Risk reduction through community-based monitoring: the vigías of Tungurahua, Ecuador examines the volunteer network (“vigías”) that has been active since 2000 around the Tungurahua volcano (Ecuador) and its contribution to volcanic disaster risk reduction (DRR). The network performs multiple functions: it provides observations to researchers, serves as a communication channel, and constitutes an early-warning system supporting civil protection. A key benefit is the building of trust and social capital among citizens, scientists, and authorities. The article situates community participation within DRR and presents the vigías as an example of community-based monitoring (CBM) capable of integrating scientific and local knowledge, improving risk communication and community resilience. The network emerged in 2000 as a pragmatic response to the forced return of populations evacuated in 1999, in order to improve communications and evacuations. Initially, the vigías managed sirens and sent observations to the Volcanological Observatory (OVT) via a VHF radio network with 8:00 p.m. check-ins, operating with clear roles and protocols and basic training. Over time, their duties expanded (maintenance of monitoring stations, lahar checks, “ashmeters”). Main motivations include civic duty, protection of the community, and the social identity attached to the role; in some cases, small incentives are provided for maintenance.
Map
Volunteer Network
General information
ISIG
Integrating local and scientific knowledge through observations, communication, and early warning
The Tungurahua Community “Vigías” Network is designed to strengthen volcanic risk preparedness by building durable partnerships among the national observatory (IGEPN/OVT), local authorities, and residents living around the volcano. Rather than relying solely on institutional monitoring assets, the network leverages local knowledge, neighborhood radio nets, and community protocols to enhance situational awareness and early warning.
By actively engaging residents in systematic observations, daily radio check-ins, and alert procedures (e.g., VHF nets, sirens, standard message formats), the vigías help surface localized hazards ash fall, lahars, access blockages and immediate needs that formal systems might miss. This collaborative practice improves trust and accelerates information flow, ensuring that when activity escalates, local actors are equipped with the observations, communication channels, and coordination ties needed to act quickly and safely.
Through structured collaboration shared protocols, joint training, and two-way data exchange the vigías network bridges formal scientific monitoring and grassroots action, creating a more adaptive, informed, and resourceful approach to preparedness and response for communities living with an active volcano.
Status
Topics For Preparedness
Needs Addressed
Resumption of Tungurahua’s eruptive activity in 1999 with pyroclastic flows, ashfall, and lahar risk led to the forced evacuation of Baños and the slopes, causing loss of livelihoods and growing distrust toward scientists/authorities; the forced return on 6 January 2000 brought people back into hazardous areas while the OVT could directly observe only the NW flanks, creating early-warning and communication gaps: local observers and a rapid channel for alarms/evacuations were needed hence the vigías network as a pragmatic solution.
Not specified in the document. The document describes local communities (e.g., farmers, residents of Baños) but does not explicitly identify elderly, children, people with disabilities, or migrants as target groups.
In Ecuador, after the 2008 reform, risk management shifted from Defensa Civil to SNGR, becoming “particularly decentralised” with resources also at the municipal level. The vigías network operates in a multistakeholder arrangement involving OVT/IGEPN, SNGR/former Defensa Civil, municipalities, and the fire brigade; the vigías remain semi-autonomous and often lead self-evacuations. The support perceived by the network decreased with the transition to SNGR (with exceptions on the Chimborazo side), while OVT continues to provide training and maintains a peer relationship with the volunteers.
In Ecuador, emergency preparedness around Tungurahua relies on an operational community-based early warning system run by the vigías in coordination with OVT/IGEPN, with nightly VHF radio check-ins at 8:00 p.m. and procedures that intensify during crises; training is ongoing (what to observe and how to communicate) with scientists’ visits and community workshops; maintenance is shared vigías keep monitoring stations clean and functional, the Patate Fire Brigade maintains the radio network, and a vigía in Baños handles daily administration; there are lahar patrols and “ashmeters” for ashfall to support alerts and evacuations; resources include radios and batteries supplied by SNGR and equipment donated by the U.S. Embassy; effectiveness is documented, with no fatalities in the 2013–2014 crises and a rapid evacuation at Juive Grande in 2006 thanks to vigías’ warnings.
