2023-08-14 12:25:24
During the large firesthe authorities have the priority to save human lives. However, forest fires have become increasingly virulent and this means that the work of firefighters and fire fighting resources are no longer sufficient. To deal with this type of situation, the Center for Research on Desertification (CIDE, CSIC-UV-GVA) participates in the European project FirEUricwhose objective is to improve the management of forest fires throughout Europe.
“We must work with the population to prepare people to face these situations,” explains the project coordinator and researcher at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). Domingos Xavier Viegas.
Most fires occur due to human activity and negligencebut they can be avoided by informing the population about how prevent ignitions and how to act when the fuego it has already been unleashed.
Faced with a climate scenario with an irregular distribution of rainfall and extreme temperatures that appear almost randomly, people must learn to make decisions quickly.
“Our message to the population is to save their lives, that is the most important thing. These are fires that spread with such intensity that with current technology we cannot stop them. Therefore, the help may not come. It is important to realize this,” Viegas points out.
Some recommendations to act in the vicinity of a forest fire, according to the project coordinator consist of:
Act Fast: “If people find themselves in a situation where there may be a fire around or approaching them, they need to make decisions quickly.”
escape immediately: “If they feel it is better to walk away, they should leave the place with great anticipation, not wait until the last minute.”
Seek shelter: “If escaping is not an option, seeking refuge is essential.”
Citizen participation becomes even more relevant under the new reality of climate change. “There is a very irregular distribution of the rains and the extreme temperatures appear almost at random,” says the researcher.
FirEUrisk works with administrations to improve decision-making and the information received by the public, through tools such as the map on fuels from existing vegetation cover in Europe
“We now face more fires in the spring (during March and April); the fire season extends into late summer, even into the fall (with fires burning through late September, October, and sometimes even November),” Viegas points out. In a so volatile situationconditions can suddenly change and complicate the work of suppressing the fire. Therefore, experts insist that, in order to save lives, populations must be prepared and know how to respond.
Tools for decision-making
FirEUrisk works with authorities at local, national and European level to improve decision making and the information that the public receives, through scientific investigations and tools that evaluate the risk of fire. An example is the development of a fuel map from the existing vegetation cover in Europe.
“Vegetation is the only factor that we can modify and change in any way”
Domingos Xavier Viegas, project coordinator
Of all the factors involved in the start and behavior of fires, “the vegetation is he only factor we can modify and change in some way,” says the project coordinator.
The European map developed within the project provides researchers with resources to understand the fire behavior. In addition, it is useful for political decision-makers since it allows a strategic risk calculation fire that includes not only the weather, but also homes, people and infrastructure.
These tools are key if one takes into account that the drought and the current extreme temperatures have given rise to the month of hottest july recorded to date, in the northern hemisphere.
“The lack of rain has created a cumulative effect in the dryness of the vegetation,” says Viegas.
The current dry conditions are pressing in Portugal, Spain and Greece. “The consequences of the fire have been devastating: the fires have already swept through Sicily, Sardinia and Rhodes, forcing thousands of people to evaluate these tourist destinations. These fires can very easily threaten people’s lives,” he concludes.
Rights: Creative Commons.
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