This report describes the data collected through two efforts conducted in the Cooper Landing, Funny River, and Nikiski, on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska: (1) parcel-level rapid wildfire risk assessments performed by trained assessors and (2) homeowner surveys in which respondents provided self-assessments of their parcel-level wildfire risk. This project was undertaken (2023-2024) to support the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management (KPB OEM) and Cooper Landing Emergency Services (CLES), Central Emergency Services, and Nikiski Fire Department to inform decisions about wildfire adaptation. The household surveys explored the social dimensions of wildfire, including understanding of wildfire risk, outreach or communication preferences, mitigation and evacuation preparedness activities, and perceptions of community risk reduction strategies. Overall, the study indicated a community that was engaged in preparing for and mitigating the risk of wildfire; however, more mitigation work with respect to defensible space and home hardening could help reduce overall wildfire risk.
The WiRē Approach is an innovative approach to integrate local social science into wildfire education and mitigation programs. The approach involves the systematic collection of parcel level wildfire risk and social data for a community. This dataset includes parcel level wildfire risk data (rapid wildfire risk assessment or RA data) and social data (household survey or HS data), paired at the household level where possible.
This spreadsheet contains the following tabs:
--Project data for Rounds: 24a, 24b, 24c, collected 2023-2024 on the Kenai Peninsula in three study communities (Cooper Landing, Funny River, Nikiski).
--Readme
All data have been de-identified and cannot be linked to people or specific places. Please contact project PI (principal investigator): Dr. Hannah Brenkert-Smith ([e-mail]) for more information if you would like to use these data.