Wildfires: Planning for the 'inevitable'

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The increase in the incidence of wildfires worldwide is not only due to the droughts and heat waves caused by climate change, but also to what humans are doing in a landscape.

Changes in land management practices and inappropriate siting of housing and infrastructure in a landscape also contribute to the hazard, according to Greg Forsyth, retired researcher of the CSIR.

Speaking at the 13th fire management symposium of the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association, Forsyth warned that risk-mitigating measures and preparation for the "inevitable" veld fire are essential to reduce damage caused by mega fires.

The three-day symposium started at the Nelson Mandela University George Campus yesterday, Wednesday 23 November.

Forsyth said the hotter and drier conditions predicted for many parts of South Africa could lead to more high fire danger days for longer periods. Such conditions lead to destructive wildfires known as mega fires, such as seen in recent times in Europe, Australia and the US, where they caused massive losses in infrastructure and lives, and damage to ecosystems.

In the Southern Cape, the 2017 Knysna fire was a wake-up call. Seven lives were lost and 929 buildings destroyed.

Wildland urban interface

He said the most damage caused is usually at the wildland urban interface (WUI), "where people meet flammable vegetation". Here practical mitigating measures should be taken to manage the risk, such as avoiding thatched roofs and avoiding placing assets where they are at high risk.

Recovery can be enhanced by increasing preparedness and bettering responses.

"Sometimes what we do before the fire helps you come through the fire. I think architects and town planners also have to be part of the game."

Don't tamper with natural fire regime

Fire management strategies have to take the ecology into account. Two-thirds of South Africa are subject to fire-dependent ecosystems (ie they need fire to maintain their diversity and ecosystem services). Fire is therefore "part of the deal".

Ecosystems are adapted to fire regimes (the frequency, seasonality and intensity, among others, of fire in an ecosystem) and if the fire regime of a system is altered, its resilience might be compromised.

"If any aspect of the fire regime deviates from the natural range, we could be in for trouble. If you burn fynbos a lot, you change it from shrubland into grassland. You are changing the structure."

Southern Cape in higher risk area

He said understanding the veldfire risk and its management are essential in planning to reduce the risk. The southwestern (including the Southern Cape) and eastern parts of the country have more extreme risks as they are more populated, so more people are at risk, and there is more fuel (the vegetation type) and higher rainfall (that creates fuel).

For the "inevitable" veldfire, fire protection awareness and prevention should focus on these areas. An assessment of how well trained the owners of high-risk properties are and of how well the buildings are likely to withstand a veldfire should be done.

"You cannot have a fire attendant parked outside every house during a mega fire. And do not think the authorities will sort your problems out. If you live in a high-risk environment, you will have to take some measures yourself."

He said preparation is a partnership between the authorities and individual property owners. "If it does not exist I think you are headed for trouble."

Local authorities' approach to building regulations

"As local authorities, we need to start thinking on how to include in building regulations not only what is being built, but also where it is being built. If your property is not prepared for a veldfire, you are actually endangering other people such as your neighbours. In the Knysna fire there was house-to-house ignition,” he said.

"Most buildings are damaged during infrequent extreme events associated with droughts, high fire risks, severe weather, limited resources and a failure to mitigate the risk. The challenge is the problem of where people choose to live as well as where they are allowed to live.

There needs to be a balance between maintaining the fire regime or ecology and ensuring human safety. Expanding development, especially in the wildland human interface is complicating fire risk."

The symposium is being attended by fire managers and representatives from different sectors including disaster management, nature conservation, forestry, agriculture and local authorities.

Prof Jos Louw (centre), director of the Nelson Mandela School of Natural Resource Management, with two speakers at the fire management symposium, Greg Forsyth, retired researcher of the CSIR (left), and Lee Raath-Brownie of the publication Fire and Rescue International. Raath-Brownie spoke on the importance of fire managers' communication and relations with the media, as well as the media's responsibility in ensuring the publicised facts are accurate when reporting on fires.