David Shew

David Shew, retired CAL FIRE Staff Chief, Division of Planning and Risk Analysis in the California Office of the State Fire Marshal (board members since 2023) David Shew retired from CAL FIRE in August, 2018 as a Staff Chief for the Division of Planning and Risk Analysis in the California Office of the State Fire Marshal. He helped establish electronic data collection programs for pre- and post-fire inspections, land use planning initiatives, and GIS analysis. He also served as the liaison for the California Strategic Fire Plan and other wildfire regulations with the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. David spent many years responding to large wildfires and other emergencies across California, and served on one of the state’s Emergency Management Teams as the Public Information Officer. Prior to his firefighting career, David also practiced as a licensed architect, providing him a unique perspective on structure ignitions. Upon his retirement, he established Wildfire DefenseWorks, a consulting firm that seeks ways to improve community wildfire resilience and reduce structure loss from wildfires. He has provided consultation to insurance companies, communities, and individuals to better understand their own wildfire risk analysis. David also works part time for NFPA as a Wildfire Field Representative with the Firewise USA® Program, and is on the Board of Directors for the California Fire Safe Council. He remains connected to research efforts seeking solutions to wildfire impacts, and has provided many presentations both nationally and internationally on this topic. David and his family reside in Napa, California.