Information not available
- Collect localized observations from vigías to complement instrument-based monitoring and extend situational awareness.
- Establish a rapid, reliable risk communication and early-warning channel to trigger timely evacuations (including self-evacuations) during crises.
- Keep monitoring infrastructure operational (e.g., station upkeep, ashmeters) and conduct targeted lahar patrols.
- Rebuild and sustain trust and social capital among communities, scientists, and authorities to increase uptake of scientific recommendations.
- Strengthen community preparedness and response capacity, enabling safer livelihoods in exposed areas.
- Field visits by scientists to communities (regular in-person contact to sustain dialogue and trust).
- Meetings and training events/workshops (what to observe, how to describe and communicate phenomena)
- Targeted recruitment via community heads, existing volunteers, scientists’ local contacts; peer referrals.
Information not available
- Skills that stick: ongoing training (what to observe, how to describe it, when/how to alert) builds durable local expertise that persists beyond single crises.
- Practice → mastery: nightly VHF check-ins and frequent field contacts create repeated “drills” that consolidate procedures, shorten reaction times, and normalize coordinated action.
- Shared stewardship of assets: volunteers learn to maintain stations, ashmeters, and radio links keeping critical infrastructure operational and transferable to new cohorts.
- Trust as resilience capital: sustained, peer-like relationships between communities and scientists increase credibility of alerts and uptake of protective actions over the long run.
- Local decision power: the ability to trigger self-evacuations, issue direct community alerts, and coordinate on the ground builds confidence and a culture of proactive risk management.
- Institutional memory & continuity: a Baños-based administrator and routine roles/tasks preserve know-how despite turnover; radio support by the Patate fire service sustains system reliability.
- Learning by events: real emergencies (e.g., rapid evacuations without fatalities) reinforce effective behaviors and refine protocols, strengthening community confidence for future crises.
- Bridging science and society: continuous two-way communication improves risk literacy, enabling communities to interpret volcanic signals and co-own decisions that reduce long-term risk.
Hazard Type
Geographical Scope - Nuts
Population Size
Population Density
Vulnerable Groups
Governance
Emergency Preparedness
Infrastructure Readiness
Engagement Level
Empowerment Level
Implementation
- Community-based early warning (CBEWS) run by volunteers (“vigías”) that complements instruments with real-time local observations and triggers protective actions.
- Nightly VHF radio check-ins at 20:00 between vigías and OVT, creating a disciplined, low-cost operational rhythm that scales up during crises.
- Dual communication channels: the official scientists→authorities→communities path and a direct, community-mediated alert (sirens, loudspeakers, door-to-door) when speed is critical.
- Co-produced protocols and peer-like relations between scientists and volunteers that build trust and raise uptake of scientific advice.
- Hands-on stewardship of monitoring assets by volunteers (station upkeep, ashmeters), extending system reliability even with limited budgets.
- Targeted lahar patrols (including use of motorbikes) to verify valley hazards and inform timely, localized warnings.
- Semi-autonomous network logistics: a Baños-based administrator for daily coordination and Patate Fire Brigade for technical radio maintenance.
- Documented life-safety outcomes, e.g., rapid, community-led evacuations (no fatalities in 2013–2014; Juive Grande 2006 case).
- Adaptive governance across reforms (from Defensa Civil to SNGR) while preserving community leadership and multi-stakeholder coordination.
- Trust as an innovation: cultivating social capital as a deliberate, operational asset for DRR, not just a by-product of engagement.
Spanish, english
- OVT/IGEPN (Tungurahua Volcano Observatory – Geophysical Institute, National Polytechnic School) - scientific coordination, training, and operational liaison with the vigías.
