professionals - wildfires - preparedness part 3

E-Learning for WildfiresProfessionals

e-Learning for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural Disasters

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Wildfire Preparedness – Part 3:

How to warn and inform the public


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This is the third part of the module on wildfire preparedness and will cover the following topics:

• Warning and informing• Preparing for evacuation

The aim of this part of the module is to provide a brief explanation of how first responders can prepare so that they are ready to warn and inform the public in the event of a wildfire.


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At any stage of the wildfire disaster, it may be necessary to warn members of the public and to provide important information to help keep them safe and to help with the suppression of the fire.

Both strategic and local wildfire plans need to include specific plans for how to warn, inform and communicate with members of the public during a wildfire incident. The level of communication and warning will depend upon the scale and severity of the wildfire, so plans should be easily scalable for different circumstances.



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Communication with the public can and should start when forecasted conditions indicate the potential for wildfires to burn and spread.Most European countries have weather warning services to alert the public and emergency responders of severe weather which has the potential to cause danger to life or widespread disruption. A standardised warning system is often used to warn of the potential impacts of forthcoming weather events (see right)



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Existing weather services may or may not include warnings for wildfire risk/fire danger.

The UK Met Office, however, does produce Fire Severity Index (FSI) Maps for England and Wales. These maps are publicly available and show the current day’s fire severity and a forecast of likely fire severity over the next five days.



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Existing weather services may or may not include warnings for wildfire risk/fire danger.

The UK Met Office, however, does produce Fire Severity Index (FSI) Maps for England and Wales. These maps are publicly available and show the current day’s fire severity and a forecast of likely fire severity over the next five days.


Fire severity is defined by the Met Office as an assessment of how severe a fire could become if one were to start (but it is not an assessment of the

risk of wildfires occurring).


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The England and Wales Fire Severity Index (FSI) is calculated using parts of the the Canadian Fire Weather Index System (FWI). Other fire weather indices around the World also use some or all of this system.

Click on the following links to find out more about the England and Wales FSI on the website and within a Met Office leaflet

The video on the next page provides some further information about the Canadian FWI.


http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/#?tab=map&fcTime=1465556400&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.74

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/documents/Met_Office_FSI_factsheet_tcm6-35281.pdf


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The index values of the UK FSI are from 1 to 5 (1 being low severity and 5 being exceptional severity).

On a practical level, fire danger/severity forecasts are used around the World to trigger wildfire prevention and preparedness activities. Some of these activities relate specifically to warning and informing the public while others focus on other aspects of prevention and preparedness.

Some specific examples are provided on the next page.



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How to warn and inform the publicWildfire Prevention Example:

In England and Wales, if the FSI reaches Level 5 within an area

then open access rights (i.e. the “right to roam” freely over access land without using footpaths) are suspended. The purpose of this is to limit access to these areas and

reduce the likelihood of accidental fires occurring.

Wildfire Preparedness Example:

Some Fire and Rescue Services in England and Wales use the Met

Office’s FSI to trigger preapredness activities. For example, if the FSI

reaches a certain level then specific wildfire vehicles and

equipment are made ready for fast deployment in case a wildfire is

reported.


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Another source of information about potential wildfire risk is the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

This system covers the whole of Europe and is publicly accessible. It produces fire danger rating forecasts and presents these on maps.


http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/effis/


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You can find out more about the FSI on the Met Office’s website.

The Met Office has also produced a number of interesting factsheets and reports on fire weather conditions and how weather influences fires in different fuels:• FSI Factsheet• Spring 2011 fire weather conditions report• Weather and grass fires• Weather and fires in peat soils• Fire behaviour in shrub fuels

Find out more about the Met Office’s Fire Severity Index (FSI)

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/#?tab=map&fcTime=1449057600&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.74

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/documents/Met_Office_FSI_factsheet_tcm6-35281.pdf

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/documents/Spring_2011_fire_weather_conditions_tcm6-35277.pdf

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/documents/Weather%20and%20grass%20fires%20factsheet_tcm6-35280.pdf

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/documents/Weather%20and%20fire%20in%20peat%20soils%20factsheet_tcm6-35279.pdf

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/fire-severity-index/documents/Fire_behaviour_in_shrub_fuels_factsheet_tcm6-35278.pdf


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Warning and informing in practiceWildfires can be complex and dynamic incidents. Fires can change directions and this can alter what and who is at risk at different times. Incident commanders must be able to predict where a wildfire will burn and how quickly it will spread. They also need to know when and where changes in fire behaviour will occur.



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Warning and informing in practiceWildfires can be complex and dynamic incidents. Fires can change directions and this can alter what and who is at risk at different times. Incident commanders must be able to predict where a wildfire will burn and how quickly it will spread. They also need to know when and where changes in fire behaviour will occur.

