Executive Summary This guide corresponds to the Deliverable 2.2. Guidelines on fire analysis competencies and skills for the fire analyst profile across Europe from Task 2.1. Harmonisation of fire analysis knowledge (WP2) of the Advanced Fire Analysis Network project (https://fireanalysisnetwork.eu/). Through its content it can help to identify fire analyst, capacities, knowledge and different other aspects of vegetation fire1 analysis to facilitate the creation of a common framework at European level. The guide’s ambition is to contribute to build towards a shared European framework of fire analysis (or assessment) to identify current knowledge, existing gaps and opportunities. This action aims at building up fire analysis capacities, harmonizing existing fire assessment knowledge across Europe through a joint network of wildfire emergency responders and training centres willing to build capacities in that area. So, we identify the whole range of fire analysis competencies that firefighting organisations can develop in order to face key fire problems, focusing on paths to improve decision-making during the response phase. Thus, we explore operational profiles, their skills and capabilities to be able to deploy operational strategies during wildfires and share wildfire knowledge amongst different members of the networks. This document includes a set of guidelines that can help to define the range of fire analysis skills and competencies when facing current and future wildfires in different European countries. Nevertheless, this Deliverable 2.2 is considered an initial work, a first step, offering a first contrasted vision based on real existing cases. The aim of the guide is to contribute to create a common framework in which different organisations can be included and allow the existing network of forest fire analysts to be identified and visible. This framework should also make it possible to identify organisations expertise in certain thematic areas, to facilitate the exchange of knowledge,experience and needs, and to detect potential areas for growth. This integration does not neglect the need to differentiate between forest fire analysis and analysis corresponding to other fields (e.g., GIS specialists, incident meteorologists, hazard/risk manager, etc.). The line between both is defined by the capacity to address all key elements (currently known) involved in the forest fire scenario, the monitoring and continuous re-assessment. They are both at the level of the processes that can occur in the fire as a phenomenon and considering the actions that can modify or modulate the phenomenon during the management of the emergency. Analysis from other fields can be of great use, expertise and quality but would address only one aspect of the whole forest fire analysis. 1 In this guide we will use the concept ‘vegetation fire’ instead of wildfire or ‘forest fire’ with the aim to be inclusive considering fires that can affect not only forests in wildland areas but also brush, croplands, etc. (See the Glossary).
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