In the future, firefighters and air tankers can’t be expected to put out all wildfires, even some that threaten our homes, say experts who are calling for a change in mindset.
“Protecting against fires is not part of our habit. We are convinced that firefighters will put them out,” says Yves Bergeron, professor of forest ecology at UQAT and UQAM.
“I think we need more equipment than we can afford [de mobiliser] as a community.”
Like many experts interviewed, he recalls that forest fires are a natural phenomenon. He believes that decision-makers and citizens do not take this risk into account sufficiently when building cities, infrastructure or settlements. Neither in place nor in manner.
Yet there are various choices to accommodate this risk.
“It’s important for people to know that warfare methods have operational limitations,” says Jonathan Boucher, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service.
For example, air tankers cannot extinguish all hot spots. Therefore, it is necessary to send fire fighters to land, with all risks.
AFP
Canadian aircraft during a simulation exercise in Marseille, France, on Thursday.
Also, an air tanker is not a solution for all situations. If the heat is too high, the water will evaporate before it touches the fire, says Mr. Boucher explains.
Technologies that make it possible to better fight and monitor the evolution of fires are advancing rapidly, but climate changes are also favorable to fire outbreaks.
In California, the largest insurance company has announced it will stop offering new home coverage, can we read this? The New York Times Last week.
The area burned by Canada’s wildfires has doubled every year since the 1970s and public safety is projected to double again by 2100.
