FIREWALL – Alaska’s Energy, Community Resilience to Wildfires

A workshop focused on "Wildfire Resilience of the Energy Sector in Alaska" was virtually held on Sept. 15, 2021, as part of an NSF-supported Navigating the New Arctic planning grant.

The Foundations for Improving Resilience in the Energy Sector to Wildfires on Alaskan Lands (FIREWALL) workshop amplified wildfire-response awareness in Alaska by facilitating a dialogue among researchers, local communities, and stakeholders. Participants worked to provide solutions for emergency preparedness, operational endurance, and enhanced resilience of the unique Alaska electric grid to wildfires.

The visions, insights, and developments shared at the one-day workshop aimed at identifying research gaps and prioritizing future research directions and roadmaps to deploy advanced energy technologies for resilience against wildfires. The workshop brought together around 100 participants and consisted of seven consecutive panels. Invited speakers at the FIREWALL workshop 2021 included representatives from Alaska community and state organizations, federal agencies, national laboratories, the electric utility industry, and research and academic institutions. 

The project envisions a second FIREWALL workshop will be held at the University of Alaska Anchorage in summer 2022.