DRI’s AWE+ Summit tackles wildfire resilience and recovery

Importance of utilities in the safety and security of communities highlighted

Desert Research Institute

 

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DRI President, Dr. Kumud Acharya, addresses the AWE+ 2024 audience at the Encore Las Vegas

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Credit: DRI

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — DRI, one of our nation’s leading applied environmental research institutes, together with the DRI Foundation, this week held its inaugural AWE+ Summit -Wildfire Recovery and Resilience: Working Across Silos to Drive Solutions. The summit is a call-to-action for communities to implement measures that support resilience and human adaptability to devastating wildfire events. 

Nationally recognized scientific leaders discussed challenges, progress, and hope through actions that will lead to solutions. Speakers included: 

• President of the National Academy of Sciences Dr. Marcia McNutt 

• DRI Research Professor and Director of the Western Regional Climate Center Dr. Tim Brown 

• National Fire Protection Association, Wildlife Division Director Michele Steinberg 

• Former Fire Chief at CAL FIRE and currently Director of Emergency Management at SDG&E Thom Porter 

• Retired Social Scientist U.S. Forest Service Dr. Sarah McCaffrey 

• Emeritus Professor at Arizona State University Dr. Stephen Pyne 

• Director, Climate and Energy Policy Program, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment    Dr. Michael Wara 

• Former President of California Public Utilities Commission Marybel Batjer 

• Co-Director of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, and Tribes and Climate Change Program Nikki Cooley 

• Executives from NV Energy including CEO Doug Cannon and Vice President of Electric Delivery and Natural Disaster Protection Jesse Murray.  

Discussion panels included Reducing Loss and Mitigating Risk for Utilities and Infrastructure, Insurance: Growing Risks and Shaping Transformative Policy Decisions, and Building Communities to Accelerate Resilience and Recovery. 

A key topic of discussion was the important role of utilities in the safety and security of communities. Power utilities may be shut down proactively when extreme wildfire conditions exist to prevent wildfires, and power grids are at risk during a wildfire event. Power grids provide critical services beyond HVAC temperature control and refrigeration. Vital medical equipment, security services, and the ability to pump water are also impacted by utility disruptions.  

"We appreciated being able to share the critical role utilities like NV Energy plays in preventing natural disasters, including wildfires. Although we've been formally engaged in this work for five years, we continue to learn and adjust our natural disaster protection plan based on best practices and new innovative ideas to protect our infrastructure and our communities," said NV Energy's Vice President of Natural Disaster Protection and Electric Delivery Jesse Murray. "DRI's inaugural AWE+ Summit brought together innovative thinkers and leaders to challenge the norms and think critically about the way we identify and define risk." 

“AWE+ is a call-to-action for communities to implement measures that support resilience and human adaptability to devastating wildfire events,” said DRI President Kumud Acharya. “Bringing together a cross-section of industry, government, and non-government leaders to grapple with difficult questions, share ideas, and form collaborative relationships provides a unique opportunity to identify and address areas of need in their communities, enabling better understanding and an opportunity to drive solutions.” 

AWE+ provides an opportunity for participants to collaborate on actionable wildfire strategies for cultivating measures of resilience in their communities.  

“Beyond the fire itself, the summit addressed fire fighter safety, air pollution, financial impacts, and the lasting effects and disruptions to livelihoods,” said DRI Foundation Chair Kristin McMillan Porter. “These are tough issues, and it’s necessary to drive change in policies, practices, technologies, and behaviors,”  

 

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About Desert Research Institute (DRI) 
We are Nevada’s non-profit research institute, founded in 1959 to empower experts to focus on science that matters. We work with communities across the state — and the world — to address their most pressing scientific questions. We’re proud that our scientists continuously produce solutions that better human and environmental health.  

Scientists at DRI are encouraged to follow their research interests across the traditional boundaries of scientific fields, collaborating across DRI and with scientists worldwide. All faculty support their own research through grants, bringing in nearly $5 to the Nevada economy for every $1 of state funds received. With more than 600 scientists, engineers, students, and staff across our Reno and Las Vegas campuses, we conducted more than $47 million in sponsored research focused on improving peoples’ lives in 2023 alone. 

At DRI, science isn’t merely academic — it’s the key to future-proofing our communities and building a better world. For more information, please visit www.dri.edu. 

About DRI Foundation: 
Established in 1982, the DRI Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that is led by a committed and passionate Board of Trustees. The trustees of the DRI Foundation build trustworthy relationships and create innovative programs to showcase the impact of DRI, attract followers, supporters and donors, and expand the fundraising capacity of DRI.