Demonstration event "Dissemination of scientific products developed within the FirEUrisk project to improve the system of protection of natural landscapes from fires in Demonstration Area Chornobyl Exclusion Zone"

     The demonstration event "Dissemination of scientific products developed within the FirEUrisk project to improve the system of protection of natural landscapes from fires in the DA Chornobyl Exclusion Zone" was held on February 22, 2024 at the Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

     Demonstration event was organized in a hybrid (in-person/online) format to disseminate the scientific results of FirEUrisk project. The target audience of the DE was staff responsible for landscape fire protection of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). In total, the event was attended by 51 participants from 13 different organizations. In particular, the event was attended by employees of the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, the Specialized State Enterprise "Pivnichna Pushcha", representatives of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, as well as participants from forestry branches of the State Specialized Forest Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" from the eastern, central and western regions of Ukraine, scientists and other stakeholders.

     The main aim of the Demonstration Event was dissemination of the selected products in framework Deliverable 5.2 «Portfolio of demonstration products for PS and pan-European demos» of FirEUrisk project for demonstration area Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.
In total 3 products were selected for DA Chornobyl Exclusion Zone:

• Fuel type maps for the Chornobyl exclusion zone (Product Card 82). The product characterizes distributions of surface and canopy fuels within the Chornobyl exclusion zone and bordering (15-km buffer) territories. The final output – continuously updated fuel type maps and canopy fuels used in the wildfire simulation. The product developed within the Activity “A1.1.4 Risk-wise landscape and fuel models development”.
• Fire danger index classification for Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Product Card 40). The Product allows to use outputs from Fire danger index classification for Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. The product developed within the Activity “A1.1.1 Fire weather and fuel status prevention”.
• Online platform for fire risk assessment, dose prediction, prevention and suppression of fires (Product Card 81). This product assesses fire danger using existing danger indices and drought codes as well as radioactive dose prediction during wildfires. Those data will be available in a free and open platform based upon the internal cooperative platform as the one-stop-shop for data, models and knowledge on fire risk in ChEZ (www.wildfires.org.ua ). The product developed within the WP5.

     Prof. Roman Vasylyshyn, Director of the Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management, Oleksandr Galushchenko, Director of the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, and Serhiy Zibtsev, Head of the Regional East European Fire Monitoring Center and Professor of the Silviculture Department of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, delivered opening speeches.

     Prof. Domingos Viegas project coordinator, a professor at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, joined an online and presented the main ideas and goals of the project, and its importance in the current context. He noticed about the consortium and the importance of the Ukrainian part in this project. Domingos Viegas wished fruitful work and appreciated the interest of practitioners in studying new achievements in science obtained within the project.

     The event included two parts: a presentation of materials and practical exercises with the participants. The presentation of the materials was held in the "IQ-space" of the NUBiP of Ukraine, and the practical part was held in the computer class of the Institute of Forestry and Landscape Park Management of NUBiP.
     Viktor Myroniuk presented the report "Demonstration of online resources for modeling of behavior of landscape fires" which is in the product context of “Fuel type maps for the Chornobyl exclusion zone” (Product Card 82).
    Vadym Bohomolov presented a report within the products of the project "Online platform for fire risk assessment, dose prediction, prevention and suppression of fires" (Product Card 81) and “Fire danger index classification for Chornobyl Exclusion Zone“ (Product Card 40) with the title "Demonstration of developed web applications for CEZ on the geoportal "Landscape Fires" that included: model of the daily fire danger index within the CEZ, fire roads network, fire breaks, fire towers, forest fire stations, fire engines control system, detection of fires using video surveillance systems.

     Dmytro Holiaka presented the results of the study of radiation risks for firefighters during fires in the CEZ in the case of "Online platform for fire risk assessment, dose prediction, prevention and suppression of fires" (Product Card 81).

  Practical training with employees of the Chornobyl Radioecological Biosphere Reserve and the CEZ took place in a computer class and involved the use of products developed within the FirEUrisk project. The moderators of the practical part were Sergiy Zibtsev, Oleksandr Soshenskyi, Viktor Myroniuk, Dmytro Holiaka, Vadym Bogomolov.

     As a result of the event, the key results of the project considering the DA Chornobyl Exclusion Zone were disseminated. The participants discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the developed products, as well as the prospects for using these products in practice. In particular, the need to restore the fire monitoring dispatch center, which was established in CEZ before the war and destroyed by Russian soldiers. Such a dispatch center provides an opportunity to use modern products of the Fire Management System, including products developed within the FirEUrisk project.
     The cooperation of scientists and practitioners in the field of improvement of the components of the wildfire protection system of the CEZ is sustainable and long-term. The results of scientific achievements that will be obtained as a result of the FirEUrisk project by all members of the consortium will be available for use in Ukraine.

    Agenda: sites/default/files/u184/agenda_of_demonstration_event_for_cez_fireurisk_reefmc_20_02_2024_fin1.pdf

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