Fire Disaster Research Articles

Multi-Criteria Prioritization of Watersheds for Post-Fire Restoration Using GIS Tools and Google Earth Engine: A Case Study from the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia

The Santa Cruz department in Bolivia is characterized by a wide range of ecosystems and by its richness in water resources. In recent years, extended drought caused by climate change has led to extensive fire events. Combined with deforestation, this is resulting in the degradation of the region’s ecosystems and water resources. To address restoration needs from both a land- and water-management perspective, this study proposes to prioritize restoration areas by applying a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) based on two main principles: (1) using the watershed as the main study unit and (2) involving stakeholders in the definition of priority watersheds. Local stakeholders selected criteria representing water resources, biophysical characteristics, land management, productive areas, and fire disaster threats, and reclassified the spatial information based on perceived importance. Different prioritization scenarios were developed and compared in a Google Earth Engine (GEE) application. Priority restoration areas largely depend on the weighting scheme. Focusing solely on past fires leads to prioritizing the south-east basins, while the conservation of the western watersheds becomes more important when increasing the weight of the water resources criteria. This study represents the first step in developing a participatory MCA tool at the watershed scale in Santa Cruz. Highlighting the impact of different prioritization criteria can support collective decision-making around land and watershed restoration.

PENGEMBANGAN MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN VIDEO ANIMASI KESELAMATAN KEBAKARAN PADA MATA PELAJARAN PENDIDIKAN JASMANI KELAS IX SMP BPS&K JAKARTA TIMUR

Until now, fire disasters cannot be avoided, both in the industrial sector, housing and even in the forest. From various types of fire cases, it is very detrimental if there are casualties, so there is a need for education about fire safety learning for adults, teenagers and even children. Children's understanding of danger and self- protection causes children to be less able to anticipate and overcome dangerous conditions around themselves. This can usually be fatal for the safety of the child. Even when there is no adult supervision around the children, they cannot optimally look after and supervise the children. The results of the development of learning media for the feasibility of animated videos that cause fires and how to prevent fires, according to material experts, are categorized as feasible with a value of 76% measured by several aspects, namely: material coverage, presentation clarity, language aspects, understanding. Meanwhile, the feasibility of animated videos that cause fires and how to prevent fires, according to media experts, is categorized as very feasible with a score of 84% measured by several aspects, namely: text, images, video, audio, program effectiveness. And the feasibility of animated videos that cause fires and how to prevent fires based on the assessment of junior high school students is categorized as very feasible with a score of 88% measured by several aspects, namely: text, images, video, audio, program effectiveness.

Fire in Hansŏng: Conflagrations and Arson in Fifteenth-Century Korea

The use of fire and its associated risks are universal across all cultures. In pre-industrial times, it was common for people to use open flames daily. Nonetheless, while fire brought many valuable aspects to their everyday lives, it could quickly get out of control and become a significant threat to human settlements and lives. The capital city of Chosŏn Kingdom 朝鮮 (1392–1897), Hansŏng 漢城, was no exception when it came to its susceptibility to conflagrations. Regardless of their origin, repeated fire incidents played a significant role in the formative processes of the city. While many English-language publications have been written on the fire history of various countries, the history of fire prevention and protection in pre-indus- trial Korea remains relatively unexplored and unknown to anglophone audiences. This paper aims to shed light on this lesser-known aspect of Korean history by addressing the topic of urban fires and arson in fifteenth-century Chosŏn, focusing on the capital city area and its struggles with anthropogenic fires. By examining some of the extant early Chosŏn administrative records, the paper explores how the administration of the capital city reacted to and coped with repeated incidences of fire. The paper shows that religious and practical approaches toward fire disasters coexisted alongside each other without being mutually exclusive, and introduces two major conflagrations that significantly influenced government policy towards fire incidents—the great fire of Hansŏng in 1426 and the Ch’angdŏk palace fire in 1467.

Reduction of Carbon Emissions from Tropical Peat Land Fire Disasters Using Weather Modification Technology

Reduction of Carbon Emissions from Tropical Peat Land Fire Disasters Using Weather Modification Technology

