Aerial Firefighting Europe: new location, new opportunities

In preparation for the event, Professor Goldammer shared details of the conference agenda topics, which include the fact that in the Euro-Mediterranean region, larger and more severe wildfires often are difficult to control.

European fire seasons increasingly challenging

Until a few years ago, the climatic conditions in Central, Western Atlantic, Northern and Eastern Europe were advantageous. The fragmented and intensively cultivated landscapes, forests and protected areas experienced limited numbers of usually small-sized wildfires. More than a decade ago, the first warning signals came from the UK and Ireland, where the humid Atlantic climate began to change – along with an unprecedented amount of wildfires affecting moorlands, heathlands and forests. Beginning in 2018, recurrent, long-lasting droughts affected the vitality and resilience of forests, agricultural lands and other open landscapes of Central and Northern Europe. Widespread desiccation of vegetation cover, associated with dramatically lowered soil moisture and water tables, created conditions favorable for wildfires.

Central and Northern European countries need to adjust to a new reality, which is calling for sharing expertise with other regions of Europe and the world, where experience in fire management methods have evolved over decades. The conference will provide a forum for exchanging expertise and visions for the future of landscape fire management. Conference contributions from Europe and North America will address the advances in technology development and the integration of aerial resources into concepts of building sustainable concepts of integrated fire management.

International collaboration and shared experience

Lessons identified during cross-boundary co-operation in fire management in Europe during the peak of the pandemic are another theme of the conference. Representatives of the European Commission will present the opportunities for sharing aerial firefighting resources in the frame of the rescEU agenda, which is an activity of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The aim of rescEU is to strengthen European preparedness for disasters, and sharing capacities to respond to forest fires, medical emergencies or chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents. In terms of wildfire related information, such as the early warning and monitoring of wildfires, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) provides support to rescEU.

The conference will also shed light on special problems of fire management: Europe contains landscapes that are contaminated by the heritage of armed conflicts – unexploded ordnance (UXO) stemming from the World Wars, the Cold War, and other recent conflicts. In addition, fires burning on territories contaminated by industrial waste or accidents, including radioactively contaminated areas of Eastern Europe, pose a special threat to society and fire and rescue personnel.

Exhibition opportunities

Aerial Firefighting Europe 2021 also features a dedicated exhibition area, which will offer aerial firefighting technology providers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with new and existing clients and showcase their products to the global audience. Confirmed participants include DynCorp International LLC, Viking Air Limited, Conair Group, Perimeter Solutions, Fireboss LLC, Antavia Ametek, Columbia Helicopters, Inc., Overwatch Imaging, Airtelis, Ansett Aviation and Collins Aerospace among many others.