Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: Towards Effective Post-Pandemic Policies

[...]a broad and inclusive approach to post-pandemic policy-making—one that considers Indigenous forms of knowledge whilst fostering appreciation for their cultures and lives—is needed to adequately assist Indigenous peoples in repairing the harm they have suffered as a result of COVID-19.3 COVID-19 and its deadly impact on Indigenous communities There are no less than eight hundred distinct Indigenous communities across Latin America, each with its own unique identity, culture, and [End Page 169] history. In Bolivia, for example, where Indigenous groups comprise a significant portion of the electorate (between 41 and 62 percent of the population), Latin America's first Indigenous political executive was elected in 2006.4 In most instances, however, Indigenous peoples make up only a small proportion of Latin American country populations (generally ranging from 0.5–15 percent), one factor ensuring limited political influence and the widespread marginalization of their interests.5 As a consequence, Indigenous peoples across the region entered the pandemic whilst already suffering from a range of serious economic and socio-cultural inequalities.6 Inadequate access to medical care, chronic poverty and economic marginalization, racism and prejudice, and inadequate access to education are common issues that exacerbated the impact of the pandemic.7 The World Health Organization confirmed the arrival of the pandemic in the region on February 26, 2020. [...]Indigenous mortality rates were 4.03 percent in Brazil and 19.9 percent in Mexico—significantly higher than 2.2 percent and 5.7 percent overall mortality rates in each country respectively.9 Unfortunately, the lack of regional data on, and deliberate under-reporting of, Indigenous mortality rates across much of Latin America has problematized many of the available datasets.10 In Brazil, for example, organizations such as The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples (APIB), have shown that the total number of recognized Indigenous deaths (902 persons as of April 7, 2022), undercounts the actual figure by at least 31 percent.11 Other sources, such as the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (SESAI), which is responsible for Indigenous medical care, also provides incomplete data on Brazilian Indigenous mortality by failing to count Indigenous urban dwellers or those who live outside of recognized government-controlled territories in their data sets.12 Such groups are among some of the most vulnerable Indigenous communities in the country, receiving little, if any, support from government agencies charged with supporting Indigenous communities.13 As a result, the scale and scope of COVID-19's impact on Indigenous Brazilians is, and for the foreseeable future will likely remain, unknowable.14 Despite a lack of adequate data across much of Latin America, a growing body of evidence indicates that Indigenous peoples were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, and that they likely died or suffered long-term health issues in disproportionate numbers.15 In a study of Indigenous peoples in Chile, for instance, regions with larger Indigenous populations recorded a noticeable increase in overall mortality.16 Where direct data do not exist, emerging studies suggest that the medical impact of COVID-19 was likely compounded by a range of structural inequalities and environmental factors.17 Many Indigenous peoples lack access to adequate medical care. [...]disproportionate exposure to pesticides—used extensively in agricultural industries in which many Indigenous people find employment, as well as exposure to smoke inhalation—caused by out-of-control forest fires across Latin America—likely exacerbated the repertory symptoms caused by COVID-19.18 As a consequence, Indigenous peoples had to face COVID-19 not only with fewer resources, but with greater exposure to the types of pre-existing conditions known to aggravate the impact of the disease.19 Particularly high mortality rates among Indigenous elders, who act as stores of traditional knowledge, affected cultural continuity and community cohesion.20 To better understand this we spoke with a representative of the Indigenous Kaingang people, Duko Vãgfy, who explained that "[t]he worst losses [we suffered] were the elders, because they held so much knowledge about [our] people.