Kesiapsiagaan Masyarakat dalam Menghadapi Ancaman Kebakaran

Fire disasters still occur frequently so that people are encouraged to have knowledge of preparedness in anticipating fire disasters. However, information about the community's ability to anticipate fire disasters is still very limited. The research objective was to determine community preparedness in facing the threat of fire in Penggilingan Village, Cakung District, East Jakarta. The method used is descriptive research using quantitative data. The study population consisted of all heads of households living in Penggilingan sub-district, totaling 40,641 families, while the sample was part of the heads of families, totaling 125 families. Sampling used proportional random sampling technique. The research variable was community preparedness in facing the threat of fire as measured by 4 parameters from LIPI-UNESCO/ISDR, 2006 namely knowledge and attitude, disaster warning system, emergency response plan, and ability to mobilize resources. Data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables and preparedness indexes. The results showed that the community is prepared to face the threat of fire in Penggilingan Village, Kec. Cakung is categorized as ready with an index value of 79.03. Even though it is in the ready category, it would be better if this preparedness continues to be improved to become very ready. Especially preparedness regarding the disaster warning system and the ability to mobilize resources that still need to be evaluated by the community and stakeholders. As well as fire socialization or training programs should be further intensified so that information about fire disasters can be received by all levels of society.

A Cold Climate Wooden Home and Conflagration Danger Index: Justification and Practicability for Norwegian Conditions

The vast majority of fire-related deaths occur in residential buildings. Until recently, the fire risk for these buildings was only considered through static risk assessments or period-based assessments applying to certain periods of the year, e.g., Christmas holidays. However, for homes with indoor wooden panelling, especially in the ceiling, a dynamic fire danger indicator can be predicted for cold climate regions. Recognising the effect of fuel moisture content (FMC) of indoor wooden panelling on the enclosure fire development allows for the prediction of a wooden home fire danger indicator. In the present study, dry wood fire dynamics are analysed and experimental observations are reported to support in-home wooden panel FMC as a suitable wooden home fire danger indicator. Then, from previous work, the main equation for modelling in-home FMC is considered and a generic enclosure for FMC modelling is justified based on literature data and supported through a sensitivity study for Norwegian wooden homes. Further, ten years of weather data for three selected locations in Norway, i.e., a coastal town, an inland fjord town and a mountain town, were analysed using a three-dimensional risk matrix to assess the usability of the fire risk modelling results. Finally, a cold climate wooden home fire danger index was introduced to demonstrate how the risk concept can be communicated in an intuitive way using similar gradings as the existing national forest fire index. Based on the generic enclosure, the findings support FMC as a fire risk indicator for homes with interior wooden panelling (walls and ceiling). Large differences in the number of days with arid in-home conditions were identified for the selected towns. The number of days with combined strong wind and dry wooden homes appears to depend more on the number of days with strong wind than days of in-home drought. Thus, the coastal town was more susceptible to conflagrations than the drier inland towns. This aligns well with the most significant fire disasters in Norway since 1900. In addition, it was demonstrated that the number of high-risk periods is manageable and can be addressed by local fire departments through proactive measures. In turn, the fire risk modelling and associated index respond well to the recent changes in Norwegian regulations, requiring the fire departments to have systems for detecting increased risk levels. Testing the modelling for a severe winter fire in the USA indicates that the presented approach may be of value elsewhere as well.

Assessment of Burn Severity and Monitoring of the Wildfire Recovery Process in Mongolia

Due to the intensification of climate change around the world, the incidence of natural disasters is increasing year by year, and monitoring, forecasting, and detecting evolution using satellite imaging technology are important methods for remote sensing. This study aimed to monitor the occurrence of fire disasters using Sentinel-2 satellite imaging technology to determine the burned-severity area via classification and to study the recovery process to observe extraordinary natural phenomena. The study area that was sampled was in the southeastern part of Mongolia, where most wildfires occur each year, near the Shiliin Bogd Mountain in the natural steppe zone and in the Bayan-Uul sub-province in the forest-steppe natural zone. The normalized burn ratio (NBR) method was used to map the area of the fire site and determine the classification of the burned area. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to determine the recovery process in a timely series in the summer from April to October. The results of the burn severity were demonstrated in the distribution maps from the satellite images, where it can be seen that the total burned area of the steppe natural zone was 1164.27 km2, of which 757.34 km2 (65.00 percent) was classified as low, 404.57 km2 (34.70 percent) was moderate-low, and the remaining 2.36 km2 (0.30 percent) was moderate-high, and the total burned area of the forest-steppe natural zone was 588.35 km2, of which 158.75 km2 (26.98 percent) was classified as low, 297.75 km2 (50.61 percent) was moderate-low, 131.25 km2 (22.31 percent) was moderate-high, and the remaining 0.60 km2 (0.10 percent) was high. Finally, we believe that this research is most helpful for emergency workers, researchers, and environmental specialists.