- Defensa Civil → SNGR (National Secretariat for Risk Management) - civil protection framework: initial CBEWS launch and subsequent institutional management at national/territorial levels.
- Patate Fire Department - technical support and maintenance of the radio network.
- Vigías network (community volunteers) - field implementation: observations, alerts/sirens, basic station maintenance, and local coordination.
- Long-standing operational volcanology + CBEWS design. OVT/IGEPN co-created and runs the Tungurahua community-based early warning system, integrating local observations with instrumented monitoring since 1999–2000.
- Capacity building in communities. Continuous training on what/how to observe and sustained field visits that keep dialogue and skills active.
- Logistics & upkeep. Coordination of basic station maintenance by volunteers; radio network maintained by the Patate Fire Department; daily admin handled locally in Baños.
- Civil-protection integration. Operates within the national framework (Defensa Civil → SNGR), with equipment support (e.g., radios/batteries) and institutional coordination.
- Proven outcomes. Rapid, community-led evacuations with no fatalities in 2013–2014, and the well-documented Juive Grande (2006) case attributed to vigías’ warnings.
- Social capital for DRR. Peer-like relationships between scientists and volunteers that increase alert credibility and the uptake of protective actions.
- OVT/IGEPN (Tungurahua Volcano Observatory – Geophysical Institute, EPN): scientific monitoring, training, daily liaison.
- Vigías network (community volunteers): local observations, sirens/alerts, basic station upkeep, coordination on the ground.
- Defensa Civil → SNGR (national risk management): civil-protection framework, equipment support, institutional coordination.
- Patate Fire Department: technical maintenance of the VHF radio network.
- Municipal/local authorities (e.g., Baños): local administration/coordination; a Baños-based vigía handles daily network admin.
- Local communities/residents (e.g., farmers, Baños inhabitants): recipients/participants in alerts and evacuations; contributors to situational awareness.
- Equipment donors (e.g., U.S. Embassy): supplemental gear that enhances operational capacity.
- Set up the partnership & scope. Formalize roles between OVT/IGEPN, civil protection (Defensa Civil → SNGR), municipalities, and community volunteers (vigías); agree on objectives and area coverage.
- Recruit & onboard vigías. Identify trusted residents along hazardous valleys/slopes and enroll them as local observers/first notifiers.
- Train for common standards. Provide practical training on what to observe, how to describe it, and how/when to report; co-develop simple, clear protocols.
- Establish the comms routine. Launch nightly VHF radio check-ins at 20:00 between vigías and OVT, with surge frequency during crises.
- Equip & wire the network. Distribute/maintain VHF radios, batteries, and sirens; arrange technical upkeep with the Patate Fire Department; set a local admin hub in Baños.
- Deploy monitoring support. Assign volunteers to basic station upkeep (clearing ash/vegetation), install/use ashmeters, and organize lahar patrols on key drainages.
- Activate dual alert channels. Use the official scientists→authorities→communities pathway, plus direct community alerts (sirens/loudspeakers/door-to-door) when speed is critical.
- Run, log, and adapt operations. Keep daily logs of observations/comms, review after escalations, refine thresholds and procedures from real events.
- Sustain engagement. Maintain frequent field visits and two-way dialogue to preserve trust and social capital that underpin rapid, credible warnings.
- Refresh capacity & gear. Periodically retrain, replace consumables (e.g., batteries), and recruit new volunteers to preserve institutional memory and coverage.
Information not available
- Initiation (2000): rapid setup after the 1999 evacuations; recruitment of vigías, basic training, siren/VHF protocols, nightly 20:00 check-ins with OVT.
- Consolidation (2000–2006): routine ops, expanding roles (station upkeep, lahar checks, ashmeters), strengthening trust and communication loops.
- Scale-up during crisis (Aug 2006): intensified reporting and community-led evacuations (Juive Grande case).
- Institutional transition (2008→): shift from Defensa Civil to SNGR; community network remains semi-autonomous while coordination continues with OVT/IGEPN.
