Network Day Working Group Wildfires
Some time ago, the Wildfires Working Group was hosted by the StädteRegion Aachen in Simmerath. With insights into the Hawkeye project, European developments and operational concepts for wildfire response, the meeting proved to be both informative and valuable, with ample opportunity for knowledge exchange and networking.
On 23 March, the Wildfires Working Group visited the StädteRegion Aachen in Simmerath (Germany). In addition to the regular members of the working group, colleagues interested in wildfire management were also present at this meeting.
After a short round of introductions, Marc Vondenhof gave a presentation on the developments and current status of the Hawkeye Project.
Marc explained how technical tools are being used to detect fires in the High Fens area at an early stage. Cameras and detectors are deployed to identify potential fires in natural areas as early as possible.
Sven van Oppen participates on behalf of Belgium in the meetings of CTIF – Forest Fires. He provided the participants with feedback from the most recent meeting and discussed the latest developments in the field of wildfires in Europe. One of these developments is the Fire Weather Training course organised by the Pau Costa Foundation. The course is intended for fire service professionals and fire behaviour analysts who wish to deepen their understanding of how environmental factors influence wildfire behaviour. It focuses on understanding and interpreting weather-related information to support well-informed decision-making during wildfire incidents. Shortly before the Network Day, Sven attended this course and was able to share his first-hand experiences with the group.
As the final speaker and host on behalf of the StädteRegion, Thomas Sprank presented the operational concept for wildfires that has been developed and is being implemented within the StädteRegion. He provided insight into how this concept is structured and explained the scaling methodology used.
After the lunch break, Thomas demonstrated the equipment and materials that have been acquired, explaining how units are trained and prepared.
To conclude the visit in Simmerath, he also gave participants a brief look inside the crisis centre located on site.
It was a valuable and informative meeting. In addition to gaining insights into new developments, there was also time for networking—overall, a worthwhile day.
Thanks go to all participants and speakers, with special thanks to Thomas Sprank for the warm welcome and excellent organisation in Simmerath.