Relationship between Lightning, Lightning Fire and Human Activities

Lightning is the main source of natural fire, and lightning fire and other types of forest fires together constitute the global forest fire system. It is generally believed that lightning fire, as a natural fire source, has nothing to do with human beings and is different from man-made fire sources, but in fact, human activities have inextricable links with the occurrence of lightning fire. Since 2019, due to the severe impact of COVID-19 lockdowns, non-essential activities and mobility have decreased, which has led to a significant decrease in pollutant concentrations and lightning. In this paper, we linked the lightning fire with modernization process of human beings, the expansion of habitation, the change of underlying surface, the development of prediction technology and firefighting technology, and the laws and regulations of the country, to explore the impact of human activities on the occurrences of lightning and the forest lightning fire. Lightning is the fire source of the three elements in lightning fire occurrence, the lightning that can cause lightning fire is mainly cloud-to-ground lightning. The human activities in recent decades have profoundly affected the content of aerosols in environment. Aerosols are the main factors affecting lightning, and the large amount of pollution aerosols emitted from urban areas, soot aerosols emitted from biomass combustion and urban heat island effect have all increased the probability of lightning occurrence. The average annual ground lightning density of different land cover types is obviously different, and the construction land has the highest average annual ground lightning density. Intense lightning in forest areas has a higher density and slope. Most of the forests are located in high altitude areas, which is consistent with previous studies showing high lightning frequency in high altitude areas. The lightning in forests is intenser, steeper and more destructive, so forest areas are prone to lightning strikes. Lightning has the characteristic of selective discharge, that is, it will discharge into some special areas, which are also known as lightning selection areas, such as the place groundwater is exposed to the ground, where different conductive soils are connected, and where there are underground metal mines, such as copper and iron mines, and underground lake and water reservoir areas. Lightning strikes are caused by changes in soil conductivity caused by human activities such as mining waste rock sites, reservoir construction on mountain tops, and power transmission lines in mountainous areas. At the same time, due to the abundant trees in the mountainous area, it is also important to avoid the resulting lightning fire. With the development of lightning monitoring technology, a lightning location monitoring system has been established in some areas of China. Especially in 2021, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration launched the "Enlisting and Leading" emergency science and technology project of forest lightning fire prevention and control, and the project team has constructed a lightning fire sensing system in the Daxing'anling region with three-dimensional lightning full-wave detection network as the main body, covering the forest area of the Daxing'anling forest region, which can accurately locate the location of cloud-to-ground lightning in real time, improve the monitoring and warning ability of lightning fires, and improve the efficiency of lightning fire discovery. National laws and regulations indirectly affect lightning fires by affecting forest cover and climate change. This paper is expected to provide reference for the occurrence, prevention and control of forest lightning fire in the future, and provide a basis for the formulation of corresponding policies.

Some recent developments and testing strategies relating to the passive fire protection of concrete using intumescent coatings: a review

PurposeIn the present article, the authors have conducted a review on some of the recent developments given in the literature pertaining to the passive protection of concrete structures using intumescent coatings. Here, the main thrust is placed on the spalling phenomenon of concrete elements when exposed to elevated temperatures and fires.Design/methodology/approachIn this context, it has been long established that prolonged thermal insult on concrete members will lead to egress of water, both physically bound as well as those present as water of hydration within the concrete matrix, in the form of steam through microchannels and associated pathways of least resistance, often resulting in the flaking of the surface of the structure. The latter process can ultimately lead to the exposure of the ferrous-based reenforcement elements, for instance, to higher temperatures, thus inducing melting. This, in turn, can result in substantial loss of strength and load-bearing capacity of the structural element that is already undergoing disintegration of its base matrix owing to heat/fire. Even though spalling of concrete structures has long been recognized as a serious problem that can often lead to catastrophic failure of infrastructures, such as buildings, bridges and tunnels, the utility of intumescent coating as a mitigation strategy is relatively new and has not been explored to its fullest possible extent. Therefore, in the latter parts of the review, the authors have endeavored to discuss the different types of intumescent coatings, their modes of actions and, in particular, their wider applicability in terms of protecting concrete elements from detrimental effects of severe or explosive spalling.FindingsGiven that spalling of concrete components is still a very serious issue that can result in loss of lives and destruction of critical infrastructures, there is an urgent need to formulate better mitigating strategies, through novel means and methods. The use of the intumescent coating in this context appears to be a promising way forward but is one that seems to be little explored so far. Therefore, a more systematic investigation is highly warranted in this area, especially, as the authors envisage a greater activity in the building and commissioning of more infrastructures worldwide incommensurate with augmented economic activities during the post-COVID recovery period.Originality/valueThe authors have conducted a review on some of the recent developments given in the literature pertaining to the passive protection of concrete structures using intumescent coatings. The authors have also included the results from some recent tests carried out at the facilities using a newly commissioned state-of-the-art furnace.

