TY - CHAP
T1 - Extreme wildfire events
T2 - The definition
AU - Tedim, Fantina
AU - Leone, Vittorio
AU - Coughlan, Michael
AU - Bouillon, Christophe
AU - Xanthopoulos, Gavriil
AU - Royé, Dominic
AU - Correia, Fernando J.M.
AU - Ferreira, Carmen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Extreme wildfires events (EWEs) represent a minority among all wildfires but are a true challenge for societies as they exceed the current control capacity even in the best prepared regions of the world and they create destruction and a disproportionately number of fatalities. Recent events in Portugal, Chile, Greece, Australia, Canada, and the USA provide evidence that EWEs are an escalating worldwide problem, exceeding all previous records. Despite the challenges put by climate change, the occurrence of EWEs and disasters is not an ecological inevitability. In this chapter the rationale of the definition of EWEs and the integration of potential consequences on people and assets in a novel wildfire classification scheme are proposed and discussed. They are excellent instruments to enhance wildfire risk and crisis communication programs and to define appropriate prevention, mitigation, and response measures which are crucial to build up citizens’ safety.
AB - Extreme wildfires events (EWEs) represent a minority among all wildfires but are a true challenge for societies as they exceed the current control capacity even in the best prepared regions of the world and they create destruction and a disproportionately number of fatalities. Recent events in Portugal, Chile, Greece, Australia, Canada, and the USA provide evidence that EWEs are an escalating worldwide problem, exceeding all previous records. Despite the challenges put by climate change, the occurrence of EWEs and disasters is not an ecological inevitability. In this chapter the rationale of the definition of EWEs and the integration of potential consequences on people and assets in a novel wildfire classification scheme are proposed and discussed. They are excellent instruments to enhance wildfire risk and crisis communication programs and to define appropriate prevention, mitigation, and response measures which are crucial to build up citizens’ safety.
KW - Control capacity
KW - Disaster
KW - Extreme wildfire event (EWE)
KW - Fire intensity
KW - Mitigation
KW - Preparedness
KW - Prevention
KW - Rate of spread
KW - Socioeconomic system (SES)
KW - Wildfire classification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089814948&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/B978-0-12-815721-3.00001-1
DO - 10.1016/B978-0-12-815721-3.00001-1
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:85089814948
SP - 3
EP - 29
BT - Extreme Wildfire Events and Disasters
PB - Elsevier
ER -