Examining the fire risk in London dwellings using the London Fire Brigade Incident database

AbstractAnalysis of the Fire Brigade's database of fires in London between 2009 and 2020 provided insight into the level of fire safety in the city and how it varies across different types of dwellings and different levels of protection. Regarding the number of fires, fatalities, and injuries, fire safety in London has significantly improved on average over these years. However, average trends cannot analyze catastrophic fires with multiple fatalities, like at Grenfell Tower in 2017, as these events are too rare to form a suitable sample size. Dwelling fires are the most lethal in London: despite accounting for only 28% of fires, they lead to 87% of fatalities and 83% of injuries. The odds of a dwelling fire becoming fatal in London fell from 1 in 174 in 2009 to 1 in 208 in 2019, a decrease of 16%. The total number of fires has decreased over this period, and the number of fires where an alarm was raised has increased, suggesting that the prevention and detection layers of fire safety have improved, while our analysis suggests that the level of protection from the compartmentation and evacuation layers has remained constant over time. An analysis of the different layers of fire protection suggests that compartmentation was the most impactful layer, with a failure in compartmentation increasing the odds of a fire being fatal by 1.5 to 5 times. Overall, this analysis shows that the fire hazard to Londoners in general is low and the lowest since 2009; however, there is still a threat that should not be understated.

Enhancing Fire Emergency Response Readiness in Butiama District Secondary Schools in Tanzania: An in-depth Investigation

Fire hazards in secondary schools are a global concern, impacting countries worldwide with varying rates and consequences. Tanzania, in particular, has grappled with recurring fire disasters, with schools bearing a significant brunt of these incidents. While government policies and circulars have mandated safety measures like smoke detectors, emergency exits, and the prohibition of candles and crude oil lamps in schools, compliance remains a persistent issue. This study is firmly grounded in three influential theories: Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, the protection motivation theory, and modern disaster theory. Our study used a descriptive research design based on a mixed research approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Data collection involved questionnaires, interviews, and observations. One of the significant findings is the glaring lack of awareness among both teachers and students regarding fire emergency preparedness and the lack of training in fire safety preparedness. The study also delves into the root causes of fire emergencies, which include poor electrical appliance installation, ignorance about fire materials, negligence, and deliberate sabotage. These findings highlight the vulnerabilities that schools face and emphasize the critical importance of preparedness measures. Financial constraints and a lack of fire safety resources emerge as formidable challenges. To bolster fire emergency response readiness, the study proposes a range of strategies. These include the development of comprehensive fire emergency plans, increased investment in fire safety education, procurement of essential fire safety equipment, the establishment of school dispensaries, budget allocation for preparedness efforts, and the promotion of regular fire drills.

Effect of Socioeconomic Characteristics of Residential Building Occupants on Level of Fire Disaster Preparedness

Socioeconomic characteristics are known to influence fire disaster preparedness (FDP). The spate of fire outbreaks in buildings in Nigeria is worrisome with its deleterious effects, however, these can be averted by studying how socioeconomic characteristics influences FDP in buildings. The study assessed the level of FDP in Parakin, Ile-Ife. The objective was to investigate the effect of socioeconomic characteristics on the level of FDP by using fire safety awareness (FSA) and evacuation in residential buildings in Parakin, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Quantitative data was collected via questionnaire survey. Primary data was obtained using purposive sampling method. 80 buildings were purposively selected for this study and the self-administered questionnaire were given to 80 participants from the buildings. Frequency distribution, percentage and chi square were used to analyse the data. Chi square showed a relationship between the sex of respondents and the evacuation attributes, while age, home ownership and level of education of respondents are not associated with evacuation attributes. Chi square also revealed that sex, age, home ownership and level of education of respondents have no relationship with awareness. The study concluded that firefighting equipment and facilities are mostly unavailable in the study area while the level of awareness is fairly moderate, FDP is very low, evacuation attributes of the buildings are fair while training for occupants is very low. Concerted efforts should be made to raise awareness, train building users to combat fire outbreaks and get necessary gadgets needed for firefighting in buildings.

Air pollution and health burden of urban fire disaster: A case study from tire factory fire in Korea

Air pollution and health burden of urban fire disaster: A case study from tire factory fire in Korea

Construction of Multifunctional Hierarchical Biofilms for Highly Sensitive and Weather-Resistant Fire Warning.