Implications of the UN Common Agenda for Australia: Renewing Multilateralism

In flagrant violation of international law, Russia has invaded Ukraine. It invokes a right to intervene on humanitarian and security grounds despite the necessary pre-conditions, including UN Security Council endorsement, being absent. In Myanmar, the February Citation2021 military coup has ushered in a new era of serious repression of citizens, violent conflict and human rights violations. ASEAN's 2021 five-point consensus to end the violence and promote conciliation has been largely ignored. These are but two of a number of current global threats which defy unilateral resolution and demand multilateral responses. Others are the looming disasters provoked by climate change;the ongoing Covid pandemic;conflict and the threat of conflict from Syria and Yemen to the South China Sea;the return of repressive Taliban rule in Afghanistan;ferocious civil war in Ethiopia;historically high refugee displacement;and mass migratory movements.At a time when ‘the only certainty is more uncertainty', countries must unite to forge a new, more hopeful and equal path, UN Secretary-General António Guterres (SG) told the General Assembly on 21 January 2022. In laying out his priorities for 2022, he observed, "We face a five-alarm global fire that requires the full mobilisation of all countries”, – the raging COVID-19 pandemic, a morally bankrupt global financial system, the climate crisis, lawlessness in cyberspace, and diminished peace and security. He stressed that countries must go into emergency mode.

Editorial

In our first article, entitled “Mental health patterns during COVID-19 in emergency medical services (EMS)”, Silvia Monteiro Fonseca et al. have explored the patterns of EMS personnel’s mental health regarding their levels of anxiety, depression and stress during COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommendations from this research include, but are not limited to, ensuring a more equitable distribution of protective equipment to paramedics across unevenly funded services and recognizing paramedics face unique and additional stressors in public health emergencies. The study used validated instruments such as the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the PSS and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist on a sample of UK police officers. In a fascinating paper, John Hylander et al. explore the collaborative challenge of emergency response to major incidents in road tunnels for the emergency services, emergency dispatch centers and local authorities next.

Mental health patterns during COVID-19 in emergency medical services (EMS)

Purpose>This study aims to explore patterns of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel's mental health, regarding their levels of anxiety, depression, stress, COVID-19 anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and well-being;and to explore variables that contribute to these patterns, among sociodemographic/professional and COVID-19 experience variables.Design/methodology/approach>Participants were 214 EMS personnel, who answered the Patient-Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Well-Being Questionnaire and COVID-19 related questions.Findings>EMS personnel showed an adequate psychological adjustment during COVID-19. Two clusters/patterns were found: the poorly (34%) and the well (66%) psychologically-adjusted. Personnel's age, COVID-19 fear and workplace security measures' adequacy contributed to which pattern they were more likely to belong to.Research limitations/implications>Despite being cross-sectional and not controlling for pre-COVID-19 data, this study adds to the COVID-19 literature. Findings call for the need to explore: other COVID-19 fears;how personnel perceive workplace security measures;COVID-19 valid instruments;pre-COVID-19 data;and mental health patterns with different rescuers.Practical implications>Findings explored EMS personnel's patterns of mental health during the COVID-19, as well as its covariates. Results allow to better prepare emergency management, which can develop prevention strategies focused on older professionals, COVID-19 related fears and how personnel assess security measures.Originality/value>This study contributes to the scarce literature focused on COVID-19 mental health patterns instead of focussing on isolated mental health variables, as well as what contributes to these patterns. Moreover, it is one of the few studies that focused on EMS personnel rather than hospital staff.

Detection and monitoring of the asymptotic COVID-19 patients using IoT devices and sensors

Purpose>Many investigations are going on in monitoring, contact tracing, predicting and diagnosing the COVID-19 disease and many virologists are urgently seeking to create a vaccine as early as possible. Even though there is no specific treatment for the pandemic disease, the world is now struggling to control the spread by implementing the lockdown worldwide and giving awareness to the people to wear masks and use sanitizers. The new technologies, including the Internet of things (IoT), are gaining global attention towards the increasing technical support in health-care systems, particularly in predicting, detecting, preventing and monitoring of most of the infectious diseases. Similarly, it also helps in fighting against COVID-19 by monitoring, contract tracing and detecting the COVID-19 pandemic by connection with the IoT-based smart solutions. IoT is the interconnected Web of smart devices, sensors, actuators and data, which are collected in the raw form and transmitted through the internet. The purpose of this paper is to propose the concept to detect and monitor the asymptotic patients using IoT-based sensors.Design/methodology/approach>In recent days, the surge of the COVID-19 contagion has infected all over the world and it has ruined our day-to-day life. The extraordinary eruption of this pandemic virus placed the World Health Organization (WHO) in a hazardous position. The impact of this contagious virus and scarcity among the people has forced the world to get into complete lockdown, as the number of laboratory-confirmed cases is increasing in millions all over the world as per the records of the government.Findings>COVID-19 patients are either symptomatic or asymptotic. Symptomatic patients have symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. But patients are also asymptotic, which is very difficult to detect and monitor by isolating them.Originality/value>Asymptotic patients are very hazardous because without knowing that they are infected, they might spread the infection to others, also asymptotic patients might be having very serious lung damage. So, earlier prediction and monitoring of asymptotic patients are mandatory to save their life and prevent them from spreading.

