Fire ecosystem: 2011 dossier
The survey is carried out every year by the Civil Protection Department and Legambiente
During the first eight months of 2011, in countertrend with 2010, the number of fires and surface hit by fire in Italy has increased. South of Italy and islands are the areas mostly exposed to the risk. Among the regions hit by fire, Calabria with 486 incendi follewed up by Campania and Sardinia.
This is the context of Ecosistema Incendi 2011 - Fire Ecosystem 2011: the annual survey carried out by Legambiente and the Civil Protection Department and dedicated to fire risk mitigation initiatives of the Italian municipalities.
The survey - part of the national wood fire risk campaign 'Don't play with fire' - aims at evaluating the actions taken by local administrations to control wood fires, and especially interface ones.
These actions integrate the ones carried out as provided by law no. 353 of 2000: information campaigns dedicated to the population, resources for specialized voluntary work, delimitation of areas hit by fire and emergency plans for interface fires.
About 2 thousand local administrations were selected for the creation of Ecosistema incendi 2011 - Fire Ecosystem 2011 among the ones that, between 2007 and 2010 were affected by fires with a surface equal or bigger than 10 ha.
21% of the sample answered to the questionairre. Ecosistema Incendi 2011 - Fire Ecosystem 2011 analysis is based thus on the responses of 423 local administrations.
Municipalities carry out a strategic and unreplaceable role in the fire mitigation: 45% of interviewed municipalities creates informative campaigns dedicated to the population, whilst only 2 municipalities out of 19 promote staff updating activities.
Regarding prevention, 69% of municipalities carires out a correct maintenance of the service road network, organizes a regular ground cleaning and activities in order to control small hotbeds triggering, and creates fireguard paths.
60% of municipalities carried out positive politics to support agreements with the civil protection voluntary work specialized in wood fire fighting, a precious resource to support competent administrations for territorial safeguard activities.
The Civil Protection Department – that through the Joint Air Operating Centre coordinates the national fire-fighting air fleet – supports and promotes fire risk awareness initiatives for a conscious citizenship, active and informed on the main rules of autoprotection.