NFPA Journal - November/December 2017 - 88

Wildfire by Lucian Deaton

NEWS FROM NFPA'S
WILDLAND FIRE
OPERATIONS DIVISION

The New New Normal
HOW THE 2017 WILDFIRE SEASON IS RESHAPING HOW WE
DEFINE AND ADDRESS THE GLOBAL WILDFIRE PROBLEM

n trying to make sense of

The June wildfires in Portugal offer
the many dramatic wilda good illustration of the potential outfires that occurred this
come of this imbalance. While seeking
year, a few media outlets
answers about why the deadly wildfire in
have described 2017 as the
Portugal swept so quickly across the rural
dawn of a "new normal" in terms of the
landscape, The New York Times described
scope and size of wildfires. While that
the problem in part like this: "hotter,
label is open for debate, I do think 2017
drier summers are setting off more forest
was unique in revealing some important
fires, which are accelerating a decadeslessons, and showing us the full cumuold migration [among residents] from
lative impacts of a changing world on
rural areas, leaving lands untended. That,
wildfire behavior.
in turn, helps fuel new and more intense
The fire season kicked off in January
fires that spread and burn even faster."
when wildfires burned across Chile,
The Times also explained that changes
Many of the factors
charring entire towns and landscapes.
in land management helped fuel the
that made this year
In spring, a historically early batch of
flames in Portugal. Areas that were once
such a difficult fire
wildfires ignited in Florida and Califoropen oak stands, farmers' fields, and grazseason aren't new,
nia, while grass fires burned hot and fast
ing pastures have been transformed into
but 2017 was perhaps
across Kansas and Oklahoma and near
forest plantations of pine and eucalyptus
the first time we
Cape Town, South Africa. This summer,
to feed the global wood-pulp market. This
clearly saw their
60 people died while fleeing a forest
new cash crop is highly combustible, and
combined effects.
fire in Portugal; the U.S. wrestled with
is surrounded by small landowners who
the costliest wildfire season on record;
are often unable to properly manage fire
and large, menacing fires on the Medion their own lands. Over time, the facterranean coasts of Europe sent tourists
tors noted by the Times have combined to
scurrying and made global headlines. In
create a "new normal" in Portugal.
mid-October, one of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. hisSimilar changes are happening across the globe. In the U.S.,
tory struck Northern California, killing at least 40 people and rural populations are getting older, making it more difficult for
destroying thousands of homes.
some people to adequately maintain their properties against
While certainly a challenge for residents and the fire service, fire. Summers are getting hotter, and changes in how we use
did these events really mark a "new normal" as some would the land have put more people in places where fire has hissuggest, or just a more recent version of the old normal? It's a torically been an integral part of the landscape. The resulting
little of both. Many of the factors that made for a difficult fire buildup of dry overgrowth requires only a spark to become a
season-increased development in the wildland/urban inter- devastating wildfire.
face, an aging rural population, and a warming climate-aren't
These shifting factors are the real "new normal." If we are to
new, but 2017 was perhaps the first time we clearly saw their address them, fire departments, wildfire agencies, and policy
combined effects. Taken as a whole, they have created a new makers need to learn from the global wildfire experience of
fire environment that we have not prepared well for. When the 2017. These lessons will help us figure out not only where wildthree components of the wildfire triangle-fuel, topography, fires might demand attention in the years to come, but what
and weather-become imbalanced, wildfire as we know it stops other steps we can take to mitigate their impact.
behaving in a roughly predictable way and a "new normal" is
LUCIAN DEATON is a project manager in NFPA's Wildfire Division.
the result.

88 | NFPA JOURNAL * N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2017