Forest fires and wildfires

Prevention and staying safe

ONF DFCI

Fires: prevention and staying safe

In order to protect ourselves from fires and preserve vegetation, we need to adopt the right actions and behaviours.

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No fires or BBQs on the outskirts of forests and green spaces (moors, scrublands, roadsides, fields etc.).

I respect the access restrictions to forests.

Ni feu, ni barbecue aux abords des forêts et des espaces végétalisés.

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No smoking in forests, or out in the country during droughts, and never throw cigarette butts on the floor or out of car windows.

Pas de cigarette en forêt ou en pleine nature.

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No spark-causing work near plants in droughts, heatwaves or strong winds.

Pas de travaux sources d'étincelles en cas de sécheresse, de canicule ou de vent fort.

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No fuel against the house (heating oil, wood, butane, etc.) as these are fire accelerators.

Pas de combustible contre la maison (fuel, bois, butane, etc).

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If I see a fire starting, I call 18, 112 or 114 (emergency number for the deaf and hard of hearing) and I try to accurately locate the fire.

Témoin d'un départ de feu, je préviens le 18, le 112 ou le 114.

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I take shelter in a house while waiting for the emergency services to intervene.

A vehicle is not a safe place because it can easily catch fire.

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Un mégot de cigarette jeté, un barbecue, des combustibles stockés trop près des habitations, des outils sources d’étincelles manipulés près d’espaces naturels : ces gestes en apparence anodins peuvent provoquer des départs de feux de végétation, en forêt ou près de zones naturelles comme les champs ou les friches. Pour les prévenir, adoptons de bons comportements.

Forest fires and wildfires in France

In 2019, 15,000 hectares of vegetation was burned in France, that’s the equivalent of 21,000 football pitches. Adopting the right actions and behaviours could prevent natural and human disasters every year.




The whole of Metropolitan France is exposed to the risks of forest fires and wildfires.

 

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All regions of France are affected by the risk of forest fires and wildfires, and all landscapes can be destroyed by flames: forests, moors, fields, wastelands etc.

Tous les paysages peuvent être détruits par les flammes : forêts, landes, champs, zones de friche etc.

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The southern half of the country is the most affected by the risk of fire: the Mediterranean area is one of the biodiversity hotspots, known for its ecological richness in natural species but which is also very threatened, especially by the risk of fire.

However, climate change could increase the risk in new areas such as the northwest of France.

The effects of climate change
Les départements les plus touchés par les feux sont dans le sud de la France mais le changement climatique pourrait accroître le risque pour de nouvelles zones comme le nord-ouest de la France.
DRIAS

The consequences of a fire

Forest fires and wildfires have many consequences on our health and our environment. Apart from the flames, which destroy and can kill, fires release soot and toxic gases, which are harmful to humans but also to plant and animal species.

Light on ...

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Arnaud Wilm, le chef du Centre Opérationnel de Gestion Interministérielle des Crises (COGIC), retrace les différents moyens dont ils disposent pour prévenir les feux mais aussi pour gérer l’alerte, en cas de feu de forêt.

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Préfet du Cher, Jean-Christophe Bouvier rappelle que les feux de forêt concernent l'ensemble du territoire français et plus seulement l'espace méditerranéen. Il est ainsi primordial de diffuser les bons comportements pour prévenir les feux à l'ensemble des Français et développer la culture du risque.

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Anne Ganteaume, directrice de recherche à l'Inrae, explique comment le respect des obligations légales de débroussaillement (OLD) peut freiner la propagation d'un incendie.

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Gaëlle Duchêne, cheffe d'unité Risque Incendie de Forêt à la Direction départementale des Territoires des Bouches-du-Rhône, revient sur les objectifs du PPRIF et sur les moyens de protéger sa maison des feux de végétation.

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Mathieu Regimbeau, ingénieur chez Météo-France, revient sur le lien entre la météo et les incendies et explique en quoi le changement climatique pourrait aggraver le phénomène des feux de forêt.

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La lieutenant Alexandra Duverne, pompier au Service Départemental d'Incendie et de Secours de Saine-et-Marne, nous rappelle les bons comportements à adopter en forêt pour prévenir les feux et s'en protéger.

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Rémi Savazzi, expert technique national incendie de forêt à l’ONF, revient sur les causes et les conséquences des feux de forêt et de végétation.

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Cédric Bourillet, directeur général de la Prévention des risques, rappelle les bons comportements pour limiter les feux de forêt.

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The effects of climate change

50% of forests in Metropolitan France will be at a high risk of fire by 2050.

 

With the effects of climate change, new areas will be exposed to the risk of fire, particularly in the northwest of France (Pays de la Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, and Brittany).

In already affected areas, such as Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Occitanie, Corsica, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the risk of fire could escalate and extend to medium-altitude mountains, particularly in spring, because of the reduction in snow cover.

It is also likely that the forest fire season will lengthen over the year, from the current 3 months to 6 months in the near future. It could also begin in the early days of spring and linger into autumn, as a result of late heatwaves.

The fires could be more intense and faster due to increased droughts and an intensification of heatwaves in duration and temperature. The increase in the number of large fires could lead to a strong decline in forest populations in the most exposed regions.

 

 

Météo-France has produced new reference climate projections for France. They show a very different climate at the end of the century. The average annual temperature could then be 3.9°C higher than today if greenhouse gas emissions remain the same.

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Les conséquences du changement climatique pourraient s'accentuer dans la seconde moitié du siècle : étés caniculaires, dérèglement des précipitations, sécheresses, etc.

Quiz

Des pompiers tentent de stopper un incendie. SDIS 34

How about testing your knowledge of #ForestFires?

ONF DFCI
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Test your knowledge

A fire is heading towards my house, I get in my car to flee.

Image de feu
ONF DFCI
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Test your knowledge

I can work with a grinder or a welding station near green spaces at any time of the year and in complete safety.

ONF DFCI
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Test your knowledge

Climate change will increase the risk of forest fires and wildfires in France.

ONF DFCI
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Test your knowledge

90% of forest fires are caused by humans.

Des pompiers tentent de stopper un incendie. ONF DFCI

Communication kit

You too can take action by relaying the campaign on your various communication media.

For the 4th consecutive year, the Minister for the Ecological Transition, together with the Minister of the Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, is running a national awareness and prevention campaign on the risks of forest fires and wildfires (wasteland, roadsides and railway lines, fields, moors, ferns etc.).

The whole of Metropolitan France is affected by this campaign. Its objective is to spread the actions and behaviours to adopt, both to ensure that you are not the cause of a fire outbreak as well as to protect yourself from it.

To support the players in the field, the Minister for the Ecological Transition is providing a communication kit.

 

 

 

Print communication

.zip | 42.55 MB

Digital communication

.zip | 49.82 MB

English communication kit

.zip | 14.88 MB

Press kit

.pdf | 6.81 MB