Hungarian forest fire prevention and training program (FIRELIFE)

The incidence of forest fires has greatly increased in the last few decades in Hungary. Not only has the frequency of fires increased, but also their intensity and the speed with which they spread. This is due to climate extremes, less precipitation, the increase of mean annual temperature and a series of winters without snowfall.

The overall objective of FIRELIFE was to enhance effective, proactive and continuous forest fire prevention in Hungary. The project aimed to provide targeted information and messages on the basis of an up-to-date communication framework plan, with target groups also involved through personal contact. As 99% of forest fires are caused by human activity in Hungary, targeted and instant communication can effectively cut the number of forest fires. The aim was to organise training courses for teachers, social workers and farmstead caretakers, as well as for forest fire prevention experts (foresters, conservationists, firefighters). The courses were designed to build relationships and improve inter-agency cooperation on forest fire prevention.

The project taught teachers, social workers, farmers and forest fire prevention experts to enhance forest fire prevention across the country. As a result, the number of forest fires decreased by nearly a third, and the size of the area damaged fell by nearly 90%. Other countries can follow FIRELIFE’s checklist to develop their own fire-prevention systems and tools.