Is Experience the Best Teacher? Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Wildfire Risk

Giuseppina Spano,Giovanni Sanesi,Vincenzo Giannico,Mario Elia,Onofrio Cappelluti,Raffaele Lafortezza,Marina D’Este,Giuseppe Colangelo

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168385

Abstract

Wildfires represent a natural phenomenon with detrimental effects on natural resources and human health. A better knowledge, perception, and awareness of wildfire risk may help communities at risk of exposure to prevent future events and safeguard their own lives. The aim of this study is to explore differences between individuals with and without previous wildfire experience, in terms of (1) subjective and advanced wildfire knowledge, (2) self-reported perceptions, (3) level of information, (4) self-protection measures, and (5) importance of community involvement. As a second step, we investigated differences in the same variables, focusing more deeply on a group of individuals with previous wildfire experience, classifying them according to fire-related employment (fire-related workers vs. non-workers) and wildland–urban interface (WUI) proximity (WUI residents vs. non-WUI residents). The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to establish differences between the pairs of subsamples. Our results partially confirmed our hypothesis, that direct experience leads individuals to have a greater preparedness on the topic of wildfires. Perception of knowledge is reflected only at a shallow level of expertise, and, therefore, no relevant within-group differences related to fire-related employment or to WUI proximity were detected. Moreover, available information was perceived to be insufficient, thus we report a strong need for developing effective communication to high-risk groups, such as homeowners and fire-related workers.

Highlights

The effects of climate change coupled with unsustainable anthropic pressure are increasing wildfire risk, making European landscapes more vulnerable to wildfires [1].Currently, the data reported by the European Commission suggest that wildfires still represent a critical issue, especially for the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe, such as Italy
The subsample of participants with fire experience was further grouped according to the fire-related employment and wildland–urban interface (WUI) proximity
The descriptive statistics presented for WUI residents and non-residents refer to the matched groups after propensity score matching analysis (PSM) analysis with the nearest-neighbor matching method, and with a ratio of one to one

Summary

Introduction

The effects of climate change coupled with unsustainable anthropic pressure are increasing wildfire risk, making European landscapes more vulnerable to wildfires [1].Currently, the data reported by the European Commission suggest that wildfires still represent a critical issue, especially for the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe, such as Italy. Statistics reveal that between 2009 and 2018, Italy experienced a yearly average of more than 5500 wildfire events, covering a mean annual surface area of 67,000 ha [2]. These alarming numbers reflect wildfires’ detrimental effects on natural resources and human health [3]. In this context, national and regional institutions must integrate their efforts to improve prevention, by enhancing the preparedness of communities located in areas threatened by wildfires [4]. A better knowledge, perception, and awareness of wildfire risk may help people and communities that have experienced wildfires to prevent future events and safeguard their own lives

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Discussion

Conclusion