Professor Albert Simeoni Contributes to United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Report

A paper co-authored by Albert Simeoni, fire protection engineering professor and department head, has been included in the 2019 United Nations World Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. The paper, Fuelbreaks: a part of wildfire prevention, notes, “fuelbreaks are man-made areas with a reduced fuel load that act as barriers to stop or slow down fire spread. They are also designed to provide firefighters access and to act as a retreat for personnel and equipment to escape injury.” In the paper, researchers outline the use of firebreaks in wildfire settings, analyze best practices, and recommend future needs for both scientists and fire managers.

The UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR), published biennially, is the flagship report of the United Nations on worldwide efforts to reduce disaster risk. In addition to Simeoni, authors include Jean-Louis Rossi, Thierry Marcelli, François Joseph Chatelon, University of Corsica; and Dominique Morvan, Aix-Marseille Université.