Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority will dispatch a team of five fire protection experts to Los Angeles where firefighters are battling unprecedented wildfires.
(TPS) As Los Angeles battles devastating wildfires, Israeli emergency experts shared their insights after tackling hundreds of fires sparked by Hezbollah rocket barrages in the past year.
Fires in the Los Angeles area have killed 25 people and destroyed at least 12,000 buildings. Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate and around 770,000 homes were without electricity as utility companies shut down power in certain areas as a precaution. The fires spread quickly because of high winds and drought conditions. Winds are forecast to increase on Wednesday with gusts reaching as high as 102 km/h.
Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority said on Wednesday it would dispatch a team of five fire protection experts to the U.S. to provide assistance.
“Firefighting methods are largely universal—creating firebreaks and concentrating manpower. But the game-changer is the weather. In California, low humidity and strong winds make firefighting exponentially harder,” Itzik Oz, Southern District Commander of Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services told The Press Service of Israel. The district oversees 67% of Israel’s territory.
“In Israel, we conduct patrols during extreme weather conditions to identify risks and act quickly. The saying is true: if you respond to a fire early, you can handle it with a bucket of water. If you’re late, even a truck won’t suffice,” he explained.
Oz led a firefighting delegation to California three years ago.
“We were there to both learn and assist. We participated in the firefighting efforts, so I understand the challenges the U.S. faces,” Oz told TPS-IL. He explained that winds up to 160 km/h spread embers far, creating new fires, a phenomenon known as “spotting” which he called a “major challenge.”
California’s hot, dry summers that make conditions ripe for wildfires reminded him of massive fires in the Jerusalem forest and in and around Haifa in recent years.
Prevention and Community Involvement
Prevention and community involvement are the cornerstones of Israel’s fire management approach. Many of the initiatives are done in collaboration with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund, an Israeli non-profit that focuses on environmental conservation, land reclamation, forestry, and development. This multi-pronged strategy includes strategic tree pruning, firebreaks, and high-tech solutions.
Asaf Karavani, Director of Climate Change and Sustainability Division in KKL-JNF emphasizes the importance of “buffer zones,” areas around communities where vegetation is managed to reduce fire intensity.
“Following the Carmel fire in 2010, Israel made it a priority to establish these zones, and today, 97% of them are complete,” Karavani noted to TPS-IL. The Carmel forest fire of 2010 killed 44 people and forced the evacuation of 17,000 people. The fire was inadvertently started by a teenager with a nargila coal and was followed by a wave of arson.
But communities also play a role. Col. Shiran Hashai-Levi, a senior officer in Israel’s Homefront Command and director of the National Emergency Management College stressed the importance of empowering civilians.
“We are a training center where emergency scenarios are studied with the goal of advancing preparedness on the home front, improving readiness in both civilian and military spaces,” Hashai-Levi explained to TPS-IL. “We train citizens in local authorities as part of a ‘self-rescue’ framework—providing basic skills in fire suppression, rescue, and first aid until professional forces arrive.”
Karavani explained to TPS-IL, “The people who live closest to forests are the first to notice and respond to unusual activity. Their proximity makes them critical in the early detection of wildfires.” During fire emergencies, community members assist firefighters by clearing pathways, guiding first responders, and evacuating vulnerable populations.
Said Hashai-Levi, “Part of community resilience is also returning to normalcy, reopening the economy, and maintaining functional continuity. This allows parents to send their children to school and society to regain its footing after the emergency is over.”
She added, “It’s easier to go from normalcy to emergency than to return from emergency to normalcy. This is a challenging task, but resilience is a virtuous cycle. The quicker the return to functionality, the greater the sense of resilience.”
Hezbollah barrages in 2024 sparked fires that burnt 2,000 acres of protected lands and 42,000 acres of grazing areas. In June, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade told TPS-IL that firefighters battling blazes near the Lebanese and Gaza borders were forced to take the unusual step of carrying rifles and pistols, along with protection equipment provided by the army and police.
Said Karavani, “Wildfires are a global issue, but sharing knowledge and management techniques can make a difference.”
