Early warning

This article reports public reactions to a UK emergency phone alert on wildfire risk, highlighting concerns over alert fatigue, unclear guidance and the need for effective crisis communication.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) developed a wildfire early detection system that combines real-time modelling, remote sensing and multiple datasets to help emergency officials decide when to alert at-risk communities and where to deploy resources.

Researchers at University of Montana announced a free high-tech tool used to better understand forests and rangelands across the country. It can identify areas at high risk of wildfire and high-severity fire where catastrophic events can occur.

A collaboration between researchers is advancing new methods to improve air quality forecasting and public health alerts, highlighting the role of statistics in tackling real-world environmental challenges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has had some bad press. However, AI is also showing its value as a transformative technology that could change the way we manage threats. One such threat is wildfire. Discover AI innovations in managing wildfire risk.

Forest fires will continue, meaning we need ongoing investment in prevention, land management and firefighting resources. But we also need to pay more attention to human behaviour.

This research evaluates the operational utility of Fire Warnings—tactical National Weather Service (NWS) alerts issued at the request of local emergency management agencies—by examining how exposure and training influence practitioner adoption.