Multifunctional biofilms with early fire-warning capabilities are highly necessary for various indoor and outdoor applications, but a rational design of intelligent fire alarm films with strong weather resistance remains a major challenge. Herein, a multiscale hierarchical biofilm based on lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and TiO2 was developed through a vacuum-assisted alternate self-assembly and dipping method. Then, an early fire-warning system that changes from an insulating state to a conductive one was designed, relying on the rapid carbonization of LCNFs together with the unique electronic excitation characteristics of TiO2. Typically, the L-CNT-TiO2 film exhibited an ultrasensitive fire-response signal of ~0.30 s and a long-term warning time of ~1238 s when a fire disaster was about to occur, demonstrating a reliable fire-alarm performance and promising flame-resistance ability. More importantly, the L-CNT-TiO2 biofilm also possessed a water contact angle (WCA) of 166 ± 1° and an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) as high as 2000, resulting in excellent superhydrophobicity, antifouling, self-cleaning as well as incredible anti-ultraviolet (UV) capabilities. This work offers an innovative strategy for developing advanced intelligent films for fire safety and prevention applications, which holds great promise for the field of building materials.

Effect Of Educational Media Picture Card On Knowledge Of Fire Disaster Response In School-Age Children

Background: Every year cases of fire disasters have increased. Fire disasters can occur anywhere resulting in victims and loss of property. Fire disasters can occur in adults, the elderly and also children. Children are included in communities that are often at risk of the impact of fire disasters, because their skills and knowledge are still considered to be lacking which is the reason children become victims. Prevention efforts that can be done by providing education as early as possible to children about fire emergency response, one of the media that can be used for school-age children is media picture cards in the form of pictures and explanations that are easy for school-age children to understand and remember. Research Objectives: To determine the effect of educational media picture cards on knowledge of fire emergency response in school-age children. Research Method: Type of quantitative research with a Pre-Experimental approach using the One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The sample involved 74 respondents by selecting the sample with the Total Sampling technique. The research instrument uses picture cards and knowledge questionnaire sheets about fire emergency response. Data analysis using the Wilcoxon statistical test. Results: The median value before being given education was 14.00 and after being given education it was 19.00 so that there was a significant difference between before and after education on picture card media on fire disaster emergency response knowledge obtained value (P Value = 0.001). Conclusion: There is an educational effect of picture card media on knowledge of fire emergency response in school-age children.

Bioinspired Hierarchical Multi-Protective Membrane for Extreme Environments via Co-Electrospinning-Electrospray Strategy.

Extreme environments can cause severe harm to human health, and even threaten life safety. Lightweight, breathable clothing with multi-protective functions would be of great application value. However, integrating multi-protective functions into nanofibers in a facile way remains a great challenge. Here, a one-step co-electrospinning-electrospray strategy is developed to fabricate a superhydrophobic multi-protective membrane (S-MPM). The water contact angle of S-MPM can reach up to 164.3°. More importantly, S-MPM can resist the skin temperature drop (11.2 °C) or increase (17.2 °C) caused by 0 °C cold or 70 °C hot compared with pure electrospun membrane. In the cold climate (-5 °C), the anti-icing time of the S-MPM is extended by 2.52 times, while the deicing time is only 1.45 s due to the great photothermal effect. In a fire disaster situation, the total heat release and peak heat release rate values of flame retarded S-MPM drop sharply by 24.2% and 69.3%, respectively. The S-MPM will serve as the last line of defense for the human body and has the potential to trigger a revolution in the practical application of next-generation functional clothing.

Comparative Analysis Between Naïve Bayes Algorithm and Decision Tree Loss Rate from Fire Disaster Data in DKI Jakarta Province

In urban locations like DKI Jakarta Province, fire poses a severe concern. Understanding the trends and variables that affect fire risk requires analysis of fire incidence data. To assess fire data in the DKI Jakarta Province, the method uses the Decision Tree and Nave Bayes algorithms. The Decision Tree identifies the primary causes of fires, whereas Naive Bayes forecasts fire risk using weather and historical data. These two algorithms' combined outputs offer a thorough understanding of the features and causes of a fire. By educating authorities and the public on how to manage this risk, this research helps to improve fire mitigation techniques. The safety and readiness for fire disasters in this area should increase. The accuracy of the two predictions made by the Naive Bayes algorithm is 75%. In contrast, the accuracy of the Decision Tree algorithm is 78%, leading to the conclusion that the Decision Tree approach is more helpful in categorizing the severity of fire disaster losses.

Complexity Study on Multi-Field Coupling Systems for Underground Coal Fires

Underground coal fires are a major disaster that needs to be urgently addressed in the coal mining industry, as they can cause waste of resources, environmental pollution, threaten the life and health of species, and cause serious damage to society and the economy. Currently, the research on the prevention and control of underground coal fires focuses more on the technical level and lacks scientific guidance at the methodological level. Based on this research gap, this paper uses CiteSpace 6.1.R6 to analyze the research hotspots and subjects in the field of underground coal fires and gives a comprehensive research overview of its microscopic chemical reaction substance and macroscopic multi-field coupling characteristics. Then, from the methodological level, it summarizes the complex system characteristics of underground coal fires and puts forward the elements and principles for the prevention and control of underground coal fire disasters under the paradigm of complex system research. This study proposes a new way of thinking for the prevention and control of underground coal fires and helps to build a whole-process prevention and control system.

