Importance of forest fires for a vulnerability assessment of buildings in Austria
Abstract
Climate change, in combination with socio-economic factors and changes in forest use, is expected to increase the risk of forest fires and the number and intensity of uncontrolled vegetation fires in Central Europe. Therefore, a risk assessment for forest fires is also urgently needed in Austria. However, a detailed risk assessment requires an analysis of the vulnerability (susceptibility to damage) of elements at risk. The project REVEAL focuses on the development of a vulnerability index for buildings at risk of forest fires in Austria at the local level. The vulnerability index is an aggregation of vulnerability indicators related to building characteristics (e.g. material, height, roof shape), characteristics of the immediate building environment (e.g. fences, gardens, walls) and other parameters in the wildland-urban interface (e.g. vegetation, proximity to forests). The index is developed in close cooperation with different experts who select and weight the relevant indicators identified by the project team in expert workshops. The benefits of using the index in risk analysis as well as its implementation and functionality will be demonstrated by applying it in four different case studies in Austria. These case studies will address different aspects of disaster management (e.g. local adaptation and property protection, evacuation, damage documentation) by combining the results with existing data (e.g. population data, evacuation plans). The case studies will be selected during the project based on the forest fire risk of the area and the predominant building types, involving buildings with different uses (industrial, public, tourism, commercial, residential, etc.) and the related expertise of the professionals and potential stakeholders/end-users (local authorities, engineers, spatial planners, emergency services, tourism associations).
- propagation danger
- case study
- Fire
- Landscape planning
Project staff
Harald Vacik
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Harald Vacik
harald.vacik@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91312
Project Leader
01.10.2023 - 30.09.2025
Markus Koller
Markus Koller
markus.koller@students.boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91317
Project Staff
01.10.2023 - 30.09.2025
Mortimer Müller
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.rer.nat. Mortimer Müller
mortimer.mueller@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91318
Project Staff
01.10.2023 - 30.09.2025
Mariana Silva Andrade
Mariana Silva Andrade M.Sc.
mariana.andrade@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91318
Project Staff
01.01.2024 - 30.09.2025