Firefighters battle the wildfires that broke out in the Jerusalem area at the end of April. Photo courtesy of Assaf Abrams/Fire and Rescue Services, Jerusalem District.
By RAPHAEL POCH
JNS
Top officials in Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services told JNS in an interview that they are suffering from a severe lack of sufficient personnel and are using outdated resources to combat increasing wildfire threats. The interview was conducted following the devastating forest fires on April 23-24 and April 30-May 1 that burned more than 19,000 dunams of land (about 4,700 acres).
Resource Limitations
“In most of the world, the average staff allotment is one firefighter for every 1,000 residents. In Israel, our ratio is one firefighter for every 4,000 residents. This is a wide gap that we need to account for,” said Lieutenant Colonel Shay Levy, the head of the Research and Wildfire Branch of Israel’s Fire Department and Rescue Services.
The fires, which mainly struck the Jerusalem Hills and surrounding areas on April 23 and 24, but ignited in more than 50 different locations on April 30 and May 1, are still being investigated to determine their cause.
However, they exposed critical staffing limitations and wide gaps between the rising demands of firefighting in Israel and what the Fire and Rescue Services and allied organizations, such as KKL-JNF firefighting teams, are capable of handling.
”There was a request for 150 fire teams to come and fight the fires in Jerusalem on April 30, but there simply weren’t that many firefighters to go around,” Levy told JNS. “We need to leave some teams in the local areas to deal with local emergencies, including people getting stuck in elevators, car accidents, and other spot fires.”
Forests Destroyed
At Canada Park alone, thousands of dunams burned, with more than 10,000 dunams (2,500 acres) of KKL-JNF-managed forests destroyed between the two outbreaks.
Anat Gold, director of the Central Region of KKL-JNF, told JNS that the fire consumed 70% of the park’s vegetation across 8,000 dunams.
Jerusalem District Commander Chief Fire Officer Shmulik Friedman confirmed resource constraints in Jerusalem during the crisis.
“Thanks to the preparedness and rapid response of the firefighters, damage to strategic sites, including gas stations, was prevented,” Friedman told JNS, noting that forces successfully protected infrastructure at Mesilat Zion.
In aerial surveillance photos captured by drones showing the aftermath of the blaze on April 30th and May 1st that were shared with JNS by the Jerusalem District Command, it is clear that the fires had engulfed the moshav of Mesilat Zion and on one side of the town came up to the last line of trees right in front of the houses before the blaze was contained.
Funding?
The staffing shortage predates the current threats. A 2013 Technion report called for doubling firefighter numbers under status quo conditions, without accounting for climate change and increased arson incidents.
“Those two issues need to be accounted for,” Levy said, noting that he had conducted his own research in which he found a direct correlation in the rise of nationalistic arson incidents during political tensions.
Jewish National Fund-USA has long been a primary funding source for equipment upgrades because it is the only organization in the United States to which donations can be made for the Fire and Rescue Services.
J.N.F.-USA Lists Plans
Talia Tzur, Jewish National Fund-USA’s chief Israel officer, told JNS that the organization had raised over $5.5 million since Oct. 7, 2023, not including the emergency campaign launched on Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, as a result of the fires.
“For over 20 years, JNF-USA has supported the purchase of hundreds of fire trucks, fire vehicles, fire ranges, equipment, hoses, helmets, and any equipment that is needed in the field,” Tzur stated. Tzur added that the organization plans to establish 15 new comprehensive fire response stations, with eight in the Gaza periphery and seven in northern Israel over the next few years, with each center costing approximately $1.5 million.
“These locations were chosen due to the expected population growth in the area and the importance of providing fire resilience to that population,” she explained.
Current equipment, which also needs upgrading, is hampering operations. “We are using equipment that is significantly outdated,” Levy said, adding that while firefighting teams exercise creativity due to budget constraints, they cannot overcome manpower shortages.
Replacing Trees
Rehabilitation costs for burned forests are expected to reach millions of shekels over the coming decades. Gold estimates 20-year recovery periods for damaged areas, assuming no additional fires occur in the same locations.
Fire and Rescue Services have expanded recruitment efforts, particularly among Arab-Israeli communities and through the national service (Sherut Leumi) program, both to the general populace and the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community.
“There has been a dramatic rise in the number of Arab-Israeli firefighters in recent years, with the total number of Arab-Israeli paid firefighters rising from 86 a few years ago to over 300 now,” Levy reported. “They make up approximately 15% of the total number of paid firefighters in the country at present.”
Public Must Help
Public preparation remains insufficient. Levy warned residents must maintain vegetation control in the backyard and on private property. “We can fight fires on public land, but it is often difficult for us to fight spotfires in people’s private domains, such as backyards or balconies. This is especially true near forested areas,” he said.
Chief Fire Officer Friedman added a few tips regarding how the populace can help prevent forest fires: “There is much the public can do, and civilian involvement is a critical component in the fight against fires. Most importantly, report any fires you see immediately to 102. Call if you see smoke or suspicious behavior. Do not light fires, throw cigarettes, coals or trash in forests. Clear private land near forests and maintain buffer zones free of tall weeds and flammable vegetation. Adhere to fire prohibitions and evacuation instructions.”
He added, “In times of fire, keep roads clear and avoid blocking emergency vehicle access to the area. Make sure that any information you share is only from official channels during emergencies to avoid panic and confusion. Check your fire safety precautions and review escape routes and property insurance in advance. On the level of communities, it is important to establish local buffer zones and forest protection initiatives.”
Friedman urged volunteers to join organized and trained forest observation units that work in coordination with the Fire and Rescue Services.
Officials said that they plan a special summit toward the end of May to address coordination gaps that currently exist and prepare plans on how to solve them.
National Concern
“Today, people understand that fighting fires is far more complex than simply being the authority of the fire department,” Levy told JNS. “It involves many arms of the government, the electric company, KKL-JNF, local and regional authority, the agriculture department, and many other bodies and groups. It is a national effort and a national concern, and we need to get as many people involved as possible so that we can combat the rising threat of fires.”
Climate projections indicate worsening conditions ahead, he warned. “Due to climate change, Israel is becoming more of a fire hotspot. In the future, we will only have more and more fires, and that is without the rising cases of nationalistic arson. We need more resources, and we need to be smarter and work together to prevent as many fires from starting as we can while reducing response times,” Levy concluded.
