EUROFINET

As fires do not respect national borders, the fight against fire requires a close cooperation with the national, regional and local authorities. After the 2003 disastrous summer, 9 Mediterranean regions decided to cooperate in a RFO INCENDI within the framework of IIIC South.

The subproject results added to the fruitful cooperation made it possible to create a successful framework for the continuity of the cooperation with an aim of capitalizing the results of the first project.The Greek tragedy during three consecutive summers reinforced the partnership convictions of the need for continuing the cooperation explaining in the project the strong representativity of the Greek regions affected by the disaster.

The partners have identified as top priority 5 good practices gathering in 3 thematics to develop during the two years of duration. These thematics and good practices are :

a) Strategy of intervention (1-Interventions on starting fires, techniques of intervention)

b) Innovative Technologies/Cartography (2-Training with simulation tools; 3-Strategies of territory’s surveillance, detection and prevention, 4-Cartography of risk,hazard)

c) Restoration of burnt spaces (5-Technical restoration process of burnt territories).

In summary, the final key results of the EUFOFINET Project are:

– The exchange of models of good practice between the project partners;

– The updating and improvement of the good practice matrix created by the “INCENDI” project, a Regional Framework Operation co-funded by INTERREG IIIC;

– The identification and promotion of common intervention procedures for forest fires and wildfires;

– The creation of a regional institutional network for forest fire/wildfire;

– The production of an operational Action Plan by each partner documenting the planned implementation of one or more good practices.

– The collaborative production of a “European Glossary of Terminology for Wildfire” and, subsequently, the establishment of platform for developing a common language and understanding among wildfire practitioners in Europe.