3. Introduction
Fire is a biophysical/ecological
disturbance
Fire is also a social disturbance
Fire is a cause and effect of both
– Ecological dynamics
– Social dynamics
6. Communities Affected by Fire
Before the fire event: preparedness
and risk reduction
During the fire event: disruption,
uncertainty and coordination
After the fire event: rehabilitation
and recovery
7. Objective
Summarize what is currently known
about human community dynamics,
decisions and dilemmas before,
during and after major fire events
8. Jakes & Nelson: Critical Initiatives
prior to a Fire
Rich literature of
case studies
showing what
individuals &
communities are
doing to address
physical and social
preparedness
9. Physical Preparedness
Safety of physical facilities to
minimize loss of life, injury and
property damage
– Vegetation management
– Communications systems
– Water access systems
– Public education programs
10. Social Preparedness
Outcome of the
social processes and
institutions essential
for community
action
– Partnerships
– Laws/ordinances
– Planning institutions
– Decision-making
networks
11. Carroll & Cohn: Consequences of
Actions During the Fire
Suppression tactics and strategy
Conflict may occur among firefighting
entities
Improve integration, collaboration,
training, and coordination of federal
and non-federal firefighting agencies
13. Impacts and Consequences
What impacts do fire events have on
the day to day lives of residents of
affected communities?
Impacts occur at different levels of
social organization
– Individual
– Family
– Neighborhood
– Social group
– Community
14. Summary
Communities often find themselves
ill-prepared for the multi-dimensional
nature of the problems of large fires
What happens during a fire has the
potential to affect internal
community dynamics and
community/land management
agency relations for years to come
15. Burchfield: Consequences of
Actions After the Fire
Agencies will be
burdened by
rehabilitation and
recovery needs
Post-fire ‘bounce’ for
innovation, land use
planning and
institutional change
Community-level
recovery from
wildfires is difficult to
predict
16. Consequences to Human
Communities
Biophysical
Social-demographic
Social-cultural
Paucity of research on the impacts of
fire on human communities
18. Consequences
Socio-demographic
– Emotional &
aesthetic impact
– Real estate
downturns short-
lived
– Economics-
suppression costs
continue to
increase- do costs
outweigh benefits?
19. Consequences
Socio-cultural
– Emotional, psychological impacts:
mirrors findings from disaster literature
– Integration and coordination among
organizations important in the recovery
process
– Greatest opportunities for institutional
change or land use planning are
greatest afterwards
20. Post-fire Recovery
Parallels other natural disasters
Variability of communities makes
generalization difficult
Nested layers of complexity affect
community responses to fire
21. Summary
Chapters present a reasonably
comprehensive overview about
research on human communities and
fire.
Communities are the focus when
talking about the human and social
impacts of wildfire.
