What’s missing in wildfire mitigation: How our fight-flight-freeze neurobiology prevents us from protecting ourselves from fire

Our Spring Quarter WIldfire Research and Policy Seminar Series continues this week with a talk by Erica Peng from the Haas School at U.C. Berkeley. She will speak on: What’s missing in wildfire mitigation: How our fight-flight-freeze neurobiology prevents us from protecting ourselves from fire
For many, living in northern California means living with on-going stress from wildfire threat. This affects our reactions and behavior, whether we’re conscious of it or not.
How does our automatic and unconscious fight-flight-freeze reactivity actually prevent fire safety behaviors that can reduce risk from wildfires?
What helps motivate people to engage in fire mitigation actions in conditions of on-going uncertainty and threat?
Through a lens of neuroscience and behavioral psychology, Erica Peng will share lessons learned and best practices from the past 2 years organizing fuel reduction and evacuation planning in her own neighborhood – 80 homes on a dead-end street in a very high fire hazard severity zone.
She will also draw from her work with business leaders, helping them learn how to “regulate” fight-flight-freeze reactivity – in themselves and others – that can quickly undermine collaboration and results, especially amidst crisis and uncertainty.
In preparation of the upcoming fire season, Erica is currently partnering with the Berkeley Fire Department to provide training based on her work, to interns and fire inspectors who engage directly with community members on fire mitigation efforts.