Please note: wildfire prediction will not be explained further here as it has already been explained in the wildfire prevention module.



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Warning and informing in practiceFor the population located in areas which are part of a local wildfire fire plan, the individuals and businesses should be contacted using the contact details included provided within the plan.


Source: Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (UK)


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For those members of the public who do not have their contact details recorded within local wildfire fire plans, some or all of the following options could be considered, depending upon the target groups that need to be reached:

• Door to door visits • Information via loud speakers• Information circulated through the media, radio, social media, etc.

It is important that plans for warning and informing state which organisation and individuals are responsible for issuing warnings and outline how those warnings will be issued. Where possible, plans should try to make sure that any warnings issued are done in conjunction with and/or shared with other partner agencies.



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Where possible, plans should try to make sure that any warnings issued are done in conjunction with and/or shared with other partner agencies.


This helps ensure:• Clear, consistent messages are

circulated to the public• All agencies are aware of what

is going on • All agencies involved can

circulate the same messages through their networks and contacts to ensure as many people as possible are informed

Source: Junta de Andalucia (Spain)


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In the event of a wildfire, members of the public may simply need information about what is happening and where they should try and avoid. However, during other wildfire incidents members of the public living or working in the area might need to be asked to take one of the following specific actions:

• Scenario 1: Stay indoors. • Scenario 2: Move away from an area for a short period of time• Scenario 3: Evacuate



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In the case of the first scenario, members of the public might be asked to stay indoors and take certain measures to help protect themselves from the smoke from a wildfire. Smoke can hurt people’s eyes, irritate their respiratory systems, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.Examples of some of the measures that might be advised could include:• Close all external windows and

doors• Keep internal air as clean as

possible

SCENARIO 1 – Public advised to “Stay Indoors”



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The Ready campaign in the USA provides further advice about how members of the public can prepare for natural disasters, including wildfires. Ready is a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The goal of the campaign is to increase the level of basic preparedness across the country.

Click here to look at a Be Ready! Wildfires leaflet.


http://www.ready.gov/


http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/documents/BeReady_Widfires.pdf


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The Ready campaign in the USA provides further advice about how members of the public can prepare for natural disasters, including wildfires. Ready is a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The goal of the campaign is to increase the level of basic preparedness across the country.

Click here to look at a Be Ready! Wildfires leaflet.


You may wish to supply similar advice to people within your local area, either during a fire or as part of a preparedness/readiness campaign.



http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/documents/BeReady_Widfires.pdf


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In the case of the second scenario, a safe location must be established before the order is given. Access roads must also be controlled to ensure members of the public can travel safely to the identified safe location(s).

SCENARIO 2 – Public advised to move away from a specific area for

a relatively short period of time



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In the case of an evacuation being required , access roads must be controlled to make sure they are safe. In addition, evacuation plans need to outline: • Who will be in charge of the evacuation, what

personnel will be involved how many people are available?

• How will members of the public be informed of the evacuation and its procedure?

• How will vulnerable groups be identified (injured, people with reduced mobility) and taken care of.

• What transport and equipment will be available?• Where will people go when they are evacuated?• What will people need to take with them when

they are evacuated (clothes, food, blankets,...)? How will they be informed of what to take and how long will they have to gather these items?

• What will happen if people refuse to evacuate and choose to remain within the risk area?

SCENARIO 3 – Public are advised to “EVACUATE”



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Evacuation of members of the public is usually the last choice option, but it is important to understand that evacuation can take considerable time, particularly in remote areas. Plans must allow sufficient time to evacuate and transport everyone from the risk area to the identified place of safety.


EVACUATION ROUTE


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Evacuation plans also need to consider the need for maintaining security within the evacuated area. For example, theft and looting may take place in areas that have been evacuated.

This responsibility may sit with the police or another organisation(s), but all agencies involved in the incident will need to be informed of plans and procedures and any occurrences of theft and looting to enable them to manage the safety of their personnel.



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It is always better to prepare for the possibility of evacuation before a wildfire. It also makes sense to help the public to prepare for the possibility of evacuation if they live in an area prone to wildfires.

The Ready, Set, Go Programme has been developed in the USA and tries to prepare the public for wildfires and potential evacuation. The videos on the next page provide information about the national programme and the implementation of the programme in California.


http://www.wildlandfirersg.org/


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End of Module Summary


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Now that you have worked through this module you should understand the importance of preparing for wildfires.

You should also understand that preparedness includes a number of key elements, including: • Identifying and assessing wildfire risk• Formulating plans:• Strategic plans• Local wildfire plans

• Training and exercising for wildfires• Preparing to warn and inform the public when wildfires occur



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We hope you enjoyed the module!

Please visit the next module which explains how to respond to and recover from wildfires.


Source: Junta de Andalucia (Spain)


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professionals - wildfires - preparedness part 3

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