PINE (PINUS ROXBURGHII) CAN BOOST GREEN ECONOMY POST COVID-19 IN THE HIMALAYAN STATES

This article describes how Pine (Pinus roxburghii) tree products can create opportunities for a green and inclusive economic recovery in Himalayan states hit by COVID - 19 pandemic, where Pine trees grow in abundance. A Pine based green economy can enhance the livelihood opportunities of the poor people and enhance the resilience of state economies and societies in the face of severe recession and bring about reduction in degradation of forests and prevent forest fires.

Resilience in NSW: the need for a comprehensive, coherent emergency planning framework

The NSW Government has committed to the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (Attorney-General’s Department 2011) that encourages local communities to prepare for emergencies through disaster risk reduction and by building resilience. However, legislative obligations for emergency management in NSW remain focused on the responsibility of the emergency services organisations for specific hazards while these organisations advocate for community engagement. Community resilience requires individuals and organisations to take on more responsibility for preparing for emergencies. However, an ‘all hazards’ framework to support planning for emergencies has not been made available. By default, most communities expect emergency services organisations to tell them what to do. This creates a contradictory situation where emergency services organisations promote community resilience but resources to support planning are lacking. This can undermine a commitment to community resilience. Once an incident begins, the Australasian Interservice Incident Management System provides a tried and tested method to deal with emergencies based on the ‘all hazards’ approach. No similar approach has been developed to help communities make plans prior to an emergency. This paper examines current structures in NSW. It proposes that a framework, developed to address bushfire threats to schools in the Blue Mountains of NSW, could be the basis of an ‘all hazards’ planning framework.

Clinical Issues: The Official Voice of Perioperative Nursing

Removal of used flammable skin antisepsis materials Key words: flammable liquid antiseptics, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fire prevention, fire risk, patient care vicinity. According to the Food and Drug Administration, a surgical smoke precipitator device "is a prescription device intended for clearance of the visual field by precipitation of surgical smoke and other aerosolized particulate matter created during laparoscopic surgery. "1 Surgical smoke precipitators use electrostatic precipitation (ESP) technology to negatively charge surgical smoke particles inside the patient's peritoneal space, allowing the smoke particulate matter to precipitate (ie, deposit) on the inner surface of the abdominal wall.2'3 In addition to the application of ESP during laparoscopic surgery, ESP technology has various other air-cleaning applications, such as pollution control for industrial sites (eg, coal-burning plants, incineration facilities)4 and in-duct air filtration in buildings.5 When the surgeon uses a surgical smoke precipitator during laparoscopic surgery, he or she introduces a specialized electrode wand into the abdomen under direct visualization and according to the manufacturer's instructions for use (IFU).2,3 The activated wand emits anions (ie, negatively charged ions) that are attracted to the grounded patient (ie, the patient with a dispersive electrode in place) when connected to the device's powered electrical generator. Medical device event-reporting may include both an internal reporting process at the facility11 and an external reporting process to the Food and Drug Administration using the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database.12 Emily Jones, MSN, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC, is a perioperative practice specialist in the Nursing Department at AORN, Inc, Denver, CO.

Oregon 2020-21: Budgeting During COVID

Oregon in 2020 and 2021 resembled other Western states: crisis on crisis. COVID, the COVID recession, forest fires and ice storms, and polarized politics dominated the news. Despite these challenges, the state's fiscal situation turned out very positively. President Biden's American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed in November 2021 provided many billions to the state for 2021 and will cover diverse infrastructure needs over the next five years. This paper analyzes the surprisingly strong general fund and federal fund situations created by the COVID era and considers the political implications of the state's fiscal situation.

