This component will support enhancing the capacity of the Uttarakhand government and local communities to prevent and manage forest and general fires, through:

(a) Improving general fire risk management capacity through

(i) conducting a fire risk assessment in the context of climate change and a gap analysis to prioritize resources and interventions;

(ii) developing a fire risk management strategy and action plan that defines the roles of and coordination mechanisms for different stakeholders, sets targets, and defines budget needs for UFES;

(iii) strengthening UFES’ capacity for firefighting, application of innovative technologies , building inspections, enforcement of fire safety acts, rules, and norms, and occupational health and safety management;

(iv) constructing and upgrading fire stations to improve response time and effectiveness, meet the needs of female employees, and incorporate resilience, environment, health, and safety design considerations;

(v) constructing a general fire risk management training facility; (vi) implementing community-based activities on fire safety, including raising public awareness and promoting self-compliance and transparency in the fulfillment of fire safety norms; and

 (vii) supporting female UFES staff including by organizing on-the-job trainings, exposure visits, and outreach activities to make UFES a more attractive employer for women and increase the share of female employees.

(b) Improving forest fire prevention and management capacity through

(i) strengthening the FD’s prediction, mapping, and early detection capacity, focusing on new technologies, such as mobile applications and artificial intelligence, and taking into account shifts in fire risks due to climate change;

(ii) assessing policies, processes, planning, and inter-agency forest fire coordination mechanisms, including creating an incident command system for forest fire management;

(iii) strengthening the FD’s forest fire suppression capacity by purchasing equipment, constructing and upgrading crew stations, and providing capacity building for officials and communities;

(iv) establishing an incentive-based community program, including provision of Community Grants, for forest fire risk management that will be guided by sustainable forest management principles, reduce fuel load, restore degraded lands, and enhance soil moisture levels; and

(v) preparing a carbon-finance mechanism based on reduced emissions from the above-mentionedactivities as a sustainable funding mechanism for community forest fire risk management activities.