Capacity building and knowledge sharing on Extreme Wildfire Events for stakeholders
Seeking solutions to improve different stakeholders’ understanding of Extreme Wildfire Events and how to reach them to enable better responses and evidence-based support.
Problem
Extreme Wildfire Events have become increasingly frequent and intense, posing significant challenges to communities, ecosystems, and economies worldwide. One of the critical challenges in addressing Extreme Wildfire Events is the need for more adequate capacity and knowledge among stakeholders involved in wildfire management and response. Poor understanding of the complexities associated with Extreme Wildfire Events, including their causes, behaviour, and effective mitigation strategies, hampers the ability of stakeholders to make informed decisions and take timely and coordinated actions. This knowledge gap undermines effective wildfire management efforts and increases the vulnerability of ecosystems, communities, and responders.
Why the Problem exists?
The problem of limited capacity and knowledge among stakeholders in Extreme Wildfire Events arises from various factors. Rapidly changing fire behaviour due to climate change, evolving technologies, and the increasing complexity of wildfire management require continuous learning and adaptation. However, traditional training and education programs often need help to keep pace with these advancements, leaving stakeholders ill-equipped to respond effectively. Additionally, the fragmentation of knowledge across different agencies, jurisdictions, and disciplines hinders the sharing and integration of expertise, exacerbating the problem.
Looking for solutions that completely or partially solve the following:
- Training and education programs catering to specific wildfire management and response stakeholders.
- Knowledge exchange and sharing among stakeholders, including government agencies, researchers, non-governmental organisations, and local communities.
- Dissemination of research findings, best practices, lessons learned, and innovative solutions in wildfire management to stakeholders.
Requirements
- Should encompass various aspects, including fire behaviour, risk assessment, incident command systems, community engagement, and effective communication strategies.
- Training should be accessible, up-to-date, and tailored to the specific needs of different stakeholders.
Limitation(s)
No limitations specified.
Fire Management Phase(s)
Prevention & Preparedness
Living Labs
Germany – The Netherlands Living Lab; Norway-Sweden Living Lab; Sardinia-Italy Living Lab; Galicia-Spain Living Lab; Catalonia-Spain Living Lab; Greece Living Lab; Bulgaria Living Lab.
Voice of the Living Lab(s)
“Although wildfires have occurred frequently, the Netherlands has only limited focus on this type of incident. The system of the fire brigade (care) is primarily geared to the urban environment with building fires. This is reflected in the entire system, from attendance times, legislation and (personal) equipment to training (Natuurbrandsignaal report, 2023)“.
“We could act towards firefighting training, finding financial resources to be dedicated to environmental education projects, selecting people to train following real attitudes of descendants, using adequate equipment. Educational and training activities should also support the turnover of retiring firefighters“.
“A shared problem concerns a lack of efficient recruitment as well as professional training for human resources devoted institutionally or as voluntary corps, to fight the emergency. Among the 7000 people involved in the human firefighting machine (among all corps and voluntary resources) there is a various and not coherent level of competences“.
“Educational activities with the public, PR campaigns about the dangers and consequences of fires“.
“Establishment of a mutual training platform which ultimately identifies areas of improvement related to Extreme Wildfire Events activities for each stakeholder. This involves a magnitude of elements ranging from implementation of Evidence Based Training from the aviation industry where there is a continuous identification of risks, safety culture improvements, competency building and innovation resulting in improved ability to effectively and at an early stage reduce the risk of Extreme Wildfire Events“.
“Management guidelines and silvicultural itineraries for each type of forest considering its cost-efficiency. Practical training classes on the best forest management itineraries for fire prevention. Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management of Catalonia. Keys for the vulnerability to fire of tops of forest structures. Guidelines and working group on what to do with cutting remains, especially in the case of Strategic Management Points“.
“Implementation of effective fuel management measures by informing stakeholders and society. Press releases and information campaigns by relevant ministries, public agencies, universities etc. “.