Final mentee for 2014- Chris Stetson

Chris Stetson, a fire planner/fuels specialist on the Coronado National Forest, was our final mentee for fire season 2014.  He assisted us with many projects including: reviewing NWCG WFDSS modules, assisting a researcher with a project evaluating extreme fire behavior, building an acronym/glossary list for the Rocky Mountain Center webpage, modeling local future Rx burns, and reviewing 2015 Red Book updates.  He also provided Near Term and Short Term fire behavior analysis for the Happy Camp Complex in Northern California; providing them with valuable information to assess potential options.   Chris was excellent to work and we would enjoy working with him again.  Thank you Chris. 

BLM Mentee Kristy Swartz

BLM Mentee Kristy Swartz, a zone fuels program lead for the Prineville District BLM and the Ochoco National Forest completed a 2 week mentee assignment with the WFM RD&A.  Her first week she was busy supporting 2 fires in the Northern Rockies (Rain Complex and Johnson Bar) and one fire in Eastern Great Basin (Woodtick).  She provided Near Term Fire Behavior modeling and FSPro to all three fires.   Kristy also assisted the RDA with numerous projects including: reviewing new WFDSS modules for NWCG courses, testing the WFDSS Training site as it moved to a new server location, building an acronym and glossary list for the Rocky Mountain Center webpage (www.fireweather.info), and she supported her local unit with misc. WFDSS decision support.  Kristy was an excellent mentee and we enjoyed working with her.  She recently accepted a new position as a fire planner with the BLM at NIFC.  Good luck Kristy in your new position.

Welcome to Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman - 120 day detailer with WFM RD&A

Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, Regional Planning Ecologist for the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, will be joining us for a detail beginning August 25. As developer and lead of the Fire Behavior Assessment Team, she has conducted monitoring and assessments of fire behavior during active wildfires across the country for over 10 years. The team specialized on measuring effectiveness of fuel treatments and crown fire. She developed a simple application for the canyon fire acceleration model from Dr. Viegas in Portugal, testing and applying to sudden changes and extreme fire behavior on near miss and fatality fires. While head of the Adaptive Management Services Enterprise Team, she led teams working on fire management planning, fuel monitoring and assessments, and fire effects assessments. Currently, she is working on a team revising three forest plans under the new 2012 planning rule in California. This includes incorporating plan components that can be moved directly into WFDSS as strategic objectives and plan requirements, designed to work on managed fires. During her detail, she will be working with other members of the WFMRD&A group to: evaluate past and existing incident objectives; find good examples; develop good examples; and create training material or a user's guide to improve development of incident objectives that are specific, useful, and tier to unit plans.

Tell Us Your Best Fire Story!

Understanding Wildland Fire Behavior Project

This project is to find out how wildland firefighters experienced unexpected or extreme wildfire behavior in the past through right now, in this current fire season.

To do this, we need your stories about wildfire behavior and to answer questions about your stories to understand how wildfire behavior has changed and what that means for wildland firefighters. 

This project comes out the phrase that many of you have probably heard, along the lines of  "I've never seen a fire act like that before" or "I see a lot more of that kind of fire behavior now."

This will take about 5 minutes or so, and if you want to know more about the stories we collect and what we find out, there is a link at the end of the questions to submit a request for information.

Thanks for taking the time to tell us your story

You can tell us your story via website or download the mobile apps for iPhone/iPad or Android
Website url:  us.sensemaker-suite.com/Collector/collector.gsp?projectID=EFB&language=en

Mobile Apps for both IOS and Android:IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sensemaker/id572505949?mt=8Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cognitiveedge&hl=en      
                                              

NPS Mentee Jennifer Adams

Jennifer Adams, Fuels Specialist for the Everglades National Park worked as a mentee with the WFM RD&A from July 27th through August 9th.  She is a GSAN, GISS, and LTAN(t) and assisted with project work and fire analysis.  Jennifer provided a review of WFDSS related NWCG coursework materials.  She also completed Short Term Fire Behavior analysis to support contingency planning for a planned Type 1 burn on the Nez Perce N.F.   She provided timely analysis to the Staley Complex (Willamette N.F.) the Avocado Creek Fire (Everglades N.P.), and the East Mountain Fire (Idaho Dept. of Lands).  Analysis included Short Term Fire Behavior, Near Term Fire Behavior, and FSPro.  Jennifer was a great mentee and did an outstanding job.  Thank you for the excellent work Jennifer- we hope to work with you again.

