Risk Communication and Awareness for the General Public
Looking to enhance the Risk Communication and Awareness of the general population in order to mitigate Extreme Wildfire Events and their consequences.
Problem
The general public lacks adequate understanding of Extreme Wildfire Events, leading to increased vulnerability and limited preparedness measures.
Why the Problem exists?
The problem of insufficient risk communication and awareness of Extreme Wildfire Events arises from various factors. Firstly, wildfires can be highly unpredictable and fast-moving, making it challenging to provide accurate and timely information to the general population. Moreover, the complexity of fire behaviour and the diverse range of variables make it difficult for individuals to comprehend the risks and take appropriate actions. Additionally, the novelty of fire events in many locations under climate changed conditions, limited resources, conflicting information, and communication gaps between authorities, communities, and media outlets further contribute to the problem.
Looking for solutions that completely or partially solve the following:
- Clear and Timely Information Dissemination.
- Targeted and Accessible Communication.
- Community Engagement and Participation.
- Risk Perception, Personal Protection and Education.
- Multi-channel Communication.
Requirements
- Engagement and Interactivity for the target audience.
- Interoperability with multiple stakeholders.
- Scalability, from local, to regional or national levels.
- Reliability of the information and its sources.
Limitation(s)
- Accessibility and connectivity.
- Linguistic, cultural, educational diversity.
- Technical infrastructure and personnel.
- Budget of responsible stakeholder(s).
Fire Management Phase(s)
Prevention & Preparedness; Detection & Response
Living Labs
Germany – The Netherlands Living Lab; Nouvelle Aquitaine – France Living Lab.
Voice of the Living Lab(s)
“Regarding risk culture, citizens are highly aware of flood risk in the Netherlands because of its well-documented historical relevance and experience. However, nature fire risk awareness is not yet broadly developed within society due to the historically low occurrence of such events on its landscape (Oswald, 2016). In recent years, wildfire risks have slowly gained relevance in social media due to their increasing incidence and their portrayal as of concern in local media. However, the challenge of rising nature fire risk awareness and the role of society in it remains untackled (Oswald, 2016) “.
“Lack of fire culture risk leads to poor knowledge of the constraints and restrictions of access to forested areas during the fire season. This increases not only the risk for populations but also the chance of a fire outbreak (by human cause)”.