In recent years, forest fires have reached unprecedented levels of intensity and complexity. These are not only larger fires, but also extreme phenomena that exceed the current extinguishing capacity and, in many cases, directly threaten people's lives and the balance of ecosystems. This new scenario, driven by climate change and the abandonment of the rural environment, gives rise to the so-called sixth generation fires.
From continuity to chaos: the evolution of fires
The classification by generations allows us to understand how the risk has evolved from a tactical-operational point of view. Each new generation of fires does not replace the previous one, but accumulates and aggravates them, straining the available human, technical and organizational resources to the maximum:
- 1st generation: appears with the continuity of fuel following the abandonment of traditional uses of the landscape.
- 2nd generation: an increase in the speed of propagation is added.
- 3rd generation: convective and intense fires, with fronts that generate secondary outbreaks, uncontrollable by direct means.
- 4th generation: they affect urban-forest interface zones. The emergency transcends the forest and becomes a civil protection problem.
- 5th generation: multiple simultaneous fires of great magnitude, aggravated by extreme weather conditions.
- 6th generation: fires that generate their own meteorology(pyrocumulonimbus) and erratic behavior, capable of devastating thousands of hectares per hour.
Cases such as Pedrógão Grande in Portugal, Fort McMurray in Canada or the fires in Greece, Chile and California are examples of this new typology (Castellnou, M. et al, 2008).
A perfect storm: landscape, climate and the extinction paradox
Although climate change plays an obvious role, it is not the only culprit. The structural root of the problem lies in the uncontrolled accumulation of fuel, the result of the abandonment of rural activities, the cessation of grazing, and the disappearance of active forest management. This abandonment has created continuous, homogeneous and highly flammable landscapes.
In addition, it has generated what is known as the paradox of extinction: the more efficient we are at putting out small fires, the more fuel accumulates, and the more intense and destructive future fires will be. This causes less frequent but much more virulent fires to become truly extreme events.
In addition, climate change intensifies droughts, lengthens the duration of risk campaigns and decreases environmental humidity, leaving dry and stressed vegetation, ready to burn.
Public policies: structural prevention and resilience
Faced with this new reality, it is not enough to reinforce firefighting resources. The only sustainable way forward is to act before the fire starts, with a long-term vision based on three axes:
1. Landscape management
The solution must begin in the territory. It is necessary to reduce the continuity and fuel load by means of:
- Agroforestry mosaics.
- Recovery of traditional uses.
- Introduction of fire as a tool(prescribed burns).
- Strategic reforestation with fire-adapted species.
Fire, used in a planned and controlled manner, can act as an ecological "vaccine", helping to create more resilient ecosystems.
2. Civil protection and self-protection
As of the 4th generation fires, the focus is no longer only on putting out the fire, but also on saving lives and property. To this end, it is essential to
- Inform, raise awareness and train the population on how to act.
- Implement Self-Protection and Emergency Plans in all municipalities and urbanizations.
- Adapt houses and dwellings to forest risk, using non-combustible construction materials and plants outside, keeping plots clean and respecting perimeter strips of at least 25 meters around housing developments.
- Implement effective warning and evacuation systems.
The citizen must be an active part of the protection system, not a mere recipient of help.
3. Reformulation of emergency systems
Extinguishing systems must evolve towards strategic risk management. Not all fronts can be addressed at the same time; therefore, it is vital:
- Establish clear priorities.
- Accept opportunity costs in tactical decisions.
- Focus on technical analysis and continuous learning.
The reactive approach, based on chasing flames, must be replaced by a proactive logic that integrates prevention, planning and evaluation.
Technology as an ally: innovation in tools and materials
The new generation of fires also requires a new generation of tools. Technical innovation plays an essential role in the protection of firefighters and the efficiency of operations. Some key lines of development are:
- Hoses with lower pressure loss and more resistant, allowing more water to be available on long runs and difficult terrain.
- Versatile extinguishing nozzles, capable of working at high pressure and with the possibility of selecting different flow rates, low or higher depending on the different operational scenarios.
- Ergonomic equipment that reduces physical effort and increases the firefighter's autonomy on the fire front.
- Intelligent water pressure and distribution systems to optimize the use of scarce water resources.
- Integration of sensors, communication and geolocation to improve coordination in dynamic scenarios.
These solutions are not born in isolated laboratories, but from working together with fire departments, through field experience and constant evaluation.
A new paradigm for a new fire
We are no longer facing a climatic exception, but a new fire regime. The emergency is not punctual, but structural. Therefore, it requires a change of mentality: from control to understanding; from reaction to prevention; from sectoral isolation to interdisciplinary collaboration.
Citizens can also collaborate in landscape planning through proximity trade, giving life to farmers, ranchers, carpenters, ..., of our environment so that they can make forest management and protect us in case of fire.
The fight against fires in the 21st century will not be won only with more helicopters or more hoses, but with knowledge, planning and commitment. And that implies that institutions, civil society, technicians, firefighters and industry work together for a common goal: to reduce risk and protect life.
Ramon Maria Bosch
Europe Firefighting Area Manager at Tipsa
