Work

Determining a Safe Distance Zone for Firefighters Using a High-Resolution Global Canopy Height Dataset—A Case in Türkiye

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Safety zones protect firefighters from bodily injury and death caused by exposure to dangerous heat levels. These zones are defined by maintaining a safe distance from combustible fuels, a safe separation distance (SSD) derived from flame height. This study aimed to determine safety zones, integrating an existing automated identification-of-safety-zone model with vegetation height derived from a freely available high-resolution global canopy height dataset for Manavgat Forest Management Directorate (FMD) in Türkiye. Flame height, terrain slope, size of a safety zone, and distance to the closest road were also used as input in this model. The results indicated that vegetation height from high-resolution global canopy height offered promising results for determining potential safety zones (SZs) associated with SSD. Integrating the global canopy height dataset into the existing model could assist in determining the safety zone in the absence of lidar. Thus, this spatial model would provide a framework for decision-makers to develop fire prevention and suppression strategies for higher fire risk areas, especially before and during a fire.

Source: Forests

DOI: 10.3390/f16040709

Author: Zennure Uçar

Institution: Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University

Language: English

Topic: Fire effects on ecosystems

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Sustainable cities and communities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137