Learning from C2 Situations in the Field - Identifying Lessons from a Major Forest Fire in Sweden

In July 2014, Sweden’s full crisis response system engaged in a major operation as a small forest fire spun out of control, turning into the largest forest fire in Sweden in modern times. A number of investigations have been undertaken to understand the course of the fire and identify lessons for future crisis management. This paper presents one approach to identifying such lessons, the lessons learned process applied by the Swedish Armed Forces. The paper also highlights some of the major crisis response lessons from the fire, the most important being the failure to learn from lessons identified after previous forest fires. Results also show that the crisis response effort was negatively affected by a poor understanding of relevant actor’s competencies and resources, as well as lack of continuity in the initial chain of command, and identifies the need for national prioritization of resources at times of major crises.