Active

Wildfire Citizen Observatory

awarded

Project duration: January 2025 – October 2025

This project led by Fenice Verde setting up a Wildfire Citizen Observatory aimed at facilitating Municipalities in compiling the Wildfire Registry and enabling local communities to report wildfires. According to Law 353/2000, Municipalities must update annually a database of wildfire to enforce post-fire environmental costraints, helping to prevent future man-made fires.
The project involves the design and development of a digital platform, in collaboration with PUSH, which will allow citizens to submit their reports, providing additional data for the Wildfire Registry.
The framework will be piloted with the Municipalities of Carlentini (Siracusa) and San Mauro Castelverde (Palermo), laying the groundwork for scaling up the initiative across Sicily.
The project, supported by SEF, has received the patronage of the Department of Territory and Environment of the Sicily Region and the Regional Department of Civil Protection (DPRC Sicilia) and will benefit from the collaboration of the National Higher Institute for Operational Training of Civil Protection in Rome (INSFO PC) and the Operational Coordination of Volunteering in the Sicily Region (COV).
The initiative is part of the Alliance of European Citizen Observatories established by the EU-funded Horizon project CitiObs, aimed at enhancing citizen observatories across Europe.

Wildfires representation (2009 - 2024), European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS)

*MARCH 2025 UPDATE*

Our platform is online! 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

We are happy to announce that the Wildfire Observatory platform is now online! While we work on designing the interactive platform that will allow you to report on wildfires, 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 that want to join us in the fight against wildfires in Sicily.

✨ Why join?
✅ You will be part of a network of organisations active in the protection of the territory
🗺️ Your organisation will be visible on an interactive map on the platform
🛠️ You will be involved in the co-design process to test the prototype of the platform and contribute with your feedback
📢 You will receive useful materials to involve institutions in your area

Fill out the form and join us!

*MAY 2025 UPDATE*

The Citizen Wildfire Observatory is ready to receive citizen reports through a simple and fast interactive platform!

𝗚𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: https://www.osservatorioincendi.org/segnalazioni

𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 or click on the exact point on the map where the fire or potential ignition source is located.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁:

𝘈 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦: Follow the dropdown menu instructions to submit your report, attach any photos, and contact the emergency numbers 112 or 1515 listed in the form.

𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴:

If you see an accumulation of flammable materials such as dry brush or abandoned waste near wooded or vegetated areas where a fire could start or spread, select the relevant option, attach one or more photos, and provide a brief description.

The regional meeting “Citizens and wildfires” took place for the establishment of a Regional Network. Many associations active in Sicily in the fight against fires were present and brought their precious contribution.

**JUNE 2025 UPDATE**

Press release, An Observatoty to combat fires in Sicily

**OCTOBER 2025 UPDATE**

The involvement of citizens is extremely important in the fight against wildfires, and not just for calling emergency numbers. In the update of the wildfire registry of Carlentini, for example, reports from citizens, combined with those from the Fire Brigade, made it possible to register 80 more forest fires than those reported by the Forestry Department. Transforming this data for the update of the official wildfire registry is one of the outcomes of the pilot project by the Wildfire Observatory. From now on, the municipality of Carlentini will be responsible for applying the legal restrictions to protect the burned areas.

The European Regions Week has just concluded in Brussels, the most important annual event dedicated to regional and urban policies.
Fenice Verde, together with the Sicily Environment Fund, took part in the conference to present the pilot project of the Wildfire Citizen Observatory.
The event, organized by CitiObs, a project in which Fenice Verde participates through the Wildfire Observatory, was an extraordinary opportunity to network with organizations and initiatives from across Europe, all committed to environmental protection and the fight against climate change.
CitiObs supports Citizen Observatories across Europe, helping them monitor and address environmental challenges through innovative tools, inclusive participation, and data-driven practices, bringing together citizens, scientists, and policymakers to make environmental monitoring more accessible, reliable, and impactful.