The local factors: The initiative of a well-informed and experienced community into the inclusive community-fire resilience plan

The unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 has informed cities to enhance capacity building of local communities and disaster preparedness. However, an effective plan requires knowledge of a well-informed and experienced community in association with specific factors. In this study, we proposed a new perspective to look into the local factors: community-based planning, well-informed and experienced community, the inclusion of the local community in decision making, taking action on disaster preparedness, and local democracy in dealing with the community’s issues. Thus, the well-informed community members were involved in a participatory event applying the Geographical Information System (GIS) to facilitate knowledge exchange, assess risks, and locate the most vulnerable in the benefits of initiative fire prevention plan for the Meuntoom community, Chiang Mai province, Thailand. The results reveal both vulnerability and capacity that we later used to integrate into the community initiative plan. This research contributes by helping the community address what needs to be improved and which sectors need to work together. The overall results have highlighted opportunities to engage local communities and their knowledge in community-resilient plans, indicating that the outcome to be useful as a starting point for initiative plans for other incoming issues.

GLOBAL NEWS

SAHARA J. 2021;18(1):77-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/17290376.2021.1909492 Cognitive Function of Children Living in Forest Fire-Prone Provinces Seasonal forest fires that occur on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan can produce high concentrations of ambient particulate matter of less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5). Using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey, Jalaludin et al. determined whether exposure to PM2.5 is associated with children's cognitive function (assessed through Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices;RCPM) and whether cognitive function differed in children who have always lived in forest fire-prone provinces compared to children who have always lived in provinces not prone to forest fires. Using multilevel mixed linear regression models, Jalaludin et al. found a small positive association between PM2.5 exposure and RCPM scores (b = 0.1%;95% confi dence interval [CI] = 0.01%, 0.19%) and lower RCPM scores for children who had lived in a forest fi re-prone province all their lives (b = -1.50%;95% CI = -2.94, -0.07) after adjusting for individual factors.

A Chance for the Climate. Fuel of the 21st Century – Analysis of the Perspective of Climate Neutrality on the Example of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy

[...]the investment in hydrogen should support sustainable growth and job creation, which will be critical when recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hydrogen production technologies by primary energy sources: - Coal * coal gasification, * CCS (carbon capture and storage of CO2), * CCU (carbon capture and utility of CO2);- Natural gas or crude oil * steam reforming, * by-product in refining processes, * separation from coke oven gas, * pyrolysis. The energy potential of hydrogen and the fact that it is the most popular element on Earth provide grounds for the claim that it will soon become one of the main energy carriers used in the world. [...]it is highly probable that the hydrogen market will contribute to the comprehensive development and will enable the achievement of the goal of obtaining climate neutrality in energy-intensive sectors of the economy. [...]of appropriate support for research and development, our country has the opportunity to use the scientific potential and expert experience in the field of hydrogen technologies, relying on its own innovative technologies.

Determining response time factors of emergency medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose>The lack of studies about the response time of emergency medical service during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in a dense city of a developing country has triggered this study to explore the factors contributing to a high response time of ambulance service to reach patients in need. An evaluation of contributing factors to the response time is necessary to guide decision-makers in keeping a high service level of emergency medical service.Design/methodology/approach>This research employed an agent-based modeling approach with input parameters from interviews with emergency medical service staff in Bandung city, Indonesia. The agent-based model is established to evaluate the relevant contribution of the factors to response time reduction using several scenarios.Findings>According to agent-based simulation, four factors contribute to the response time: the process of preparing crew and ambulance during the pandemic, coverage area, traffic density and crew responsiveness. Among these factors, the preparation process during the pandemic and coverage area significantly contributed to the response time, while the traffic density and crew responsiveness were less significant. The preparation process is closely related to the safety procedure in handling patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and normal time. The recommended coverage area for maintaining a low response time is 5 km, equivalent to six local subdistricts.Research limitations/implications>This study has explored the factors contributing to emergency medical response time. The insignificant contribution of the traffic density showed that citizens, in general, have high awareness and compliance to traffic priority regulation, so crew responsiveness in handling ambulances is an irrelevant factor. This study might have different contributing factors for less dense population areas and focuses on public emergency medical services provided by the local government.Practical implications>The local government must provide additional funding to cover additional investment for ambulance, crew and administration for the new emergency service deployment point. Exercising an efficient process in ambulance and crew preparation is mandatory for each emergency deployment point.Originality/value>This study evaluates the contributing factors of emergency medical response time in the pandemic and normal situation by qualitative analysis and agent-based simulation. The performance comparison in terms of medical response time before and after COVID-19 through agent-based simulation is valuable for decision-makers to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

