Fire suppression effectiveness and efficiency assessment in southern Spain

Background The assessment of suppression performance is gaining importance owing to budget constraints and the increasing prevalence of large wildfires. Aims This study evaluates the effectiveness, cost-benefit and cost effectiveness of fire management in Andalusia using indices that combine burned area, suppression costs and avoided economic damage, examining the factors influencing these indices. Methods Indices were calculated based on observed wildfire behavior and operational data from the official database (2011–2019), supplemented with simulated fire behavior and economic impacts. Key results Suppression efforts prevented the burning of 67% of the potentially affected area, and each unit of cost invested averted approximately three units of potential economic losses from wildfires. Suppression performance varied across administrative divisions, decreasing with higher fire growth rates but improving with longer control times. Early-season fires were less effectively contained, whereas late-season fires were more cost-effective. Conclusions This novel evaluation in Spain identifies the main drivers of suppression performance, offering insights for fire agency operations. We proposed the modified Management Index (mMI) as a more robust measure of cost-effectiveness than the Management Index currently published and applied by other authors. Implications Assessing wildfire suppression effectiveness guides intervention prioritization, adaptive resource allocation and operational strategies, while providing evidence-based justification for the value of assets protected relative to firefighting investment.