A Virtual Reality–Based Serious Game for Fire Safety Behavioral Skills Training

Fire disasters in tall buildings can cause considerable damage to property, injuries to people and death. An effective way to reduce injuries or death during a fire is to improve human evacuation behavior. Many studies have demonstrated that behavioral skills training can effectively help people of different ages to acquire safety skills for emergencies. Based on virtual reality (VR), serious games (SGs) and behavioral skills training (BST), this study proposes a theoretical model of “VR-SG-BST” as a fire safety training method. Older adults in care facilities were selected to evaluate the proposed model because their lack of knowledge on fire safety and the associated potential health problems increase the likelihood that they will become victims of a fire. It is expected that engagement and immersion in the SG can improve the elderly’s learning performance of fire evacuation skills and enhance their interest and sense of fun experienced during fire safety training. The SG could effectively improve the skills of evacuation in an emergency. Hence, this study involved two parallel investigations: 1) comparing fire safety behavior of the elderly between an experimental and a control group, and 2) determining the effects of BST for fire safety by comparing only the experimental group in pre- and post-BST phases. The study adopts in situ training (IST) to evaluate the acquisition of knowledge and skills during the experimental stage. It is concluded that the proposed VR-SG-BST model has potential to serve as an alternate approach to improve the elderly’s behavioral skills during a fire. Moreover, previous computer game experience enhances the elderly’s learning performance and fire safety behavior. The outcomes of the study provide suggestions and guidelines for VR-SG design in the practice of BST.

Dynamic evolution of information diffusion networks of news agencies in emergencies: a case study of microblogs of urban fire disasters on Sina Weibo

Dynamic evolution of information diffusion networks of news agencies in emergencies: a case study of microblogs of urban fire disasters on Sina Weibo

Incendiary assets: Risk, power, and the law in an era of catastrophic fire

In California, wildfires caused by electrical infrastructure have left the state’s investor-owned power utilities with major and growing liabilities. But even in such an incendiary environment, the financial industry has demonstrated that it can profit from disaster. This paper uses the 2019-2020 bankruptcy of Pacific Gas & Electric to explain how. In it, I show how “risk” in California’s electricity industry is legally constituted, mediated, and allocated. First, I explain how financial perceptions of wildfire risk in California’s electricity industry are shaped by the state’s legal and regulatory environment, and how the law is used to manage this risk. I then turn to PG&E’s bankruptcy to show how litigation functions as a financial strategy. In court, risk is endogenous to legal-financial practice. I develop the concepts of “legal arbitrage” and “leverage” to explain how law mediates the relationship between risk and finance. I adapt the concept of legal arbitrage to show how financial assets (like those in a utility with unprecedented wildfire liabilities) can possess both legal and market value, which can and often do diverge in circumstances of distress. I use the term leverage to refer to a particular kind of legal-financial power which enables actors to transfer risk away from themselves and onto others. In working through these concepts, I argue that that mainstream perceptions of risk in the financial industry are inadequate, especially in an era of increasing climate insecurity.

Fire Detection System At Labuhanbatu University Based On Internet Of Things (IoT)

Fire accidents are disasters that often occur compared to other fire disasters such as floods, landslides, earthquakes or tsunamis. Fires can occur at any time, and no one knows for sure when a fire accident will occur. The impact of a fire disaster is not only material that can disappear from human lives. The causative factors of fire disasters often occur due to human negligence and fires often occur in houses where the occupants have left them. Labuhanbatu University at night will be left by the owner and all lecturers and educational staff, only guarded by two security people with this condition, it is very dangerous when a fire occurs in one of the buildings. The purpose of this research is to focus on developing a fire detection system at Labuhanbatu University based on the Internet of Things to provide early warning of safety. The system uses three sensors, namely temperature sensor, gas sensor, and fire sensor. This research is R&D research using the ADDIE model with the following stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The results of the fire sensor test were 90% successful, the results of the sensor test as soon as possible were 90% successful, and the results of the temperature sensor test were 90% successful. This fire detection system can minimize or minimize the occurrence of fire accidents and losses because it is based on the Internet of Things providing early information when a fire occurs to education staff and lecturers at Labuhanabtu University. Overall, this fire warning system can function properly.