Changing Climate, Changing Fire: Understanding Ecosystem-Specific Fire-Climate Dynamics in Arizona and New Mexico

Fire risk assessment is one of the most components of the management of fire that offers the framework for monitoring fire risk conditions. Whilst monitoring fire risk conditions commonly revolved around field data, Remote Sensing (RS) play key role in monitoring and quantifying fire risk indicators. This study presents a review of remote sensing data and techniques for fire risk monitoring and assessment with a particular emphasis on its implications for wildfire risk mapping in protected areas. Firstly, we concentrates on RS derived variables employed to quantify both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence vegetation flammability. Thereafter, an evaluation of the prominent RS platforms such as Broadband, Hyperspectral and Active sensors that have been utilized for wildfire risk assessment Furthermore, we demonstrate the effectiveness in obtaining information that have operational use or immediate potentials for operational application in PA. RS techniques that involve extraction of landscape information from imagery were summarised. A review has concluded that in practices, a fire risk assessment that consider all factors that influence fire ignition and propagation is impossible to establish, however it is imperative to incorporate indicators or variables of very high heterogeneous.

A roaded catchment (RC) is a representative type of artificial catchment for rainwater harvesting. The rainfall–runoff threshold value of the RC is the main factor which influences the system efficiency and cost. Antecedent soil moisture condition is an important factor which impacts on the determination of the rainfall–runoff threshold value. In this study, rainfall–antecedent soil moisture condition–runoff relationships and the potential efficiency of RCs are presented. Rainfall and runoff data monitored at research sites in Merredin and Mount Barker are used to determine this relationship. Two antecedent moisture criteria; Antecedent Moisture Conditions (AMC) and Average Antecedent Precipitation (AAP) are used to analyse the relationship between previous rainfall and soil moisture for each RC. Monitored results show that AMC is not that suitable to show the relationship between rainfall and antecedent soil moisture condition of the RC in the dryland of Western Australia and it is recommended to use AAP to determine this relationship.

Globally, invasive plant-fueled wildfires have tremendous environmental, economical, and societal impacts, and the frequencies of wildfires and plant invasions are on an upward trend globally. Identifying which plant species tend to increase the frequency or severity of wildfire is important to help manage their impacts. We developed a screening system to identify introduced plant species that are likely to increase wildfire risk, using the Hawaiian Islands to test the system and illustrate how the system can be applied to inform management decisions. Expert-based fire risk scores derived from field experiences with 49 invasive species in Hawai′i were used to train a machine learning model that predicts expert fire risk scores from among 21 plant traits obtained from literature and databases. The model revealed that just four variables can identify species categorized as higher fire risk by experts with 90% accuracy, while low risk species were identified with 79% accuracy. We then used the predictive model to screen > 140 recently naturalized plants in Hawai′i to illustrate how the screening tool can be applied. The screening tool identified a managebly small set of species (6% of naturalizations in the last ~ 10 years) that are likely to pose a high fire risk and can be targeted for eradication or containment to reduce future wildfire risks. Because the screening system uses general plant traits that are likely relevant to fire risk in drylands around the world, it can likely be applied with minimal modification to other regions where invasive plants pose potential fire risks.

This paper proposed a fire risk assessment system and quantitative capacity evaluation method for fire risk protection based on rational analysis of current building layout, fire protection demands and supplies. As results, the classified fire risk assessment and spatial distribution are achieved. A case study of Gulou District of Fuzhou is addressed, and an innovative research methodology of fire protection planning is proposed.

