Equipment and reconnaissance: How Europe is arming itself against forest fires

equipment and reconnaissance
How Europe is arming itself against forest fires

The fires that raged in Europe’s forests last summer were devastating. In Spain alone, 306,000 hectares were destroyed and around 30,000 people were temporarily brought to safety. The total damage is probably in the billions. With a view to the summer of 2022, the EU Environment Agency EEA speaks of the second worst forest fire season since the turn of the millennium.

So what are the particularly affected countries in Europe doing in times of the climate crisis to protect themselves from another summer forest fire and to be better prepared for emergencies? Six approaches:

More gear

You can’t do it without the right equipment. A number of countries have upgraded after bad forest fires – such as Greece, which currently has around 90 fire-fighting helicopters and planes. Portugal’s government is also focusing on upgrading the firefighting units with new planes and helicopters as well as fire engines and protective clothing.

In Turkey, six fire-fighting aircraft and 250 seasonal workers are prepared for possible fires in the Antalya region, which is popular with tourists. From July onwards, the Italian civil defense has deployed 14 Canadair fire-fighting aircraft, 2 smaller Fire Boss aircraft, 5 large fire-fighting helicopters and 13 other helicopters, which can be deployed throughout the country.

In Germany, the particularly affected regions have also procured new fire engines: Lower Saxony has put four new special vehicles into service, which are used by four new state units to fight vegetation fires in the heath and in the Harz mountains. In the summer of this year, rented fire-fighting aircraft will be used for the first time, and the district fire brigades will also be equipped with new material. Several all-terrain fire engines and other modern technology were procured in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The forest is taboo

To prevent fires from breaking out in the first place, access to the forests in Turkey is prohibited in most of the country’s provinces during the peak summer months. In France, when there is a high risk of forest fires, in some places no country or forest paths may be entered or driven on. “Most forest fires in Europe are triggered by human activities, but climatic conditions – dry and hot periods with strong winds – determine their intensity and impact,” explains the EU Environment Agency EEA.

In the course of global warming, the risk of forest fires is increasing in many regions, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has established. A warmer climate can contribute to more water falling from the sky, also more often in the form of heavy rain. However, the periods without precipitation are becoming longer in some cases. And especially in areas that are already dry, the danger of periods of drought increases. Forest fires can spread faster in extremely dry vegetation.

Get active earlier

After the devastating fires of 2022, the government in Madrid brought forward the national action plan against forest fires by about a month and a half to the end of April this year. The main focus is on the central recording and monitoring of forest fires and the activation of central government forces such as the so-called rapid forest fire fighting brigades, which can quickly intervene nationwide with their helicopters. Also large fire-fighting planes operated by the armed forces’ task force for disaster response.

In Spain, around 25,000 professional firefighters are on standby nationwide. But it is often criticized that they are only employed in spring and summer, when experience has shown that there are the most fires. In winter, when the forests have to be cleared of dead wood and biomass, there are too few forces available. “If you don’t tidy up the forest in winter, a million firefighters won’t help in the summer,” the newspaper “El Mundo” quoted a firefighter as saying.

early detection

The district of Harz, a focus of forest fires in Saxony-Anhalt, has recently started using early detection by satellite. Portugal wants to install radars for this. France has invested in drones and thermal imaging cameras.

enlightenment

In order to prevent forest fires, Rome has asked its provinces and regions to educate the Italians with extensive campaigns: for example what to watch out for when there is an open fire, that you shouldn’t park your car on dry grass and what dangers lurk if someone smokes cigarette butts in nature throws away.

Spain is also informing its citizens about dangers and what to do if there is a fire nearby: People in endangered regions should find out about escape routes in advance, have important papers and mobile phones to hand and also think about how to take care of pets and animals in an emergency to bring livestock to safety.

Portugal also wants to sensitize its population to the dangers and the Turkish civil protection service Afad also organizes targeted training courses on how to behave properly in the event of a fire.

Weather forecast for the forest

In France, the weather service Météo France has had a forest weather report since the beginning of June. Maps are published daily showing the fire risk in the departments for the next two days. The aim is for the population to adapt their behavior to the risk of fire.

dpa