Wildfire And Community

Wildfires represent a growing threat to environments, to people, communities, and to societies worldwide, particularly in the United States, Southern Europe, and Australia. Recognition of this growing risk has highlighted a need to develop people's capacity to adapt to annually occurring events that could increase in frequency and severity over the coming years and decades. The goal of ensuring sustained levels of protective measures in communities susceptible to wildfire hazard consequences has proved to be elusive. This book examines why this is so and identifies ways in which sustained levels of preparedness can be facilitated. Major topics include: wildfire preparedness and resiliency in community contexts; socially disastrous landscape fires in southeastern Australia; landscape typology of residential wildfire risk; proactive human response to wildfires outbreak; forest fires in wildland-urban interface, wildfire risk management; “stay or go” policy in the line of fire; social dimensions of forest fire; the influence of community diversity; evaluating a community engagement initiative; response to fire threats; social media and resiliency; and building on lessons learned. Additional information includes the landscape fires in southeastern Australia, wildfire risk management in Portugal; fire preparedness in Greece, Cyprus, and the Pine Barrens in the northeastern United States. The findings of research programs being conducted in the United States, Australia, Europe, India and South America are presented. The book includes case studies on the analysis and proposed actions of the wildland-urban interface being faced by Central Chile and South America. This book will provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the wildfire preparedness research and its application to the development of risk communications and public education programs.

Nearly one-third of wildfire evacuations in Canada involve Indigenous communities. While evacuations are carried out to protect people from smoke and flames, deciding to leave brings its own challenges. Based on interviews with evacuees from seven First Nations, this book outlines how Indigenous communities and external organizations can best prepare for the different stages of a wildfire evacuation, including: deciding when to leave putting a plan in motion troubleshooting transportation finding accommodation caring for evacuees returning home. With climate change increasing the likelihood of wildfires around the world, this book is an invaluable resource for any community at risk from fire.

California and other wildfire-prone western states have experienced a substantial increase in the number and intensity of wildfires in recent years. Wildlands and climate experts expect these trends to continue and quite likely to worsen in coming years. Wildfires and other disasters can be particularly devastating for vulnerable communities. Members of these communities tend to experience worse health outcomes from disasters, have fewer resources for responding and rebuilding, and receive less assistance from state, local, and federal agencies. Because burning wood releases particulate matter and other toxicants, the health effects of wildfires extend well beyond burns. In addition, deposition of toxicants in soil and water can result in chronic as well as acute exposures. On June 4-5, 2019, four different entities within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop titled Implications of the California Wildfires for Health, Communities, and Preparedness at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis. The workshop explored the population health, environmental health, emergency preparedness, and health equity consequences of increasingly strong and numerous wildfires, particularly in California. This publication is a summary of the presentations and discussion of the workshop.

Contains the manual intended for use with the interactive FireSmart disc (manual also included on interactive disc).

A practical guide for living with wildfire, including essential history and science, actions you can take to protect your home, and guiding principles for life in an increasingly fiery future. Wildfires are getting more destructive than ever before. Flames in forests are scorching about twice as many trees as they did two decades ago, and nearly 100,000 homes, barns, and other structures have been incinerated. “Fire seasons” are now fire years. Tens of millions of people live in areas vulnerable to fire, and more keep moving in. Driven in part by climate change, the areas burned and prevalence of smoke in the skies is expected to skyrocket in the decades to come. At the same time that wildfires leave swathes of the country in ash, they also renew. Wildfire is crucial for ecosystems to function and flourish. We're putting out many of the fires our landscape needs, and the ones that escape our control are devastating for forests and communities. It's clear what we're doing isn't working. Wildfire is inevitable, and we need to learn to live with it. The first of its kind, This Is Wildfire is required reading for our new reality. It offers everything you need to know about fire in one useful volume: reflects on the history of humanity's connection to flames; analyzes how our society arrived at this perilous moment; and recounts stories of those fighting fire and trying to change our relationship with it. It also offers practical advice: choosing your insurance and making your home resilient to burns; packing an emergency go-bag; rebuilding after a fire; and so much more.

Nearly one third of wildfire evacuations in Canada involve Indigenous communities. While evacuations are carried out to protect people from smoke and flames, deciding to leave brings its own challenges.This evacuation guide is based on interviews with over two hundred wildfire evacuees from seven First Nations. By comparing the evacuees' experiences, both good and bad, it provides direction on how Indigenous communities and external agencies can best prepare for the different stages of an evacuation. Packed with real-life stories, checklists, and guiding questions, it gives an overview of what to expect and how to plan. Specific topics include: assessing the risk to the health and safety of community members knowing when to do a partial vs a full evacuation figuring out who to contact for help troubleshooting transportationc ommunicating with members before and after the evacuation arranging appropriate accommodation for evacuee scaring for Elders and other more vulnerable community members organizing food and activities while away. With climate change raising the danger of wildfires around the world, the experiences of the communities featured in this book will serve as an indispensable resource for any town at risk from fire.

More than 90% of wildfires are caused by human activity, but other causes include lighting, drought, wind and changing weather conditions, underground coal fires, and even volcanic activity. Wildfire Hazards, Risks, and Disasters, one of nine volumes in the Elsevier Hazards and Disasters series, provides a close and detailed examination of wildfires and measures for more thorough and accurate monitoring, prediction, preparedness, and prevention. It takes a geo-scientific and environmental approach to the topic while also discussing the impacts of human-induced causes such as deforestation, debris burning and arson—underscoring the multi-disciplinary nature of the topic. It presents several international case studies that discuss the historical, social, cultural and ecological aspects of wildfire risk management in countries with a long history of dealing with this hazard (e.g., USA, Australia) and in countries (e.g., Taiwan) where wildfire hazards represent a new and growing threat to the social and ecological landscape. Puts the contributions of environmental scientists, social scientists, climatologists, and geoscientists at your fingertips Arms you with the latest research on causality, social and societal impacts, economic impacts, and the multi-dimensional nature of wildfire mitigation, preparedness, and recovery Features a broad range of tables, figures, diagrams, illustrations, and photographs to aid in the retention of key concepts Discusses steps for prevention and mitigation of wildfires, one of the most expensive and complex geo-hazards in the world.

Around the world, youth are recognized as playing an important role in reducing the risk of disasters and promoting community resilience. Youth are participating in disaster education programs and carrying home what they learn; their families, in turn, are disseminating knowledge into the community. Youth are also collecting data and doing actual mitigation work that furthers the ability of homeowners and organizations to take appropriate action to address wildfire risk. In addition to making a difference today, youth disaster education programs train the adults of tomorrow to be more prepared citizens. As social scientists and education researchers working in wildfire risk mitigation, we asked: How do wildfire education programs for youth help develop and support fire-adapted human communities? To begin to answer this question, we studied seven wildfire education programs for youth around the U.S. Programs were based in schools, public agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In a series of interviews, we sought information that would enable us to describe and analyze (1) the program's characteristics and the local resources to support it, (2) ways in which the program increased knowledge and awareness of wildfire, promoted more realistic risk perceptions, and improved wildfire preparedness for youth and their families, and (3) ways in which the program contributed to the local community becoming more adapted to fire. We found that the extent to which the programs were integrated into local wildfire planning and management efforts varied, as did their effectiveness in reaching community members and homeowners. In this report we present findings from one case study - the Field Inquiry Research Experience (FIRE Up) program currently taking place in Idaho.