Fighting Europe’s fires: Inside the EU’s emergency response centre

The primary half of July was a busy one for the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels as forest fires season properly and actually began in Europe.

In simply eight days, 4 member states — France, Italy, Slovenia and Spain — requested EU help to battle devastating blazes, bringing to 5 the variety of activations of the emergency centre for forest fires this yr.

The company, which is a part of the EU Civil Safety Mechanism, has already had a heavy workload as a consequence of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and the continued battle towards COVID-19.

However not like the conflict in Ukraine or the pandemic, apocalyptic forest fires in Europe are actually widespread occurrences each summer season as local weather change pushes temperatures to new dizzying heights whereas practically half of the bloc is now uncovered to “warning” drought ranges. 

“Since 2017, you have got a steep improve when it comes to activation of the mechanism for forest fires and never just for Europe but additionally neighbouring nation, Northern Africa. We have seen additionally requests from Georgia and so on,” Antoine Lemasson, Head of the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre, informed Euronews.

This yr’s season, he went on, “is beginning excessive, the identical vary as final yr, which was a tough one, and we hope that it’s going to not be as dangerous because it was in 2017, which was a lethal fireplace season with many accidents, notably in Portugal.”

How the ERCC works

The ERCC was created in 2013 to be the “operational coronary heart” of the EU Civil Safety Mechanism and now counts 33 collaborating international locations together with the 27 EU member states in addition to Norway, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.

These days, it counts a group of over 25 responsibility officers and is manned night time and day on the Centre’s headquarters within the coronary heart of Brussels’ European quarters. From their management room stuffed with maps and information from Copernicus, European Union’s Earth statement programme, they coordinate the bloc’s response to disasters. 

The ERCC has been activated greater than 600 instances since its inception to answer earthquakes and cyclones in far-flung corners of the world, but additionally to floods and different kinds of accidents.

It has additionally been triggered for repatriation resembling following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan or for inhabitants displacement occasions together with the huge inflow of Ukrainian refugees into the EU and neighbouring international locations.

In apply, its assist could be requested by any nation on this planet whose personal nationwide emergency assets are overwhelmed by a catastrophe and want additional help. Their request is entered into the ERCC system, permitting all of the company’s member states to see what is required and put in what they’ll individually contribute. 

The ERCC itself doesn’t have any tools to dispatch however it instructions a reserve capability, generally known as rescEU, made up of assets member states have pre-committed.

A four-fold improve in fires

On the subject of forest fires, the rescEU reserve is that this yr made up of 12 firefighting plane and one helicopter. These have been loaned by Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden however their upkeep value and fuelling wants are coated by the EU throughout the season.

Forest fires have, on common, represented 17% of all activations of the centre, accounting for six.5 activations per yr. 

Final yr, there have been 9 requests associated to forest fires — the most important quantity prior to now decade. It additionally noticed the most important ever variety of simultaneous activations.

General, it was the second-worst wildfire season within the EU since 2000, with damages inflicted by the blazes solely surpassed by 2017, when over a million hectares burned within the EU. 

Twenty-two member states had been impacted by fires which resulted in a complete burnt space of 500,566 hectares within the bloc. Italy was probably the most severely impacted within the EU with 160,000 hectares razed however really got here second to Turkey the place greater than 206,000 hectares had been decimated by fires. 

The statistics up to now this yr counsel we could possibly be in for a troublesome one.

Already greater than 515,000 hectares have been burnt throughout the EU, in response to information from the European Forest Fireplace Data System (EFFIS). That is about 4 instances the common for a similar interval from 2006 to 2021 (130,255 ha).

The variety of fires has additionally practically quadrupled with over 1,900 blazes recorded up to now this yr, in comparison with a 2006-2021 common of 520 by this time within the yr. 

“This forest fireplace season is a crucial one for the ERCC,” Lemasson stated. “We point out that the official forest fireplace season begins in June. However in actuality, you have got fires already in February within the southern Mediterranean belt.”

“In Corsica, you have got fireplace in January and February, and so on (as a result of) you have got vegetation which may be very dry, not sufficient rain throughout spring, so the state of affairs if you arrive at the start of the summer season is already very tough. It is a sample and I believe we must reside with that yearly now, from now,” he stated.

In line with EFFIS, the months of March and April had been significantly dramatic this yr in comparison with the 2006-2021 common.

‘Good however inadequate’ EU response

This week is providing a little bit of respite. Slovenia has indicated it now not wants European help whereas firefighters in south-western France introduced on Monday that the large fires in Landiras which compelled the evacuations of greater than 36,000 individuals have been contained.

However we’re solely midway by the season and Greece, which was the theatre of dramatic scenes final yr as individuals fled flames on the island of Evia has for now held off on requesting European help.

A part of the reason being that for the primary time ever, the ERCC has pre-positioned 204 firefighters from throughout the bloc to Greece. The work for this pilot scheme started on the finish of the final fireplace season.

“Greece was actually affected closely. You had an excellent response from member states, however nonetheless an inadequate one. So what we do is yearly, we do a ‘lesson learnt’ (workshop) particularly on the forest fires season. It comes, after all, after the top of the season and based mostly on the lesson learnt, we developed such a programme,” Lemasson defined.

Main wildfires are actually sweeping by giant elements of the nation.

Greece additionally accounts for seven of the final 20 activations for Copernicus’ Emergency Administration Service over forest fires. Requesting particular mapping from Copernicus to trace the extent of a forest fireplace is commonly a precursor to an ERCC activation.

Athens has requested Copernicus mapping for the islands of Lesvos, Samos and Crete in addition to for fires close to Athens, Itea and the Peloponnese, within the south, and Portes, within the north.

However Greece, though it’s commonly overwhelmed, has developed methods to fight forest fires, identical to the opposite Mediterranean international locations. 

In line with the European Atmosphere Company (EEA), the burnt space within the so-called EUMED 5 — France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain — has barely decreased since 1980, proving that their management efforts are efficient.

A rescEU fleet is coming

Now, Europe should put together to answer fires in areas that had been till now, largely spared, together with in central and northern elements of the continent.

Sweden has requested European help to sort out forest fires a number of instances over the previous a long time and in 2020, the Fee financed the acquisition by the Swedish authorities of two new firefighting aeroplanes.

Brussels is now planning to finance the acquisition by member states of extra aerial belongings and to station them throughout the bloc. However it will take a number of years. 

“For the reason that lethal forest fireplace in Portugal in 2017, the Fee determined with member states to create these rescEU belongings. We hope the primary planes can be out there in 2026 and on the finish of 2029, we should always have round 12 aeroplanes which might have the ability to help our member states,” Lemasson stated. 

These would come on prime of the belongings member states already decide to the reserve. 

“So I believe the one downside is that this hole, we have to attain 2026 with out too many difficulties and it’s totally tough to forecast,” he concluded.