ABSTRACTFire statistics database and analysis represent the basis for the fire risk identification, analysis and assessment. Temporal analyses of timber structural fire incidents occurring from 2010 to 2014 in rural settlements in Serbia (Žabalj, Žitište) and in Novi Sad urban area from 2011 to 2013 are carried out. The aim of the study is to gather and analyse data on various causes of fires in order to determine the extent to which existing data can be used in fire risk assessment. This research illustrates how the patterns of timber structural fire incidents vary in urban and rural areas, with the time of the day, the day of the week, and the month of the year. It is shown that significant differences exist with respect to fire causation over time and the types of buildings and settlements.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate approaches pertaining to qualitative fire risk assessment of existing hotel facilities, for the purpose of identifying and eliminating fire hazards, and meeting requirements of the current legislation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper carries out several research activities, including: identifying the set of factors that render hotel facilities a high‐risk type of facilities in fires; investigating potential high‐risk areas to fires in hotels; exploring the role of hotel managers towards operating safe hotel facilities; discussing the concept of fire risk management, and the role of fire safety inspections as a risk mitigation strategy to ensure the adherence of existing hotels to fire safety legislation; and describing a methodical approach that fire safety inspectors can follow while conducting fire safety inspections. The paper also presents the development of a qualitative fire risk assessment tool, whereby existing hotel facilities can be assessed.FindingsThe paper establishes that hotel facilities are a high‐risk type of facilities in fire emergencies due to the combination of several risk factors. The fire risk assessment tool provides 76 items to assess, in seven main divisions, including exits, fire protection systems, electrical, fire doors, hazardous materials, housekeeping and miscellaneous.Originality/valueThis paper provides for a better comprehension of the roles of hotel managers towards operating safe hotel facilities. The paper emphasizes adherence of existing hotels to fire safety legislation to ensure the minimum level of safety for guests in all hotel properties. It serves to enhance the understanding of the potential dangers present in hotel facilities. It is of practical value to hoteliers responsible for the day‐to‐day operation of hotel facilities and for surveyors inspecting such properties.

The unique structure of ancient buildings poses a significant risk of fire hazards, so the assessment of potential fire risk is of great significance to fire safety management. This paper examines the fire risk associated with the building complex of the Palace Museum. Firstly, a fire risk assessment indicator system was constructed based on three dimensions: hazard factors, sensitivity of hazard-bearing bodies, and loss control factors. Secondly, the weight values for each index were calculated based on the entropy weight method. Finally, the monthly fire risk assessment levels in the year 2019 were visualized by using a geographic information system. Based on the fire risk assessment results, this study quantitatively reveals the fire risk driving mechanism of ancient buildings in the Palace Museum from the perspective of spatial stratified heterogeneity by using the geodetector model. The results show that there are differences between the main factors that affect the weight of fire risk assessment and the main factors that cause the spatial heterogeneity of fire risk. Factors such as the safety protective grade and staff number contribute to a stronger explanation of the spatial stratified heterogeneity for fire risk within the museum. The results can help us to understand the driving factors affecting the distribution patterns of fire risk for the Palace Museum and could provide support for the formulation of fire prevention and safety management measures.

Characterizing the effects of dry antecedent soil moisture conditions, channel transmission losses, and variable precipitation on peak flow scaling

This paper examines the impact of contrasting antecedent soil moisture conditions on the hydrochemical response, here the changes in dissolved nitrogen (NO3−, NH4+and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON)) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, of a first‐order stream during hydrological events. The study was performed in the Hermine, a 5 ha forested watershed of the Canadian Shield. It focused on a series of eight precipitation events (spring, summer and fall) sampled every 2 or 3 h and showing contrasted antecedent moisture conditions. The partition of the eight events between two groups (dry or wet) of antecedent moisture conditions was conducted using a principal component analysis (PCA). The partition was controlled (first axis explained 86% of the variability) by the antecedent streamflow, the streamflow to precipitation ratioQ/Pand by the antecedent groundwater depth. The mean H+, NO3−, NH4+, total dissolved nitrogen and DOC concentrations and electrical conductivity values in the stream were significantly higher following dry antecedent conditions than after wetter conditions had prevailed in the Hermine, although the temporal variability was high (17 to 138%). At the event scale, a significantly higher proportion of the changes in DON, NO3−, and DOC concentrations in the stream was explained by temporal variations in discharge compared with the seasonal and annual scales. Two of the key hydrochemical features of the dry events were the synchronous changes in DOC and flow and the frequent negative relationships between discharge and NO3−. The DON concentrations were much less responsive than DOC to changes in discharge, whereas NH$_{4}^ +$was not in phase with streamflow. During wet events, the synchronicity between streamflow and DON or NO3−was higher than during dry events and discharge and NO3−were generally positively linked. Based on these observations, the hydrological behaviour of the Hermine is conceptually compatible with a two‐component model of shallow (DON and DOC rich; variable NO3−) and deep (DON and DOC poor; variable NO3−) subsurface flow. The high NO3−and DOC levels measured at the early stages of dry events reflected the contribution from NO3−‐rich groundwaters. The contribution of rapid surface flow on water‐repellent soil materials located close to the stream channel is hypothesized to explain the DOC levels. An understanding of the complex interactions between antecedent soil moisture conditions, the presence of soil nutrients available for leaching and the dynamics of soil water flow paths during storms is essential to explain the fluxes of dissolved nitrogen and carbon in streams of forested watersheds. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fire risk assessment of Malaysia public hospital buildings

