Reducing the risk of house loss due to wildfires

Penman, Trent D.; Nicholson, Ann E.; Bradstock, Ross A.; Collins, Luke; Penman, Sandra; Price, Owen

doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2014.12.020

Cited by 44 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…These may include mechanical fuel management, ignition management, initial attack and community engagement. Mechanical removal or thinning can reduce fuel loads and alter fuel structure adjacent to property or within koala habitat to manage exposure from fire due to local high fuel loads (Penman et al 2015a). In a simulation study Cary et al (2009) found ignition management to have a significant influence on wildfire extent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Primarily the focus has been to use planned burning to reduce the risk from fire to human life and property situated within or adjacent to native vegetation (Fernandes and Botelho 2003;Penman et al 2011). However, additional strategies are often adopted by agencies to protect life and property such as mechanical fuel treatments (Syphard et al 2011;Syphard et al 2012;North et al 2015), community engagement (Eriksen and Prior 2013;Penman et al 2015a) and fire suppression (Calkin et al 2005;Plucinski et al 2012;Penman et al 2013b;Penman et al 2014). Several studies in Australia have found that while planned burning may reduce the extent of wildfire, the net effect is an increase in overall fire extent and frequency (Boer et al 2009;King et al 2013;Price 2015) leading to the emergence of new landscape fire regimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Bentley

Penman

2017

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Abstract. Wildfires are a natural disturbance in many ecosystems, creating challenges for land management agencies who need to simultaneously reduce risk to people and maintain ecological values. Here we use the PHOENIX RapidFire fire behaviour simulator to compare fuel treatment strategies that meet the twin objectives of reducing wildfire risk to human settlements and a fire sensitive endangered species, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in south-eastern Australia. The local koala population is in decline and a conservation management plan is being prepared to exclude wildfire for a 10-year period to assist with population recovery. Twelve scenarios developed by the land management agencies were compared using four indicators: wildfire size; burn probability; impact from exposure to fire; and treatment cost. Compared with the current risk setting, three treatment scenarios were found to reduce wildfire size and burn probability concurrently to both people and koalas. These strategies worked by increasing the landscape area treated, which came with increased financial cost. However, the impact from exposure to fire for both property and koala habitat remains high. Additional complementary strategies beyond landscape fuel reductions are needed to reduce impact from exposure in the event of a wildfire.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Bentley

Penman

2017

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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“…Then, fire effects and respective burning probabilities were considered to estimate the expected net value change [36]. Expected net value change is a risk-neutral measure in terms of gain or loss expressed on a percentage basis, and allows quantitative wildfire risk assessment for multiple valued resources and human assets [33]. In order to consider the variations between economic values of different houses and quantify economic losses at the individual structure level, we used the latest cadaster reference of economic values (V).…”

Section: Risk Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Wildland Fire Risk Transmission to Communities in Northern Spain

Alcasena

Salis

Ager

et al. 2017

Forests

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Abstract:We assessed potential economic losses and transmission to residential houses from wildland fires in a rural area of central Navarra (Spain). Expected losses were quantified at the individual structure level (n = 306) in 14 rural communities by combining fire model predictions of burn probability and fire intensity with susceptibility functions derived from expert judgement. Fire exposure was estimated by simulating 50,000 fire events that replicated extreme (97th percentile) historical fire weather conditions. Spatial ignition probabilities were used in the simulations to account for non-random ignitions, and were estimated from a fire occurrence model generated with an artificial neural network. The results showed that ignition probability explained most of spatial variation in risk, with economic value of structures having only a minor effect. Average expected loss to residential houses from a single wildfire event in the study area was 7955€, and ranged from a low of 740 to the high of 28,725€. Major fire flow-paths were analyzed to understand fire transmission from surrounding municipalities and showed that incoming fires from the north exhibited strong pathways into the core of the study area, and fires spreading from the south had the highest likelihood of reaching target residential structures from the longest distances (>5 km). Community firesheds revealed the scale of risk to communities and extended well beyond administrative boundaries. The results provided a quantitative risk assessment that can be used by insurance companies and local landscape managers to prioritize and allocate investments to treat wildland fuels and identify clusters of high expected loss within communities. The methodological framework can be extended to other fire-prone southern European Union countries where communities are threatened by large wildland fires.

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“…Each year, several hundred thousand fires burn throughout the world and destroy forest resources, shrubs and peat-bogs over a surface area of several million hectares [8][9][10][11]. Previously many countries e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previously many countries e.g. Australia, USA and Canada, Russia, Brazil, European countries endured catastrophic fires and their rescue services encountered the difficult task of controlling a natural element that required the involvement of many rescue forces and a large amount of fire extinguishing equipment [8,[10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application Tests of New Wetting Compositions for Wildland Firefighting

Rakowska

Szczygieł²,

Kwiatkowski³

et al. 2017

Fire Technol

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Abstract. Extinguishing forest fires is a critical issue for fire brigades; fire can spread throughout vast areas in a relatively short period of time. The studies presented in this paper describe the results of laboratory and field tests of new compositions of wetting agents for extinguishing wildland fires. The studies assessed the ability to penetrate surface fuels using 0.5 and 1% solution of wetting compositions. The penetration of the liquid through the layer of the loose rotting wood with solutions of obtained wetting agents was up to 68 times faster than with water. The absorption of water droplet was even 40 times slower in comparison to wetting agent solutions. Based on laboratory research, compositions that exhibit the best wetting properties were analysed in real conditions in field tests to assess their capacity to penetrate in surface fuels, their ability to make fire barriers and their efficiency in suppressing fires of soil cover and thickets. In tests performed in 4 m 2 plots, the wetting compositions hold the flames from crossing a thin firebreak for up to three times longer periods than water. The results of the studies confirmed a significant increase in efficiency when new biodegradable wetting agents are employed to extinguish forest fires.

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Reducing the risk of house loss due to wildfires

Cited by 44 publications

References 82 publications

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Assessing Wildland Fire Risk Transmission to Communities in Northern Spain

Application Tests of New Wetting Compositions for Wildland Firefighting

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