Selecting the field hospital location for earthquakes: an application for Ankara Province in Turkey

Purpose>The authors present a location selection model for the field hospital to build after a possible earthquake in Ankara, Turkey using the VIKOR method.Design/methodology/approach>Companies or governments that make location selection decisions to improve their performance in new investment decisions for different service industries. On the other hand, disasters, especially earthquakes, force the governments to evaluate their existing potentialities and develop action plans to improve their middle and long-term preparations. This paper proposes a VIKOR method-based location selection model for the field hospital to build after a possible earthquake. Also, the authors present a methodology using the VIKOR method that how government agencies take action for the field hospital's location selection process via VIKOR methodology.Findings>The modeling and application results show that the field hospital's location selection decision-making process improves considerably using the VIKOR model. This paper shows that the proposed VIKOR-based model can rank alternatives suitability at various criteria targeting to minimize the possible earthquake's impact and obtains a single overall ranking score to select the best alternative.Research limitations/implications>The study does not consider the uncertain nature of the field hospital selection problem. The application part is restricted to the Ankara case. But the proposed model can easily extend for different locations in the world.Originality/value>This paper presents the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework study of the establishment of field hospitals and demonstrates its importance when criteria diversity is restricted.

Science and environmental crisis amid fires and pandemia

[...]the processes of climate change and the significant increase in global average temperature were very evident. According to data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Space Agency, and the European Union’s Copernicus System, the major global fires of 2020 were the most devastating, considering the 18 years of research and generation of global data on forest fires. According to environmental historian Stephen Pyne, contemporary society is experiencing the Pyrocene era, a historical period in which mega-fires are more frequent, more dangerous, and more disturbing. According to Pyne, the Pyrocene would be equivalent, in environmental terms, to the global effects of the great glaciation (PYNE, 2020).

A Fire Revealing Coastal Norway's Wildland-Urban Interface Challenges and Possible Low-Cost Sustainable Solutions.

The Calluna vulgaris L. that dominated coastal heathlands of Western Europe were for millennia managed by regular burning cycles for improved grazing. Most places in Norway this practice has, however, been neglected over the last 5-7 decades, resulting in accumulation of above ground biomass including degenerated Calluna and successional fire-prone species, e.g., native juniper (Juniperus communis) and exotic blacklisted Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). Today, in dry periods, the heathland represents a fire threat to the increasing number of homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), as exemplified by the June 2021 Sotra Island WUI fire. The fire burned 700 ha of encroached heathlands, destroyed three buildings, and threatened settlements. In the present study, the Sotra fire was investigated to understand the fire development and analyse possible risk reducing measures. Photographic material obtained during the fire, weather conditions prior to and during the fire, involved fire fuel, fire spread mechanisms, firefighting response, and possible consequences under slightly changed circumstances were analysed. Compared to previous fires in coastal Norway, the Sotra fire represents a step change in fire development including, e.g., pyrocumulus-like clouds, fire whirls, and fire spread 270 m across a fjord. Preventive measures based on the local context are analysed, including engaging voluntary communities to remove fire-prone fuel, e.g., juniper and Sitka, to create defensible space. Moreover, strategic fire breaks in the terrain, e.g., well-managed heathland strengthening existing fuel breaks, e.g., lakes, cultivated fields, naked rock, and roads, are recommended. Mechanical cutting is suggested as a short-term measure while fenceless grazing may represent a long-term solution to prevent regrowth. During a period of record high energy prices, this may provide free of charge firewood and make way for future local food production, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while reducing the fire risk.

COVID-19 and the expanding role of international urban search and rescue (USAR) teams: the case of the 2020 Beirut explosions

The paper conducts a case study on the international urban search and rescue (USAR) response to the Beirut explosions in August 2020. The incident is worth analysing because it was the first of the international USAR deployments under global travel restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. It will closely look at the activity of @fire Germany, which is self-recognised as a light USAR team, deployed to Beirut. Due to the arrangements imposed for COVID-19 prevention, it becomes more difficult for international USAR teams to arrive in affected areas quickly, meaning that the possibility for life-saving further decreases. Thus, international USAR teams must be flexible to contribute to early recovery activity after the completion of the search and rescue phase. The @fire Germany’s response gives a good example of how light international USAR teams could contribute to early recovery. Also, some countries might not want to receive or send international USAR teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the COVID-19 era, strengthening national and local teams, or first responders, who are already in-country becomes critical to saving more lives.