The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Green Builder Media announced the release of their newest e-book, "Design with Fire in Mind: Three Steps to a Safer New Home" to help educate homeowners, builders and developers on ways to build, design, site and maintain homes with wildfire safety in mind.

The eight-page e-book is based on principles from NFPA’s Firewise Communities Program, which addresses site design, construction, landscaping, property maintenance and wildfire safety education of residents. The information is rooted in principles based on solid fire science research into how homes ignite, and comes from the world’s leading fire experts whose experiments, models and data collection pertain to some of the country’s worst wildland fire disasters.

"How we build, design and maintain homes can make them less vulnerable to a fire," said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. "This project has afforded Green Builder Media and NFPA a wonderful opportunity to provide important, actionable steps to planners and developers as they build safer places for residents to live."

In addition to links to educational resources and videos that can easily be downloaded and shared for free, e-book readers will be able to get a more in-depth look at the e-book’s three main topics:

• Creating a Firewise landscape, including limiting the amount of flammable vegetation and materials immediately surrounding the home
• Considering fire, embers and radiant heat when building homes
• Understanding the role of home and property maintenance in reducing damage from wildfire

"While there are more communities in the west and south impacted by wildfire than in other areas of the country, increasingly everyone is susceptible [to fire]," adds Carli. "It’s important that community members work together to develop fire-smart practices for their homes and neighborhoods. We’ve seen the results of collaboration in many areas around the country and the future looks promising."

Download this free e-book resource, or visit www.greenbuildermedia.com and www.nfpa.org for more information. 

About Green Builder Media

Green Builder® Media, LLC is the leading media company in North America focused on green building and sustainable living. With a comprehensive suite of print and digital media solutions, demonstration projects, case studies, online training, and live events, Green Builder Media assists building professionals in preparing themselves for the new green economy and helps homeowners understand how to live more sustainably.

About National Fire Protection Association

Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information visit　www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at　www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.