METEOROLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL AGENCY
Indonesian Fire Danger Rating System
Background and Organization of the Indonesia Fire Danger Rating System Initiative
What is Fire Danger Rating?
Project Summary
Project Organization
Fire danger is an assessment of environmental factors influencing vegetation and biomass flammability, and the rate of spread, difficulty of control and impacts of a fire. Fire danger rating is the process of systematically evaluating those factors, and is used as a fire management tool to measure present and future fire danger conditions. It is based on daily meteorological observations and vegetation cover.
Fire Danger Rating Systems are developed to help managers reduce fire damage. These systems support the regulation of activities with a high risk of causing fire and effective deployment of fire suppression resources.
For the past several decades fires and associated haze have increasingly affected the economies, health and environment in four countries in Southeast Asia-Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. During the most recent fire and haze disaster of 1997-98, damage estimates exceeding five billion US dollars have been reported, excluding many direct and indirect costs.
During the fire and haze disaster of 1997-98 large numbers of fire suppression personnel were mobilized. However, their effectiveness was limited by a lack of reliable, current information on locations of the fires and the environmental conditions promoting their ignition and spread; and a lack of trained fire suppression people, equipment and management infrastructure.
The purpose of the Indonesia Fire Danger Rating System initiative is to strengthen the capacity of resource management organizations to prevent and control unwanted vegetation fires and associated haze. The Indonesia initiative is part of a larger Southeast Asia Fire Danger Rating System (SEA FDRS) Project.
The Indonesia FDRS is a joint initiative between the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), and a number of local government agencies and universities. The Canadian Forest Service is a sector of Natural Resources Canada.
The FDRS is being designed to support Indonesian central agencies in monitoring fire conditions and in developing central level actions to support prevention, monitoring and mitigation activities at local levels. Working partnerships are an integral part of implementing a Fire Danger Rating System for Indonesia. Organizations already working with the initiative include the Indonesia Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysical Agency , the Ministry of Forestry, and the Indonesia National Coordination Agency for Disaster Mitigation. For more information please see our Partners page.
A sequential approach is being used to implement two local pilots, beginning with a province in Sumatra. During the first local pilot, the CFS is leading the adaptation, operator training and output-based application activities. During the second local pilot, these activities are to be directed by Indonesian agencies with support from CFS.
Implementation of the FDRS initiative in Indonesia will be through four inter-related programs:
- Adaptation
- Technical assistance to adapt and adjust components of existing FDR systems for local tropical
conditions to support fire prediction, prevention and mitigation decision-making and action.
- Operation
- Technology transfer and training activities to increase competence within national and local
co-operating agencies to independently maintain and operate an FDRS.
- Application
- Education and demonstration projects to increase capacity within central and local co-operating resource management agencies to understand and develop actions based on outputs of FDRS.
