Wildfire safety of homes and other vulnerable establishments in the wildland-urban interface

Wildfires are becoming more common and intense due to climate change, urban growth, and changes in how land is used, posing new risks for communities in areas where wildlands meet towns and cities (the Wildland-Urban Interface, or WUI). The goal of the WildfireSafe project is to help protect homes and communities in these areas by creating practical advice and tools suited to local conditions in Norway and South Africa. This is achieved by conducting controlled experiments to study wildfires, looking closely at past fires to learn what worked and what didn’t, and adapting existing methods—like prescribed burns and WUI fire safety guidelines—to fit each region. Previous studies show the need to manage flammable plants, like invasive trees in South Africa, and restoring traditional practices, such as prescribed burns, in Norway. Lessons learned from past incidents show that proactive land management and considerations in building designs can make a big difference in keeping people and properties safe. This is a collaborative project with joint funding from the Research Council of Norway and the National Research Foundation, South Africa. The project is jointly managed between RISE Fire Research in Norway and Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The project also includes collaboration with research partners from Sol Plaatje University in South Africa and the partners Climate and Environmental Preparedness in Telemark organized under Grenland Fire and Rescue Service IKS in Norway, Bergen Fire Service in Norway, Vulcan Wildfire Management in South Africa and Volunteer Wildfire Services in South Africa.

WildfireSafe is a multidisciplinary and integrated research project that addresses holistic and sustainable management of land in Wildland-Urban Interfaces (WUIs), with a focus on wildfire preparedness and prevention. WildfireSafe aims to better prepare society under Norwegian and South African conditions to tackle such extreme events and to reduce the chance of catastrophic wildfires. As a true multidisciplinary and collaborative effort, WildfireSafe will contribute to developing knowledge and guidelines for risk reducing measures for buildings, building sites, and surrounding structures, with a special focus on residential buildings. Knowledge and data on fire behaviour characteristics of various natural species will be produced, and guidelines for protecting homes and structures will be created. Documentation and detailed analysis of prescribed burns will be determined, which will help guide future prescribed burns. Local knowledge from user partners based on involvement in a large number of past events and prescribed burns will be of significant benefit to the project. Improved and more focused wildfire management as a result of WildfireSafe will result in increased knowledge based on a sound understanding of good land use practices in areas under pressure. This is a collaborative project with joint funding from the Research Council of Norway and the National Research Foundation, South Africa. The project is jointly managed between RISE Fire Research in Norway and Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The project also includes collaboration with research partners from Sol Plaatje University in South Africa and partners from GRENLAND BRANN OG REDNING IKS in Norway, BERGEN KOMMUNE in Norway, Vulcan Wildfire Management in South Africa and Volunteer Wildfire Services in South Africa.