Nowadays, wildfires are an increasing challenge for the defence sector. The fire risk of a given area depends only in part on human factors and the number of registered fires.A fire occurs when the moisture content of dead biomass drops to a level, where the fire can already spread between the individual pieces of fuel. Daily fire danger forecast examines the constant and changing components of the fire environment. This determines the flammability of the biomass; the rate of fire spread makes firefighting moredifficult. The fire danger forecast identifies the fire hazard periods when fires can occur. Fire Risk Assessment Systems have been developed in many countries around the world.In addition to the daily fire risk, these include parameters describing the vulnerability of the areas affected by the fire. National risk assessments are available in many countries around the world using several methodologies. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has developed a community-wide approach to forest fire risk assessment, using scientific results and studying good practices. In this approach, the risk of a forest fire is made up of the effects of daily fire hazards and vulnerabilities. The risk of fire due to weather conditions is associated with ignition and the spread of fire. The authors examine in the paper the basic criteria to assess wildfire risk at the pan-European level. The authors analyse external and internal risk factors in an observation plot and examine how international recommendations can be utilised in Hungary.

Identifying areas of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) that are prone to severe wildfire is an important step in prioritizing fire prevention and preparedness projects. Our objective is to determine at a regional scale the relative risk of severe wildfire in WUI areas and the numbers of people and houses in high-risk areas. For a study area in northern lower Michigan, we first develop a spatial database of WUI areas (both intermix and interface) using housing data from the 2000 US Census and 1994 vegetation data from the Gap Analysis Project of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Then, we develop a spatial database of historic (pre-1900) fire regimes and current (1994) fuels to identify areas with high risk of stand-replacing fires. High-risk areas historically supported jack pine (P. banksiana Lamb.) and mixed pine forests with stand-replacing fire rotations less than 100 years and currently support upland conifer and hardwood forests. Analysis of the databases shows that 26% of the study area is WUI. About 25% of the WUI has relatively high fire risk. Over 88% of the WUI with high fire risk has low housing density (<1 house per 2 ha) and is classified as intermix where fuels and structures intermingle. The predominance of high-risk intermix areas with low-density housing has implications for planning effective fuel treatments and evacuation plans.

Wildfire risk in the wildland–urban interface: A simulation study in northwestern Wisconsin

Integrating BIM with fire risk assessment, this thesis adopts the fire risk index method and analytic hierarchy process to assess the risk of buildings and establish fire risk assessment index system. With Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 as the development platform and C # as the development language, the secondary development was carried out based on BIM technology, which is characterized by efficiency, reliability and scientificity, and a fire risk assessment system based on BIM was successfully designed, which can realize the fire risk assessment of four types of buildings: residential building, public buildings, factory building and warehouses. The system can directly import the fire protection data of buildings needed by fire risk assessment from BIM to complete the building fire risk assessment, which not only can make fire risk assessment process simplified with less costs, but also can enable the fire risk assessment to be widely used in all kinds of buildings, thereby further promoting the fire safety level of buildings.

Research on Building Fire Risk Fast Assessment Method Based on Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and SVM