Through the DECIDO project, a Finnish pilot is being organised, where a forest fire and evacuation case will be trialled. The increasing occurrence of wildfires in the northern European region of Kainuu has prompted the local first responders to act in assessing the prevention and preparedness measures and utilize the European Open Science Cloud to improve policies. The pilot is developed in collaboration between Kajaani University Applied Sciences, The city of Kajaani, and the Kainuu Rescue Services – who lead the planning and testing of the activities.
The narrative of the pilot is the increase of forest fires that occur across Europe every summer. In the pilot case, following a period of high-heat and dryness, a forest fire breaks out at the edge of Kajaani City. Firefighters quickly learn of the high danger the fire possess: the fire rapidly spreads and endangers the local population in the area. An evacuation of the area is requested, and accommodation required for the citizens. SME, citizen, and public authority actions are required to ensure that citizens can be evacuated, provided with shelter, and care during emergencies.
Through the pilot, the EOSC resources and the DECIDO portal will be utilized to analyse current procedures in such events, improve policies and co-create better procedures with all stakeholders throughout the policy life cycle.