- Operational maturity (2013–2014): documented crises with zero fatalities; routine + surge mode validated; equipment refresh (e.g., radios/batteries).
- Ongoing cycle (continuous): daily check-ins; surge during unrest; post-event reviews to refine thresholds/SOPs; periodic retraining and gear replacement.
Experience of the Implementing Organisation in DRM
Target Audience
Resources Required
Timeframe & Phases
Participation Results
Information not available
- Breakdown/latency in official communication → Dual channel: in addition to the scientists→authorities→communities path, the vigías activate direct alerts (sirens, loudspeakers/door-to-door).
- Failures or shortages of radios/batteries → Technical maintenance of the VHF network handled by the Patate Fire Department; resupply of radios/batteries from SNGR.
- Observation gaps on some slopes → Local observers with nightly VHF check-ins (20:00) to extend coverage and increase it during crises.
- Rapid lahar impacts/blocked passes → Targeted lahar patrols (including motorbikes) for real-time checks and timely alerts.
- Degradation of stations/instruments (ash, vegetation) → Basic maintenance by vigías to keep stations and ashmeters operational.
- Volunteer turnover/fatigue → Daily routine (evening check-ins) and regular visits/training to maintain skills and engagement.
- Mistrust/miscalibrated messages delaying evacuation → Co-produced protocols and a peer-like science–community relationship to align perceptions and risk thresholds.
- Local coordination burden → Dedicated administration in Baños for daily logistics and record-keeping.
Risk & Mitigation Plan
Scalability and Sustainability
unclear information
- Conditional transferability: the model works where volcanic activity is persistent; with sporadic activity it is harder to sustain.
- In less active contexts, start alternative participation forms (e.g., participatory mapping/PRA) to build capacity and trust ahead of future CBM networks.
- Centrality of voluntarism: keep the volunteer core; consider compensation only for tasks that directly benefit monitoring (e.g., maintenance).
- VHF radio network with nightly 20:00 check-ins between vigías and OVT; surge frequency during crises.
- Dual alert channels: official scientists→authorities→communities plus direct community alerts(sirens/loudspeakers/door-to-door).
- Simple monitoring tools: community upkeep of stations and use of ashmeters to quantify ashfall.
- Targeted field verification: lahar patrols (including motorbikes) to close observation gaps in valleys.
- Technical maintenance: Patate Fire Department maintains the radio network; volunteers handle basic station tasks.
- Trade-offs: dependable and scalable with modest budgets, but dependent on gear resupply and volunteer availability; not an automated “smart” EWS.
Information not available
Information not available
- Trust is infrastructure. Continuous, peer-like ties between scientists and communities make alerts credible and speed up protective action.
- Dual channels save time. Keeping a direct, community-mediated alert path alongside the official chain reduces latency during fast-moving crises.
- Routines build readiness. Nightly VHF check-ins at 20:00 and frequent field contacts act as low-cost “drills” that lock in procedures and shorten reaction times.
- Co-produced protocols travel better. Simple, shared SOPs (what to observe, how to report, siren use) sustain performance across volunteer turnover.
- Hands-on stewardship extends system life. Community upkeep of stations/ashmeters and Patate Fire Dept radio maintenance keep critical assets operational with modest budgets.
- Targeted patrols close blind spots. Lahar patrols (incl. motorbikes) and local observers expand situational awareness beyond instrument line-of-sight.
- Semi-autonomy cushions institutional shifts. The network stayed functional through the Defensa Civil → SNGR transition by working mainly with OVT/IGEPN and clear local roles.
- Small, timely resupply matters. Periodic refresh of radios/batteries and occasional donations can be decisive for continuity.
- Local admin boosts reliability. A Baños-based administrator improves logistics, record-keeping, and day-to-day coordination.
- Learn after every event. Post-crisis reviews refine thresholds and SOPs; documented outcomes (e.g., zero fatalities 2013–2014) reinforce effective behaviors.