Miguel Abrantes de Figueiredo Bernardo de Almeida is post-doctoral researcher in the centre for studies on forest fire of ADAI (Association for the Development of Industrial Aerodynamics). He has a degree in Environmental Engineering, MSc in Environmental Policy and Management, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering – Natural and Technological Hazards, under the theme "Forest fires propagation by spot fires".

During his career, he has participated in several national and European projects related to forest fires. Currently he participates in the project EXTREME – Extreme Behaviour Prediction of a Forest Fire (PTDC/EME-MFE/114343/2009), he is the delegate of ADAI in the project “CRISMA: Modelling for Improved Crisis Management and Preparedness Action" (FP7-SEC-2011.41-1) and he coordinates the internal project “FireCamp: Fire safety in camping and caravanning parks”.

He is author of several presentations of scientific posters and of six papers in international journals with peer review. He had made several oral communications and has many publications in proceedings of scientific meetings with peer review. Miguel Abrantes de Figueiredo Bernardo de Almeida ADAI/LAETA, University of Coimbra, Department of Mechanical Engineering Rua Pedro Hispano, 3030-001 Coimbra, Portugal e-mail: miguel.almeida@adai.com / miguellmd@yahoo.com
Abstract:

This presentation will be divided into two parts: (1) the Portuguese Centre for Forest Fires Studies– CEIF/ADAI and (2) spot fires.

CEIF/ADAI dedicates to the research on forest fires. Its main objective is the promotion of scientific knowledge of the phenomena related to forest fire occurrence and spread through the development of research projects and advanced training activities, as well as with the participation in pilot projects and cooperation actions involving operational institutions. CEIF/ADAI owns one of the most important European laboratories dedicated to forest fires, where the major part of the investigation of CEIF is developed. In this first part of the presentation, the main facilities and equipment of this laboratory will be showed and described.
Spot fires are a very important mechanism of forest fire spread. The importance of spot fires in Portugal have been increasing in the same way of the representativeness of eucalyptus stands in Portugal, as this is one of the species that causes more spotting problems. The studies of spot fires developed by CEIF/ADAI have divided this mechanism in four stages: (1) the release of a firebrand, (2) its uplift in the convection column, (3) the downwind transport of the firebrand, and (4) the landing of the firebrand in a fuel bed. This part of the presentation will be focus on a model developed to determine the distance of downwind
transport of a hollow cylindrical bark of eucalyptus and on the probability of ignition of a fuel bed by several types of firebrands.