Forest Fires and Wildland Urban Interface

Recommended Prerequisites

Basic knowledge (1^st cycle level) is required in: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Programming, Numerical and Computational Methods, Probabilities and Statistics, Thermodynamics, Experimental Methods. 

Teaching Methods

Lecturing will be made in theoretical classes by the main teacher with the support of other colleagues or invited lecturers. If justified the teaching will be made on a tutorial basis with the presentation of bibliography and weekly meetings to discuss the topics of the program based on the oriented research carried out by the students. Visits to places of interest namely to the Forest Fire Research Laboratory of ADAI will be made. The evaluation will consist on an exam and a monograph prepared individually or in group on one or more of the topics of the program.

Learning Outcomes

The main objective of this unit is to provide students with solid and autonomous knowledge on the problem of natural and technological risks with main emphasis on some of them, to be used in practical and operational applications. Particular attention is devoted to the problem of forest fires namely to their impact on areas with edifications, that is the so called wildland urban interface in which people live and high economic or social value resources can be found and have to be protected. The students should gain capacity to identify areas of greater fire risk and plan the edification accordingly in order to minimize losses. Besides a general vision of the problem it is intended to provide the students with a methodology to perform autonomous investigation on the topics of greater interest for the students. 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1.   Introduction. Main types of natural and technological risks. Scope of the Discipline.
2. Forest Fires
   1. Factors associated to forest fires
   2. Analysis of forest fire behaviour.
   3. Fire Safety and Accidents
3. The Problem of the Wildland Urban Interface
   1. Tipology of edifications and critical structures.
   2. Plannning to reduce risk
   3. Protection of critical zones.

        4.Case Studies.  

Head Lecturer(s)

Domingos Xavier Filomeno Carlos Viegas

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Report of a seminar or field trip: 10.0%
Laboratory work or Field work: 20.0%
Exam: 70.0%

Bibliography

Livro de apoio/ Companion book: Viegas, DX, Ribeiro, LM e Rossa, C., 2011 – Manual Pratico sobre os Incêndios Florestais. Ed. Dashöfer, Lisboa.

Leitura Recomendada/Other references:

Alexander D., 2002. Principles of Emergency planning and management. Terra publishing, England.

BRP Report, 2008. The Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Wildland Urban Interface Fire. Int. Code Council. (http://www.iccsafe.org/government/blueribbon/index.html)

Chandler, C., Cheney P., Thomas P., Trabaud L., Williams D., 1983. Fire in Forestry. Vol I. Forest Fire Behaviour and Effects. Wiley Intersc. Pub.. New York.

Handmer J., Haynes K., 2008. Community Bushfire Safety. CSIRO Pub., Australia.

Smalley J.C., 2005. Protecting Life and Property from Wildfire. Nat. Fire Prot. Assoc., Quincy,

 

Viegas DX (Ed.), 2009. Recent Forest Fire Related Accidents in Europe. JRC Sci. and Tech. Reports, Joint Res. Centre, Inst. for Env. Sustainability, European C.  JRC 56107, EUR 24121 EN, ISBN 978-92-79-14604-6, ISSN 1018-5593. 75p.