Effects of global climate change on fire and rescue services

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REPUBLIC OF CROATIA NATIONAL PROTECTION AND
RESCUE DIRECTORATE FIRE FIGHTING SERVICE
Experiences in wildfire suppression of Croatia
DRAVIS2 Kaposvár, from 22nd to 24th March 2011
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FEATURES OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IN CROATIA

• Drought (forest fires)
• Heavy precipitation (floods)
• Wind storms

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• STATISTICS
• 1,000 1,200 forest fires/year
• burnt-down vegetation 20,000 30,000 ha/year
• deaths in the country
• 40-50/year

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CLIMATE ZONES
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National Report of the Republic of Croatia in
line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) 

• CROATIAN METEOROLOGISTS ESTIMATES
• Increase in winter surface pressure - increase
  in number and/or duration of anticyclonal
  situations decrease in number and/or duration of
  cyclonal situations
• Increase in surface air temperature by as much
  as 2.5C
• Less precipitation is possible
• Stronger and more frequent north winds are
  possible

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GLOBAL FACTORS CAUSING MORE WILDFIRES

• Climate change
• Emigration
• Homeland War
• Development of tourism

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WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

• Procure new and expensive equipment

AIR FORCE
FIRE FIGHTING VEHICLES
ON THE ROAD
ON THE ROAD
OFF THE ROAD
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WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

• Equip and train firefighters

FIREFIGHTERS
A WELL-EQUIPPED AND WELL-TRAINED FIREMAN FIGHTS
FIRES AT ALL TIMES AND ON ALL TERRAINS
ON THE ROAD
OFF THE ROAD
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GOAL

• Train fire officers to use new technologies
  for suppression of wild fires
• Have agile, well-equipped and well-trained
  firefighters

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NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR A FIRE OFFICER

• Computer technology skills
• Satellite fire monitoring and interpreting
  satellite images
• Use of GPS
• Use of air forces

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NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR A FIRE OFFICER

• Use of unmanned aircraft with a view to
  collecting and interpreting information and
  decision-making in fighting wild fires

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USING UAV SYSTEM FOR COMMANDING IN FOREST FIRES
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DESCRIPTION
Number of engines 6 Power engine 110 W Weight
without battery 1 kg Battery Li-Po 370 g 4,2
Ah Flight duration 10-15 min. Altitude 300-500
m Flight radius 250-300 m Wind speed 8 m/s
(28,8 km/h)
Camera with possibility of sending video signal
in real time. Weight of camera 250g Resolution
video 640x480 picture 12Mp Zoom 12x ( focal
length 25-300 mm)
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Thermocamera Flir Photon Weight 100
g Resolution 320x240 Number of pictures per
sec. 9 Temperature resolution 1/10 C
Video camera Weight 60 g Resolution PAL
752x520 Zoom 10x
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Ground station for control of camera
Device for remote control
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OPERATOR
PILOT
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Take off
Landing
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310 mn
128 m
182 mn
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415 mn
123 m
292 mn
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560 mn
445 m
115 mn
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Ground view commander location
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View from ZOOM
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Connecting pictures
- oblique clip
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FENIX
Flight programming
Take off
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Connecting pictures after flight
One flight can cover about 1 km2 (100 ha)
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NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR A FIREFIGHTER

• Great physical endurance
• Acquires new agility skills
• Learns about wild fire behavior
• Participates in rescue drills and exercises
• Participates in drills and exercises for
  coordinating operations with air forces
  (airplanes and helicopters)

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WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN RC?

• A Rulebook has been prepared with the training
  program for members of emergency firefighting
  units in dealing with wild fires
• Procurement of equipment for wildfire fighting

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WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN RC?

• Procurement of new airplanes
• Procurement of new firefighting vehicles for
  suppression of forest fires through a project of
  the RC Government

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WHATS NEXT?

• Cooperation with the neighboring and EU countries
  is vital since wild fires respect no boundaries

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CONCLUSION

• Join forces and know-how
• Carry out joint small-scale firefighting
  exercises e.g. Balaton 2008
• Harmonize tactics and response, as well as rescue
  equipment
• Establish a joint center(s) for the exchange of
  know-how and skills
• Establish working groups at a national level to
  exchange experiences and propose joint solutions
  in addressing emergencies

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !!
QUESTIONS?
National Protection and Rescue Directorate Fire
Service
Mladen Vinkovic Assistant Chief Firefighting
Commander e-mail mladen.vinkovic_at_duzs.hr
THE END