ABSTRACT
This chapter selectively reviews the research literature in the fields of health and medical risk and risk communication to find models and approaches that might be applicable to wildfire risk management. Wildfire risk is clearly different from the risks of smoking, heart disease, or cancer. Why then look to the health risk literature to find ways to more effectively manage wildfire risk? One answer is that research on health risks and methods for managing those risks is vastly larger, better financed, and more fully developed than the currently meager and sporadic research literature on wildfire risk behavior. Sustained medical and social science research programs provide a substantial scientific foundation for methods to identify and communicate medical risks and individual risk factors, encourage early diagnosis and consistent monitoring, curb risky behaviors, properly use medication, alter diets, and promote appropriate exercise. Health risk reduction methods have been subjected to systematic evaluations, including large random trials that directly measure and compare outcomes on thousands of subjects over years. It is unlikely that wildfire risk management will ever achieve a comparable scientific basis.
