Fire and Rescue Service Preparedness for Natural Hazards

Natural hazards driven by extreme weather events are expected to continue to pose a significant risk to citizens, property and the environment. Based on a series of national and international interviews with the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), this paper presents an analysis of present practices within the FRS and FRS willingness to employ a novel methodology for assessing multiple natural hazards. Based on the interviews, present operational practices and attitudes to digital planning tools have been identified. Both the Swedish and international FRS highlight lack of resources as a limitation regarding planning for natural hazards, and indicate a positive attitude towards interagency collaborations, despite the potential for such collaboration to complicate planning and require improved guidance documents. Further, an overall willingness to adopt new digital tools to plan for natural hazards was identified, provided a good benefit–cost ratio could be ascertained. Finally, the Swedish FRS indicate a greater concern regarding their responsibilities relative to that of other stakeholders in terms of planning for natural hazards, relative to the international FRS. This could support the need for improved clarity in stakeholder responsibilities regarding planning for natural hazards, in particular in Sweden, moving forward.