A simple model indicates that there are sufficient water supply points for fighting forest fires in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Long periods of drought and mild winters have significantly affected the forests of the Czech Republic in recent years. If this trend continues, forest stands will be weakened and dehydrated, which will increase the probability that forest fires will occur and spread. It is essential that fire managers prepare for this possibility. A main requirement for extinguishing large forest fires is the availability of water supply points. In this study, we determined if the Czech Republic has enough water to fight forest fires and whether these water supply points are distributed so that all forest stands will have enough water nearby to fight fires. We analysed forests, water supply points and forest roads in three study areas. One reservoir is sufficient to cover tens to hundreds of hectares of forest. We found that there are currently enough water supply points in the studied areas of the Czech Republic to extinguish forest fires. The results indicate that any shortage in water availability can be eliminated by using water supply points that are useable but that are not currently part of the database used by Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic. A thorough and regular update of the database of water supply points is therefore essential.