What can we do

What can we do

Be prepared to win the blades! It is fundamental to be prepared for the threat of wildfires to win the blades that endanger ecosystems, lives and properties. Wildfires hazard forecasts allow be more prepared, but best practices to reduce vulnerability of the land and lives exposed to wildfires hazard are extremely important.

On-going blades need a coping capacity. Once the fire has spread the needed tools to cope with its threat are: real-time fire and smoke detection and weather conditions. The National Weather service meteorologists provide real-time weather conditions that determine the fire behavior. Smoke has a high impact on life losses. However, scientists are nowadays able to provide accurate information on the chemic composition of smoke and monitor its pathways.

Wildfires consequences are not just the burning itself. Risks posed by wildfires can persist long after the smoke clears. On a burned area, the likelihood for flash floods and mud flows to occur increases. Even a modest rainstorm can spur a flash flood over a burned area. Moreover freshly burned areas have little vegetation to hold top soil in place, and heavier precipitation can mobilize ash and debris into mud flows that can threaten life and property. It is therefore important to have high-resolution storm forecasts and now-casts. In addition, accurate local terrain knowledge allow to identify when even modest rain storms could produce a flooding threat.

Prevention and preparedness measures:

    • reduction of fuel accumulation by cleaning the forest and the wilderness surrounding urban areas
    • implementation fire resistant landscapes with fire-resistant plants
    • information and education of communities at risk
    • technical operational training
    • implementation of evacuation plans: develop and communicate evacuation plans for communities in fire-prone areas to ensure the safety of residents and visitors

Detection and response measures:

    • implementation of monitoring, early warning and detection systems;
    • availability of firefighting resources: have and maintain a fleet of firefighting equipment, such as fire engines, aircraft, bulldozers, and hand tools, for use in suppressing fires

Restoration and adaptation measures:

    • rehabilitation of ecosystems damaged by or dependent on fire.
    • account for the impacts of climate change on fire management strategies and adapt practices to changing conditions

Additional resources and videos

WHAT CAN YOU DO (*)

Each of us can do a lot!

The actions of each individual person are an important part of risk mitigation

(*INFO sources: Preventionweb, Ready, Io non rischio)

  • Before

    GET YOUR PEOPLE READY

    Be informed

    • Be aware of when it is fire season, sign up for notifications on fire conditions from local authorities, and take into account increased severity due to climate change.
    • Gather guidelines for your local area
    • Follow the instructions from local authorities. They will provide the latest recommendations based on the threat to your community and appropriate safety measures.

    Get and provide alerting

    • Sign up to alerting messaging services that include fire and smoke spreading messages
    • Have ready emergency numbers to call

    Plan the emergency

    • make sure everyone in your household understands what to do in case of evacuation including learning evacuation routes
    • Have ready emergency forms of communication
    • Have ready an emergency bag keep it easily accessible in case you need to evacuate. The bag should have emergency supplies, including a mask for smoke inhalation, a dynamo flashlight and a whistle, and personal documents
    • Practice evacuation

    GET YOUR HOUSE READY

    Clean up potential fuel material

    • Create a fire resistance zone surrounding your house (no dead branches from trees, low vegetation, dry grass, leaves, pine needles and twigs)
    • Clean up tree limbs next to your house
    • Use fire-resistant materials to build, renovate or make repairs

    Have an emergency room

    • Designate a room that can be closed off from outside air.
    • Close all doors and windows.
    • Set up a portable air cleaner to keep indoor pollution levels low when smoky conditions exist.

    Have a ready water source

    • Find an outdoor water source with a hose that can reach any area of your property

  • During

    WHAT TO DO

    • Keep calm
    • Drop, hold and listen
      • Drop to the ground in a place where there is no burning vegetation and hold on until is safe to move.
      • The smoke tends to rise, so avoid breathing it
      • The fire is not a show. Do not stop along the roads. It would interfere with the rescue and communications needed to manage the emergency
      • pay attention to emergency alerts and notifications for information and instructions.
    • Call fire emergency numbers
      • If you see flames or even just smoke, call fire emergency numbers. Do not think that anybody has already done so. Provide the necessary information to identify the location of the fire

    WHERE TO GO

    • A road or a waterway
      • are the safest escape route.
    • Do not stop in the wind
      • You may be trapped in the flames and no longer have an escape route
    • Cross the fire as a last choice
      • If you have no alternative, try to cross the fire where it is less intense to pass by the already burnt side and reach a safe place

    IF YOU ARE AT HOME

    • Never stay in a wood-constructed house during a fire
    • Take care of people around you
      • Gather all household members in one place;
      • If evacuation is ordered, carefully observe the instructions of the competent institutions and follow evacuation routes.
    • If you can leave the house, then…
      • Do not leave the house unless you are sure that you are able to leave safely.
      • Do not get inside a car as it hosts fuel material
      • Take with you your emergency bag
    • If you cannot leave the house, then
      • Get the 3 key-tools from the emergency bag
        • The mask for smoke inhalation
        • The flashlight
        • The whistle
      • Reduce the chance to get it worse:
        • move any flammable materials from your home to a closed and protected place, if you can;
        • Turn off any gas or liquid fuel both inside and outside of the house;
      • keep away the outside fire, smoke and ashes
        • Block all the vents (chimneys, windows, doors, etc.) with wet cloths to prevent hot ashes and smoke from entering the house;
        • Remove the curtains as they can get the fire inside the house
        • Move furniture to the central part of the room, away from windows;
        • Fill the bathtub, washbasin and buckets with water;

  • After

    Don’t come back until…

      • Do not return home until authorities say it is safe to do so.

    Keep wearing the mask

      • Use a respirator to limit your exposure, and wet debris to minimize breathing dust particles.

    Don’t touch or step on…

      • Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or spark another fire.
      • When cleaning, wear protective clothing – including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, work gloves and sturdy thick-soled shoes – during clean-up efforts.

    Extinguish the leftover

      • Get out of the house and extinguish the remaining fire spots.