USGS Mentee Kurtis Nelson

Kurtis, Wildland Fire Science Team leader for the USGS, completed a variety of projects while a Mentee for the WFM RD&A. His insight and technical knowledge of LANDFIRE data was a win win for both sides; it helped him successfully complete analysis for the Lone Mountain fire (North Cascade NP) as well as help the RD&A improve LANDFIRE-related WFDSS online help through recommended edits. He also reviewed multiple WFDSS modules for use in NWCG courses, updated Unit 3- Fuel Model training content for S390, and started to develop a list of glossary items for the Rocky Mountain Center Fire Weather website. Kurtis was our first Mentee from the USGS and we hope to support additional mentees from the agency in the future. Thanks for all your work Kurtis!

First Mentee for Fire Season 2014

Allan Hepworth, a Fire Planner for the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forest, was the WFM RD&A's first Mentee in 2014. Allan worked with us from June 30th through July 12th. As both an FBAN and LTAN trainee, Allan had a variety of operational and analytical skills that helped him develop analysis products for two incidents and successfully complete a variety of projects. Allan developed Near Term Fire Behavior outputs for the Diego Fire on the Santa Fe NF and Short Term Fire Behavior outputs for the Rodgers River fire in Everglades NP. He collected feedback for the RMC fire weather website, provided time-sensitive data verification for incident information in WFDSS and the EGP, and created 508 compliant video transcripts for multiple WFDSS training videos. Allan's positive attitude and initiative were an asset to both the successful completion of his mentee assignment and to the WFM RD&A, in helping us meet goals and objectives. Thanks Allan, for your help and for a job well done!

Technology Transfer Specialist Vacancy Filled

We are pleased to announce the selection of Reginald (Reggie) Goolsby for our Fire Technology Transfer Specialist Position.  We are excited to have Reggie as he comes with a unique set of skills and clear passion for transferring technology and research to the field.  Reggie was a journalist for a New York Times Company newspaper for several years before receiving his Masters Degree in Forestry (Fire Ecology concentration) from Clemson University. Goolsby is also a programmer and a database manager. He has independently developed desktop software, web based modeling applications and mobile device apps to assist with fire effects monitoring and wildland fire and fuels planning.  Reggie transferred to us in late June from his current position as a forester and fire ecologist at the Francis and Marion and Sumpter National Forest in South Carolina. He is currently detailing for the Redmond Hotshots and will be completing his tour of duty with them this summer.  Welcome to the team Reggie.

Thanks for the Great Work

Phil Graeve, previously a Lead Fire Monitor with Northern Great Plains Fire Management but now a Fuels Technician with the Payette National Forest, detailed with the WFM RD&A from January 20^th- March 28^th, 2014.  Phil assisted the RD&A with multiple projects including:  Growing Season Index (GSI) investigation for adjustments to WFDSS, identifying fires of interest for further research, fire behavior model output analysis and investigations into model improvements, evaluation of the Interagency Fuels Decision Support System.   Phil dove head first into difficult projects and his work was of great importance and will be applied toward fulfilling our mission of transferring useful science and technology to wildland fire managers.  Thanks for your contributions to the WFM RD&A.

Detailer Improves WFDSS Training Materials

Jhen Rawling, a fuels technician on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, detailed to the WFM RD&A Feb. 18^th-April 11^th, 2014.  She worked with Diane Rau to help update the WFDSS 101 series of training lessons. These lessons are available online from the WFDSS website, and are a primary source of learning for WFDSS users.  As a relatively new user, Jhen's objective view of the application and training materials was an asset and she provided valuable insight as a result.  She noted discrepancies between the lesson and WFDSS online help, and recommended changes and additions to clarify existing help content.  Jhen came to our team with some knowledge and background in WFDSS but her detail helped grow her skills so she can be an even greater asset to her home unit. Our hope is that she can actively engage in WFDSS documentation and help train other users in its use as well.  Thanks Jhen.