Italy

Final Risk Index (FRI)

Fire Prevention

Location: Tuscany (Italy)   

Year established: 2005                

Ownership: Regione Toscana – DISTAF University of Florence – CNR IBIMET

Background

In Tuscany (central Italy) the  forests areas (1.086.016 ha) cover about 47% of regional surface and are a key element of landscape that is highly devoted to tourism and related activities. In this region, as all over Italy, forest fires are an emergency; more than 90% of forest fires are due to human activities. To organise monitoring, prevention and fire fighting operation, it is important to determine the risk level for different areas. To manage and plan the forest fire fighting activities the Tuscany Region Administration has decided to use a model for the evaluation of the risk of the territory, the Final Risk Index (FRI).

Description

The Final Risk Index (FRI) is the final result of the combination of different intermediate indexes, the most important are: the Global Risk Index (GRI) and the Operational Difficulty Index in Firefighting (ODIF), as showed in the figure. The final model is able to provide information in different scales of time and surface.

The FRI can give information about the daily risk or the seasonal risk and, in terms of surface, the data can be aggregated to laid out a risk map from the single pixel to the whole regional territory or for homogeneous areas.

The GRI indicates the risk by a “Static hazard” and a “Dynamic hazard”. The first one considers different aspects: vegetation, morphology, road network; the second one evaluates the climate data. These values are integrated with the evaluation of the social component by the historical statistic analysis of the ignition points.

The mathematical elaboration of the data estimates the probability of ignition of a forest fire.

The ODIF index analyses several factors connected with the extinction actions: the forest and public road network, the water points distribution and spread, the fire-fighter basis, the land slope. The final result is an estimation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the fire fighting organization in a determined area.

The FRI provide other useful information for a complete planning of the forest fire fighting activity.

This model is a very helpful tool for managers in planning the allocation of forest fire infrastructures and features and in extinction organization.

The experience carried out in Tuscany can be considered a good practice for all Mediterranean countries, where the difficulties of logistic organisation of forest fires prevention and fight are often enhanced by a complex mosaic of environments and land forms in relatively small surfaces.

Further contact
Enrico Marchi – DISTAF University of Florence: enrico.marchi (at) unifi.it
Giacomo Pacini – Regione Toscana: giacomo.pacini (at) regione.toscana.it
Claudio Conese – IBIMET CNR: c.canese (at) ibimet.cnr.it

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