Fire Weather User Needs Assessment Presentation of the Fire Environment Working Team to the Joint Action Group March 1, 2006

Outline NWCG FENWT FENWT User Needs Assessment Collaboration with the JAG Suggested stones to overturn

National Wildfire Coordinating Group Purpose –to coordinate wildland fire management programs –to avoid wasteful duplication –to provide a means of constructively working together Goals –to provide more effective execution of each agency’s fire management program. –to provided a formalized system to agree upon standards of training, equipment, qualifications, and other operational functions.

BIA Lyle Carlile BLM (Larry Hamilton) FWS (Phil Street) NPS Edy Williams Rhodes FS (Alice Forbes) Natl. Assn. of State Foresters Kirk Rowdabaugh (West) Mike Long (East) U.S. Fire Administration Hugh Wood Intertribal Timber Council James Erickson USDI FS Fire Research Mike Hilbrunner USDA Associate Members (non-voting) Natl. Fire Protection Association Jim Smalley Forest Fire Management Group Paul de Mar DHS IRM Program Mgmt Office Judy Crosby Fire Equipment WT Tory Henderson Fire Environment WT Paul Schlobohm Info Resource Mgmt. WT Shari Shetler Fire Use WT Bill Leenhouts Wildland/Urban Interface WT Sam Scranton Safety & Health WT Paul Broyles Training WT Logan Lee Incident Business Practices WT Hallie Locklear Publication Mgmt. System WT Allen Deitz Incident Ops Standards WT Bob Leaverton Wildland Fire Investigation WT Paul Steensland Radio Narrowband Advisory Group Steve Jenkins Geographic Area Advisory Group Brian Shiplett Wildland Fire Education WT Maureen Brooks PredictionOperationsOutreach Support Social Science Advisory Group Aden Seidlitz & Jonathan Taylor

Wildland Fire Environment Fuels Weather Topography

FENWT Concept Integrated approach to… –Fire Weather –Fire Behavior –Fire Danger Coordinated with… –Predictive Services –Air/Smoke Management –Fuels Management –National Weather Service

Fire Environment Working Team Members chartered outside of FENWT Strategic Partners FENWT Chair Fire Behavior Committee Fire Danger Committee Fire Weather Committee Interagency Fuels Group NIFCG NWS Predictive Services Group NPSG Strategic Partners Eastern StatesWestern States Members - NASF Representatives NWCG Liaison Fire Research Fire/Air Issues Group FAICG Members chartered by FENWT NWCG Liaison

Fire Environment Working Team Members chartered outside of FENWT Strategic Partners FENWT Chair Paul Schlobohm FBC Wayne Cook FDC Larry Bradshaw FWC Dick Bahr NIFCG Dennis Dupuis NWS Leroy Spayd NPSG Tom Wordell Strategic Partners Eastern States Joe Kennedy Western States Wayne Mitchell Members - NASF Representatives NWCG Liaison Fire Research Mike Hilbruner FAICG Dennis Haddow Members chartered by FENWT NWCG Liaison Alice Forbes

FENWT Mission Provide interagency oversight, strategic direction and vision relating to measuring and predicting the wildland fire environment and share that understanding with the users.

FENWT Goals Technology –Existing and emerging technologies describe, model and predict our wildland fire environment conditions Research and Development –R&D efforts meet fire environment business needs. Decision Support –Decisions are supported by robust and trusted applications and information.

FENWT Strategies and User Needs Identify and prioritize existing and emerging technologies Utilize an iterative process to assess user needs, evaluate products and monitor feedback Promote spatial database system that can produce a variety of decision products from core underlying environmental data

FENWT Strategies and Integration Develop an integration plan Establish partnership with R&D Collaborate with R&D to move science into application Support development of science-based and peer reviewed tools

How did we get here? NWCG asked: –How many Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) do we need?

How did we get here? NWCG asked: –What are we going to do about ROMAN?

User Needs Assessment FENWT recommendation: –Weather data collection and use should be planned for according to user’s needs –Employ an assessment of current and future needs for data to answer both questions –Participate in and use OFCM/JAG and other surveys

User Needs Assessment Other surveys: –National Weather Service –National Predictive Services Group –BlueSkyRAINS West

User Needs Assessment January/February 2006 –NWCG approves FENWT plan –JAG holds first meeting –FENWT joins JAG second meeting –Opportunity to work together

Stone 1.1 From what source or sources does fire weather data need to be collected? –To perform common fire management analyses involving weather

Stone 1.2 What analyses still need to have data collected under current NFDRS standard? –What analyses do not? Is it possible to use other datasets? –Which ones? How?

Stone 2.1 What is the role of point data in the fire weather applications of today and tomorrow? What is the role of gridded data in fire weather applications of today and tomorrow?

Stone 2.2 What kind of observation network is required to implement the point and gridded data applications of today and tomorrow?

Stone 2.3 Given the roles of point and gridded data, what tools/processes/systems are needed to distribute, analyze, display, and archive these data?

Question 3 What fire weather thresholds are important to us (fire management)? –How sensitive are they?