The Berkeley Hills, known for their scenic views and proximity to nature, also face significant wildfire risks. CalFire's updated hazard maps classify large areas of the East Bay Hills as high or very high risk, including parts of Berkeley and Oakland.

UC Berkeley professor Michael Gollner has been working with local residents to mitigate these risks. With a Chancellor’s Community Partnership Grant, he uses advanced wildfire simulation tools to advise the Berkeley FireSafe Council on reducing fuels. The grant also supports student service organizations in clearing excess vegetation.

“The Council had been trying to engage student groups to help them do fire risk reduction in the community,” Gollner said. “We ended up forming this neat partnership where we were able to do some analysis for them and tie that into our research.”

Gollner has expanded his efforts beyond Berkeley, collaborating with other Bay Area communities at risk of wildfires. He redesigned his wildland fire science course to allow students to model real-life scenarios and assist these communities.

“In the class, I teach students about wildfire modeling tools and how we use those tools to design safer communities,” Gollner said.

In January, devastating wildfires around Los Angeles highlighted the importance of such initiatives. In response, cities like Berkeley have introduced new ordinances aimed at reducing fire risks.

Gollner's research focuses on creating detailed simulations of urban wildfires, aiming for a more granular understanding than current CalFire maps provide. His work identifies specific changes that can enhance safety.

“CalFire maps are meant to highlight areas where you need more fuel clearing or more hardening for new construction,” Gollner said.

His collaboration with the Berkeley FireSafe Council began when Alec and Benay Dara-Abrams sought scientific approaches for their work at the council.

“There is expertise at UC Berkeley and there are people here in the community who need guidance,” said Benay Dara-Abrams.

As requests from other Bay Area residents increased, Gollner integrated real-world projects into his course. Students worked on projects across various neighborhoods using modeling tools like FlamMap to simulate fire spread and propose mitigation steps.

At a public meeting attended by local officials, students presented their findings. Soheila Bana from Richmond praised their fresh perspective on improving wildfire safety.

“[The students] had a fresh perspective and … brought many major points and minor points to our attention that we had not noticed,” Bana said.

Gollner is among several UC Berkeley researchers addressing regional wildfire risks through collaborative projects. These include Kenichi Soga's virtual “mini-games” for preparedness training and partnerships with firefighting organizations like Marin County Fire Department's FIRE Foundry program.

Despite challenges in securing funding or institutional support for community-engaged research, efforts continue under leaders like public health professor Emily Ozer who seeks broader support for such initiatives campus-wide.

Gollner plans further integration of real-world projects into his classes while partnering with external organizations like Moore Foundation’s Wildfire Resilience Initiative for broader impact across Lake and Sonoma counties as well as others within California's Bay Area region.

“I would love to professionally be able to do some of this for the communities in the Bay Area too,” Gollner said. “The class is a great way to sneak it in without any other support.”