Psychosocial Implications of Mega-Forest Fires on Chilean Firefighters: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract

The mega-forest fires that occurred in the southern macro zone of Chile have challenged the coping capacities of the affected individuals and communities. In this sense, coping with a stressful event demands physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral efforts (Harvey-Narváez et al, 2021), playing a crucial role in the management of internal and external demands that potentially affect people before, during and after the presentation of an emergency or disaster (Sandoval-Obando, 2019; Sandoval-Obando and Sandoval-Díaz, 2020). However, little research has been done on the implications of these events on the development (personal and professional) of firefighter personnel.