National Round Table on Fire Management
Training Course on Integrated Fire Management
Mazandaran, Kelarabad, Islamic Republic of Iran, 9-12 May 2016
Background and Rationale
Forests and other vegetation in the Middle East and neighbouring regions of the Caspian Sea, South Caucasus, Near East and adjoin Balkans and Central Asia are becoming increasingly affected by climate change and socio-economic and land-use changes. One of the major problems associated with this development is the increasing vulnerability, occurrence and damages caused by wildfires. In theIslamic Republic of Iran most fire-endangered forest ecosystems and adjoining lands are in the Caspian region. The similarity of problems in the neighbouring region of the country is calling for an exchange of expertise and knowledge in fire management. In 2011 the International Conference of Wildfire on Natural Resources Lands, Islamic Republic of Iran, held in Gorgan, Golestan Province, included participation of fire management experts from neighbouring countries, which are members of the Global Wildland Fire Network, and revealed the benefits of mutual exchange of fire management expertise between neighbouring countries of the region.
Organizers: Host and Supporting Organizations
The First International Fire Management Week was organized and hosted by the Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO), Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The first part the National Round Table on Fire Management was led through theGlobal Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Secretariat of theGlobal Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) (Freiburg, Germany), the Regional Central Asia Fire Management Resource Center (RCAFMRC), Secretariat of the UNISDR Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), and the Regional Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC), Secretariat of the UNISDR Regional South East Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network (Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). The First International Fire Management Week was supported by the voluntary framework of theInternational Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (IWPM), which is offering capacity building and cross-boundary cooperation in fire management through exchange of expertise and application of voluntary standards in fire management. The IWPM is a contribution for the implementation of the UNISDR Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
The second part of the First International Fire Management Week provided on on-site field assessment of the fire and fire management situation in the most fire-endangered forest of the country. It was followed-up by a concluding consultation between the host country and the GFMC / GWFN.
- Agenda of the First International Fire Management Week (English version; PDF, 0.3 MB)
Introduction of the EuroFire Competency Standards and Training Material in Persian Language
Under the sponsorship of the EU Leonardo da Vinci programme the GFMC has developed between 2006 and 2008 competency standards and basic training materials for professional and volunteer fire fighters the EuroFire Competency Standards and Training Materials. Apart of national use the materials are increasingly used for cross-boundary cooperation in fire management within the GWFN and the IWPM. Through a better local understanding of corporate training materials of firefighters the interoperability, effectiveness and efficiency of countries cooperating in wildfire emergencies is increased.
In early 2016 the FRWO translated the EuroFire materials to Persian and introduced to the authorities of IR Iran at the First International Fire Management Week and encouraged the participants to apply them for capacitating local administrations and rural communities in safe and efficient control of wildfires. At future regional trainings such as the last one held under the co-auspices of theUNISDR Regional SE Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network inTurkey in 2014 the materials will be used for cross-boundary training.
- EuroFire website (all languages):http://www.euro-fire.eu/
- EuroFire Standards and Training Materials in Persian language:https://gfmc.online/eurofire/ef_per.html
Picture Gallery of the 2016 International Fire Management Week
Forests of the Alborz Mountain Range, Northern Iran
The Core Group of the Fire Management Week
Fire response team of the Forest Protection Guard
Forest Fire Hotshots
Opening of the Fire Management Week by Colonel Ghasem Sabz Ali, Commander of Forest Guard (FRWO)
Opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Johann Georg Goldammer, Director of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)
Welcome Remarks by Dr. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, Director of the Regional Central Asia Fire Management Resource Center (RCAFMRC)
Welcome Remarks by Prof. Dr. Nikola Nikolov, Director of the Regional SE Europe / Caucasus Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC)
Introduction of the EuroFire Competency Standards by GFMC
Introduction of the Persian version of the EuroFire Competency Standards by Dr. Roghayeh Jahdi (FRWO)
Panel discussion: Questions directed to the international group
Panel discussion: Nikola Nikolov replying to the audience
Discussion contribution by the practitioner community
Vivid discussion among the international advisory group
The audience: Leadership of the FRWO
The audience: Leadership of the FRWO and University of Gorgan
Audience: The community of practitioners involved in the discussion
Ceremonial: ENDEX
