During a quarterly news conference held by the Ministry of Emergency Management on October 22, Yang Xudong, the Director of the Fire Prevention Monitoring Division, shared insights on the autumn and winter wildfire risk in China. According to predictions from the National Forest Fire Prevention Office, this autumn is expected to bring generally higher temperatures across the country. Precipitation patterns are varied, with northern and southern China experiencing more rain, while central and southwestern regions see less. Some areas in Northeast, North, and Northwest China face elevated fire risk levels, particularly severe in certain northeastern locales. Additionally, regions with fewer rains and higher temperatures in central and southwestern China are coinciding, leading to increased fire risks. Looking ahead to winter, areas in central, eastern, southern, and southwestern China are anticipated to experience similarly high fire risk levels. Compounding these challenges are additional factors from earlier floods and natural disasters that have increased the amount of combustible materials in forests.
In response to this complex and severe fire prevention scenario for the autumn and winter seasons, the National Forest Fire Prevention Office and the Ministry of Emergency Management are prioritizing prevention efforts. They are focusing on two key areas: controlling fire sources and strengthening community defenses against fires.
First, stringent control of fire sources is paramount. This involves implementing comprehensive management responsibilities and utilizing grid management techniques to ensure accountability at the grassroots level, from forest regions to individual households. Strict inspections will target outdoor fire sources, combining human resources and technological measures to monitor high-risk groups and positions closely. Fire checkpoints in forest areas will enforce rigorous controls to ensure fire sources are contained outside forest boundaries. Simultaneously, significant efforts will be made to fortify community defenses. This includes extensive fire prevention outreach campaigns to businesses, rural areas, communities, schools, and homes, alongside legally enforcing fire regulations and publicizing typical cases to encourage safer fire-use habits among the public.
Second, the approach to disaster response and management will focus on the entire process of fire incidents. Enhancing monitoring, warning systems, and collaborative assessments is crucial. Special attention will be given to real-time tracking and multidimensional monitoring in high-risk forest fire areas in Northeast and Southwest China. Precise early warnings and timely high-risk information dissemination are planned, with targeted alerts for specific regions. The national firefighting command and resources will be strategically positioned in high-risk forest areas, with advanced firefighting equipment, such as bulldozers and tracked forest firefighting vehicles, prepared for immediate deployment in response to major fires.
Third, efforts will concentrate on fortifying the foundational elements of forest and grassland fire prevention. Following guidelines from the Central Committee General Office and the State Council on enhancing wildfire prevention under the new circumstances, investments in infrastructure and urgently needed equipment will be increased. Improvements to the fire disaster early warning and monitoring system are critical, alongside fast repairs to fire roads damaged by disasters. Emergency measures for extreme conditions, such as power and network outages, will be reinforced. Furthermore, the implementation of policies to strengthen local forest fire teams will be emphasized, with guidance and support in terms of policy and funding to ensure coordinated training and operational readiness among various firefighting teams.
