Michael Fredy
About the Author
Mike is an NFPA Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (CWMS) who writes about the gap between knowing a problem and solving it. His work centers on defensible space, home hardening, and practical solutions grounded in nationally recognized standards and real-world conditions of the wildland-urban interface. Through what he calls "elemental mitigation," Mike combines technical rigor with clear, accessible guidance that helps property owners make informed decisions and meaningfully improve wildfire resilience.
"Starting Today" is a novel about how communities respond when science meets stubbornness, when expertise encounters indifference, and when the work that prevents fires is far harder than suppressing them. It is informed by years of working directly with homeowners and communities across fire-prone regions, and by the specific understanding that comes from watching mechanisms fail, watching fuel accumulate, and watching the difference between knowing what needs to happen and making it happen.