MISSION

WATER PHOENIX, AN INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTING FORCE & RESOURCE, is a global one-stop for countries who need crisis firefighting teams and resources. Water Phoenix is ready to deploy quick-response, advanced, highly trained firefighting teams, rapid set-up command centers, state of the art fire monitoring, and aerial and ground equipment at the invitation and in cooperation with nations in fire crisis and emergency.

INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTING FORCE & RESOURCE also is a global one-stop to provide countries with longer term support in firefighting infrastructure and capacity building, training, and fire prevention and mitigation.

WATER PHOENIX draws on the years of experience and knowledge of a coalition of firefighting organizations and international emergency crisis response teams.

Water Phoenix exists best as a global intergovernmental organization open to membership by all countries, using a synergistic combination of finance mechanisms, the Global Environment Facility,  public-private partnerships and charitable corporate & foundation giving.

For Crisis situations our stand-by firefighting teams “Force for Good”are ready to deploy by request akin to a UN Peacekeeping mission.

For critical fire infrastructure building, capacity building, and training our programs arrive with the technical expertise & financing assistance similar to those provided by the World Bank or other Multilateral Banks.

WHY A GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTING FORCE

The unprecedented number and severity of wildfires worldwide has created an urgent need for an international firefighting force and resource.

The frequency, intensity, and geographic reach of wildfires have reached alarming levels due to unpredictable drought & weather patterns, deforestation, and urban expansion into fire-prone areas.

Wildfires that were once seasonal and geographically confined have now become year-round, large-scale disasters capable of devastating entire regions, both ecologically and economically.

Wildfires now quickly threaten and can spread into urban areas upping the risk of catastrophic loss of life, infrastructure, and critical resources.

Traditional methods of containment often prove inadequate against the speed and ferocity of these modern mega-fires, stretching local and national firefighting resources to their limits, leaving even highly trained and well-equipped forces in wealthy nations struggling to contain the destruction.

In some Western countries where advanced firefighting infrastructure and techniques exist, fires continue to overwhelm resources, destroying thousands of homes, displacing entire communities, and costing billions of dollars in damages annually.

These tragic losses highlight the inability of even the best-equipped nations to respond effectively to the evolving wildfire crisis. The reality is that no country, regardless of its wealth or preparedness is immune from the devastation of this new era of wildfires.

Most countries lack even basic firefighting abilities and resources. Due to incapacity, fires in these regions are frequently left to burn uncontrollably, causing environmental, economic, and human damage while contributing to global pollution and toxic air.

The global disparity in firefighting capabilities leaves all nations vulnerable and at risk and contributes to the degradation of our planet and humanity while propelling environmental and humanitarian crises.

OUR SOLUTION

WATER PHOENIX - AN INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTING FORCE & RESOURCE is a global one-stop to address both crisis fire fighting needs and longer term firefighting capabilities of countries at their invitation and request.

Rapid response capabilities, cutting-edge technology, human expertise and pre-deployed assets all converge to provide an International Firefighting Force & Response that ensures timely and efficient interventions for fire emergencies worldwide, while building capacity, infrastructure and resilience throughout the globe.

CRISIS RAPID GLOBAL RESPONSE

Water Phoenix can deploy a dedicated fleet of firefighting assets strategically organized by continent for swift emergency response. The fleet includes water bombers, helicopters, and monitoring capabilities equipped for diverse terrains and fire types.

Water Phoenix can deploy our ready-to-go firefighting teams to control and contain crisis fire emergencies and situations.

Water Phoenix uses deployable operational command centers to ensure efficient resource allocation, communication with local partners, and execution during crises. 

Water Phoenix uses advanced technology for real-time fire detection, satellite imagery of fire terrain, risk assessment, and strategic response planning- all at the request of the individual country.

LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY

Water Phoenix provides access to strategic finance for Infrastructure needs for increasing firefighting capacity of countries.

Water Phoenix provides Capacity Building and Training with in-country and regional training centers that provide advanced education for local firefighting forces in all terrain and urban ground firefighting, aerial firefighting, command center and on ground coordination as well as fire prevention.

Water Phoenix provides Skills building and firefighting team building focused on hyperlocal solutions designed for all types of terrain-forest, savannah, desert, urban, mountainous, etc and situations -wildland, intersection, or urban -that each country needs.

Water Phoenix provides technical support to governments in developing long-term fire management plans.

