Climate Change: The Urban Fire Forum calls for new firefighting skills and redefined risk assessment in wildfires
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The extreme 2023 fire season in Canada and the Maui wildfires in August 2023 were central to this years Position Statement on Climate Change, agreed upon by fire leaders from the whole world who met at Urban Fire Forum in September 2024.
The 2024 Urban Fire Forum (UFF) Position Statement on Climate Change highlights the escalating risks associated with climate change, including extreme weather events like wildfires, floods, droughts, and severe storms. It emphasizes how these events increasingly affect both historically vulnerable regions and those previously unaffected. Notably, the statement references the rising occurrence of costly, devastating events in North America, such as the 2023 Canadian wildfires and the Maui wildfires in August 2023.
The document focuses on the profound impact of climate change on fire and rescue departments, which are on the frontlines of responding to climate-driven disasters. It stresses the need for these departments to adapt by rethinking risk management, developing specialized skills, and ensuring responder health and safety.
Building climate resilience in fire services is essential, requiring proactive risk assessment, collaboration across sectors, community engagement, and the implementation of durable, long-term solutions like enhanced building codes and responder training.
The position paper underscores the importance of national mutual aid systems, such as the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), and asset prepositioning to ensure rapid response to disasters.
It also promotes the use of available federal resources like the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) and highlights the role of technology in improving fire service capabilities. Collaborative research and enhanced training are crucial to addressing the complex, evolving threats posed by climate change.
Each September, the Urban Fire Forum meets, and fire chiefs from around the world endorse important documents for today’s fire service. This year, CTIF was represented by President Milan Dubravac and FEU by Stephan Weavers.
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) welcomed the Urban Fire Forum @NFPA head quarters in Quincy, Massachusetts with the national leaders and chiefs of some of the largest fire departments in the world.
They had a full agenda, coming around the table to discuss and share information on some of the most complex issues facing the fire service.
Learn more at www.nfpa.org/uff
Four documents were endorsed for today's fire service during Urban Fire Forum 2024:
- Safe and Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence
- Statement in Support of Considering Enhanced Decontamination Methodologies of PPE Following Exposure to Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
- Statement in Support of Further Research on Non-PFAS-Based PPE and In-Service Training Considerations
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Climate Change Position Statement
CTIF.org will present a summary of each of these Position Statements in coming days and weeks.
To read the full Position Statement by Urban Fire Forum 2024, please see attached the PDF below.
Illustration Credit: Original image depicting the effects of Climate Change on the Fire Services. Illustration by Bjorn Ulfsson / CTIF, generated by Chat GPT.