Author(s)

L. Corgnati, M. Gabella & G. Perona

Abstract

FIREcast system – previsional fire danger index computation system for alpine regions L. Corgnati, M. Gabella & G. Perona Dipartimento di Elettronica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy Abstract FIREcast is a previsional fire danger index computing system, which elaborates weather parameter maps to evaluate the danger indicator on the interest area. FIREcast uses as a starting point the foreseen Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) adjusted for continental European latitudes and climatology and adapted for alpine regions orography. As FWI is a meteorological fire danger index, it represents the fire danger level due solely to the present and past weather conditions, not considering contingent human presence and actions. FIREcast operates on meteorological forecast input data maps, to obtain output maps representing expected fire danger in the studied area (Piedmont criteria in the current case) with a forecasting time interval up to 72 hours, after adjusting the forecast to historical fire records. FIREcast is a valuable aid in firefighting management: it allows involved agencies to have an efficient resources administration (both logistic and human), well aimed territory monitoring and reliable intervention planning for operators’ safety. Keywords: forest fires, forecast, fire danger index, alpine regions. 1 Introduction The first crucial step in forest fires management is the identification of those parameters that allow for the estimation of fire rising probability. Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) is a powerful instrument to analyse such a problem, with reliable performances also at our latitudes. FWI computes six indices to characterize fire rising probability and turn-on parameters. Inputs are daily air temperature, air relative humidity, wind speed and rainfall measurements from a ground station network. To compute the final indices, the also method uses the historical evolution of these quantities. The FWI method has been developed

Keywords

forest fires, forecast, fire danger index, alpine regions.