Water Phoenix supports community outreach programs to increase public awareness about fire risks and preventative measure as well as knowledge of crisis to-do actions.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION EXAMPLE

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has already been activated 16 times during the current fire season, as countries in Europe battle a heat wave accompanied by a high number of catastrophic wildfires around the continent. The number of activations for 2025 is already equal to the total activations for wildfires for 2024 during the whole fire season.

The European commission has created a fire response program for both EU & 10 non EU members that is coordinated under the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

Under that umbrella the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) ensures rapid deployment of emergency support and acts as a coordination hub between all EU Member States, the 10 additional participating states, the affected country, and civil protection and humanitarian aid experts.

The ERCC can help any country inside or outside the EU affected by a major disaster upon request from the national authorities or a United Nations body.

To lessen the burden on contributing states, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre can liaise directly with the national civil protection authorities of the country in need. It can also financially support the delivery of civil protection teams and assets to the affected country.

The centre manages a reserve of pre-committed assistance from EU Member States and participating states, such as emergency response teams or technical equipment, that can be immediately deployed in case of need.

The ERCC also acts as a central 24/7 contact point when the solidarity clause is invoked. It provides emergency communications and monitoring tools through the Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS), a web-based alert and notification application enabling a real-time exchange of information.

RescEU

RescEU was established as a strategic reserve of European disaster response capabilities and stockpiles, fully funded by the EU. It comprises a fleet of firefighting planes and helicopters, a medical evacuation plane, and several essential stockpiles.

RescEU reserves are hosted in strategic locations across 22 Members States and participating states.

To strengthen the EU’s response to wildfires, the Commission finances the stand-by availability of a firefighting fleet. In light of several record-breaking wildfire seasons across Europe, rescEU is being continuously reinforced to make more aerial means available every year.

The deployment of these resources is decided jointly by the Commission and relevant Member States, ensuring a coordinated and efficient response.

This initiative complements other measures under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, including the use of pre-positioned ground firefighting teams to ensure a prompt response in wildfire-prone countries.

For the longer term, the European Commission has allocated significant financial resources to the acquisition of 12 new firefighting planes to be based in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Greece, and 3 helicopters to be based in Slovakia, Czechia, and Romania.

These aircraft will form the "permanent rescEU fleet". The first helicopters are expected to be delivered in 2026, with the first planes made available during the 2028 wildfire season.

RescEU: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en

Technology

Copernicus is the Earth observation component of the European Union’s Space Program with the EU as the manager of the Programme.

Copernicus provides invaluable data to track short and long term changes and trends for wildfire monitoring & management.

Monitoring of Land via Satellite and on-ground tech is coordinated thru Copernicus - European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

EFFIS supports the services in charge of the protection of forests against fires in the EU and neighbor countries and provides the European Commission and the European Parliament with updated and reliable information on wildfires in Europe.

The EFFIS provides multiple information portals such as current fire situation, wildfire risk viewer, and long term fire forecasting,

EFFIS is supported by a network of experts from the 43 countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa by the Expert Group on Forest Fires

Copernicus: https://www.copernicus.eu/en/about-copernicus

EFFIS: https://forest-fire.emergency.copernicus.eu/

Financing

The EU established the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP) to advance European cooperation in civil protection with objective to enable a faster, better-coordinated, and more effective European response to both human-induced disasters and natural hazards.

All EU Member States, along with 10 additional states also participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, can voluntarily commit civil protection resources - known as response capacities - to the Pool for 1 or more years.

These resources are kept ready for rapid deployment to disaster zones abroad at short notice. Each response capacity combines specialised staff and equipment necessary to effectively respond to disasters.

Whenever a disaster strikes, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism may receive a request for assistance from the affected country. In such cases, response capacities must be deployed as quickly as possible to support national response efforts.

Being well-prepared to respond immediately is essential to save lives and minimise damage.

The European Civil Protection Pool enables quality-assured and more predictable EU response operations.

To achieve this, the European Commission has established a certification and registration process, which ensures that the capacities - such as emergency response teams and their equipment - provided by EU Member States and participating states meet high operational standards.

The Commission contributes to transport and/or operational costs for deployments within or outside Europe. Additionally, financial support is available for upgrading or repairing response capacities committed to the Pool to enhance disaster preparedness.

COALITION OF FIREFIGHTING ORGANIZATIONS

Water Phoenix gains it expertise from its network of supporting firefighting organizations -join us today!