Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how, despite increasing data availability from a wide range of sources unlocks unprecedented opportunities for disaster risk reduction, data interoperability remains a challenge due to a number of barriers. As a first step to enhancing data interoperability for disaster risk reduction is to identify major barriers, this paper presents a case study on data interoperability in disaster risk reduction in Europe, linking current barriers to the regional initiative of the European Science and Technology Advisory Group. Design/methodology/approach: In support of Priority 2 (“Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk”) of the Sendai Framework and SDG17 (“Partnerships for the goals”), this paper presents a case study on barriers to data interoperability in Europe based on a series of reviews, surveys and interviews with National Sendai Focal Points and stakeholders in science and research, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and industry. Findings: For a number of European countries, there remains a clear imbalance between long-term disaster risk reduction and short-term preparation and the dominant role of emergency relief, response and recovery, pointing to the potential of investments in ex ante measures with better inclusion and exploitation of data. Originality/value: Modern society is facing a digital revolution. As highlighted by the International Council of Science and the Committee on Data for Science and Technology, digital technology offers profound opportunities for science to discover unsuspected patterns and relationships in nature and society, on scales from the molecular to the cosmic, from local health systems to global sustainability. It has created the potential for disciplines of science to synergize into a holistic understanding of the complex challenges currently confronting humanity; the Sustainable Development Goals are a direct reflectance of this. Interdisciplinary is obtained with integration of data across relevant disciplines. However, a barrier to realization and exploitation of this potential arises from the incompatible data standards and nomenclatures used in different disciplines. Although the problem has been addressed by several initiatives, the following challenge still remains: to make online data integration a routine.

This paper reports two experimental fires conducted at field-scale in Corsica, across a particular mountain shrubland. The orientation of the experimental plots was chosen in such a way that the wind was aligned along the main slope direction in order to obtain a high intensity fire. The first objective was to study the high intensity fire behavior by evaluating the propagation conditions related to its speed and intensity, as well as the geometry of the fire front and its impact on different targets. Therefore, an experimental protocol was designed to determine the properties of the fire spread using UAV cameras and its impact using heat flux gauges. Another objective was to study these experiments numerically using a fully physical fire model, namely FireStar3D. Numerical results concerning the fire dynamics, particularly the ROS, were also compared to other predictions of the FireStar2D model. The comparison with experimental measurements showed the robustness of the 3D approach with a maximum difference of 5.2% for the head fire ROS. The fire intensities obtained revealed that these experiments are representative of high intensity fires, which are very difficult to control in the case of real wildfires. Other parameters investigated numerically (flame geometry and heat fluxes) were also in fairly good agreement with the experimental measurements and confirm the capacity of FireStar3D to predict surface fires of high intensity.

A safe separation distance (SSD) needs to be considered during firefighting activities (fire suppression or people evacuation) against wildfires. The SSD is of critical interest for both humans and assets located in the wildland–urban interfaces (WUI). In most cases, the safety zone models and guidelines assume a flat terrain and only radiant heating. Nevertheless, injuries or damage do not result exclusively from radiant heating. Indeed, convection must be also considered as a significant contribution of heat transfer, particularly in the presence of the combined effects of sloping terrain and a high wind velocity. In this work, a critical case study is considered for the village of Sari-Solenzara in Corsica (France). This site location was selected by the operational staff since high-intensity fire spread is likely to occur in the WUI during wind-blown conditions. This study was carried out for 4 m high shrubland, a sloping terrain of 12° and a wind speed of 16.6 m/s. The numerical simulations were performed using a fully physical fire model, namely, FireStar2D, to investigate a case of fire spreading, which is thought to be representative of most high wildfire risk situations in Corsica. This study is based on the evaluation of the total (radiative and convective) heat flux received by two types of targets (human bodies and buildings) located ahead of the fire front. The results obtained revealed that the radiation was the dominant heat transfer mode in the evaluation of the SSD. In addition, the predictions were consistent with the criterion established by the operational experts, which assumes that in Corsica, a minimum SSD of 50 m is required to keep an equipped firefighter without injury in a fuelbreak named ZAL. This numerical work also provides correlations relating the total heat flux to the SSD.

This study investigates the effectiveness of immersive audiovisual simulations in eliciting emotional responses and replicating the psychological and cognitive demands of high-risk operational environments, particularly in firefighting scenarios. Conducted in two successive phases, the research first employed a pilot study involving 90 participants (45 firefighters and 45 students) who were exposed to a controlled audiovisual simulation. Emotional responses were assessed using the Differential Emotion Scale (DES), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The second phase involved an immersive room experiment with 36 firefighters, where the same audiovisual stimulus was presented in a fully immersive environment, integrating interactive decision-making tasks to enhance ecological validity. The findings indicate that both methods effectively elicited the targeted emotional responses, including stress, fear, anger, and serenity, with firefighters exhibiting greater emotional regulation and adaptive coping strategies compared to students. The immersive room environment significantly amplified emotional engagement, resulting in stronger emotional responses from the first scene onward. These results underscore the potential of immersive training tools in preparing emergency responders for high-stress situations by strengthening psychological resilience, improving emotional regulation, and optimizing decision-making under pressure. The study contributes to advancing evidence-based training methodologies in emergency response, public safety, and crisis management, emphasizing the importance of integrating immersive technologies into professional training programs.