Citizen responsive contributions in wildfire crisis Lessons about Shared Responsibility from the 2021 Finsjö fire

Abstract

In 2021, the village Finsjö in Sweden experienced an abnormally large wildfire. During an intervention lasting for 6 days, Fire and Rescue Services [FRS] received spontaneous help from volunteers, leading to valuable contributions but also questions regarding how to address division of responsibilities. Through qualitative interviews with the FRS, this study explores the interaction between formal and informal responsibilities and how FRS representatives perceive spontaneous volunteer contributions. We will show how informal response benefits come from complementing formal duties by answering to specific kinds of needs, and how challenges emerge from questions of dependence and accountability.