Large Outdoor Fires & the Built Environment (LOF&BE) Working Group
Welcome to Large Outdoor Fires & the Built Environment (LOF&BE) Working Group Page!
Latest News
- Here is a link to the LOF&BE Workshop Schedule for October 2023.
- The LOF&BE webinars are running monthly and to date, 15 webinars have been delivered, as well as six student webinars. These are listed below. LOF&BE also started its own YouTube channel, so anyone is free to watch any of these interesting webinars. We have moved the IAFSS LOF&BE Channel for public viewing and the reception is very positive! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiar3IU5l6YtWC5zTGKYMkg
- As part of our continued growth plans in IAFSS LOF&BE, we are establishing a Fire Service Advisory Panel (FSAP) to help bridge the gap between fire management and fire research. The FSAP will be of great help to all three of our subgroups; we expect valuable input to guide our future activities! Any IAFSS member interested in joining the panel is asked to send a CV along with relevant experience with the fire services to co-chairs Sara, Sayaka, and Samuel. Thanks!
Objectives
Objectives
LOF&BE aims to bring the community together to tackle large outdoor fire problem such as wildland fires, wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, urban fires, and informal settlement fires. LOF&BE consists of three subgroups – Ignition Resistant Communities (IRC), Emergency Management and Evacuation (EME), and Large Outdoor Fire Fighting (LOFF).
- The IRC subgroup is focused on developing the scientific understanding that will lead to new standards, testing methodologies, and mitigation strategies indicative of large outdoor fire exposures, including the ones from wildland to communities and within communities.
- The EME subgroup is focused on developing the scientific basis for effective emergency management strategies for communities exposed to large outdoor fires.
- The LOFF subgroup is providing a review of various tactics that are used, as well as the various personal protective equipment (PPE), and suggests pathways for research community engagement, including environmental issues in suppressing these fires.
Background
Background
Large outdoor fires present a risk to the built environment. One example are wildfires that spread into communities, referred to as Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires. Other examples are large urban fires, including those that have occurred after earthquakes. The number of wildland fires is also increasing. Informal settlement fires pose a risk to people in Asia and Africa. Research into large outdoor fires lags behind other areas of fire safety science research. Common characteristics between fire spread in WUI fires and urban fires have not been fully exploited.
The ‘Large Outdoor Fires & the Built Environment’ working group will address problems with key phenomenological shared characteristics relevant to urban fires, and wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, wildland fires as well as informal settlement fires.
Leaders and Subgroup Leaders
Leaders and Subgroup Leaders
This working group is led by three group leaders and each subgroup is led by a subgroup leader.
Co-leaders are:
- Samuel Manzello (REAX Engineering and Tohoku University, Japan)
- Sara McAllister (US Forest Service, USA)
- Sayaka Suzuki (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan)
Subgroup leaders are:
- Alexander Filkov (University of Melborne) (IRC)
- David Rush (University of Edinburgh) (IRC)
- Rahul Wadhwani (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) (EME)
- Yu Wang (USTC, China) (EME)
Previous Webinars
Previous Webinars
View our previously recorded webinars by clicking below.
How to Join
- Become working group members
Please sign up for this working group – sign up here. Subgroup leaders will contact you for the activity. We look forward to working with you. - Join the workshop
Just show up at any of our workshop and give us your feedback on our presentations. Any feedback is appreciated. You may join working group later!
Contact information
If you have any questions or comments, please contact leaders!