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Long Term Fire Analyst

Position Description

Duties

  • Assists in the burn plan development and review before implementing.
  • Provides appropriate historic weather information.
  • Obtains weather forecasts, updates and special advisories; document local weather before and during the fire; and communicate with Meteorologist.
  • Establishes and maintains effective communications with appropriate personnel, such as supervisors, Fire Effects Monitor, crewmembers, or adjoining forces.
  • Establishes a system to monitor fire behavior, first order fire effects, weather data before (if possible), during and after ignition.
  • Assesses real-time observations of fire behavior and immediate fire effects, and recommend tactical adjustments.
  • Identifies fuels outside of standard models because of depth, loading arrangement, or kind of fuel; and adjust predictions accordingly.
  • Analyzes observed and predicted fire behavior to make adjustments to fuel models or the assumptions used in the fire behavior calculations.
  • Estimates wind speed and direction at any time and location over a large area of varying topography, given a fire weather forecast.
  • Assembles information and calculate fire growth from a line source of fire over an extended time period.
  • Recognizes and describes special conditions that promote extreme fire behavior.
  • Calculates the rate of spread, flame lengths (fireline intensity), heat per unit area, burn size (area and perimeter) for selected time periods for a burn starting from a point source and be able to plot the burn area and perimeter on a map.
  • Predicts the rate and direction of fire spread on slope with winds at various angles on the slope.
  • Employs appropriate solutions for burns of extended durations.
  • Provides assessment of risk of a rare fire spread, significant smoke, and/or season ending event for long duration fires.
  • Synthesizes the data sets from a number of local weather stations for useful inputs to fire behavior calculations for various locations.
  • Monitors smoke emissions for health, safety, and vista impairment.
  • Locates proper sites for, and identify appropriate equipment for weather data collection.
  • Prepares written prescribed fire behavior forecast within the time frame specified by the supervisor.
  • Provides formal briefing to appropriate personnel.
  • Provides fire behavior and fire effects summary for the fire(s).

Position Knowledge and/or Requirements

  • S-390, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior Calculations
  • S-490, Advanced Wildland Fire Behavior Calculations
  • S-590, Advanced Fire Behavior Interpretations
  • S-492, Long Term Fire Risk Assessment
  • S-493, FARSITE: Fire Growth Simulation

 

Last Modified/Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

Updated NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: IFUASS Qualification and Curriculum Board (IFUASS) 

The 2024 revision of the NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515 is now available. PMS 515 standardizes the processes and procedures for interagency use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including pilot inspections and approvals. This publication is now available as a PDF for easy use offline.

References:

NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515

Memorandum 24-003: Removal of Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) Incident Position Qualification Pathways

Date: May 10, 2024
Contact: Aitor Bidaburu 

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide NWCG direction for removal of the Type 1 Command and General Staff (C&G) incident position qualification pathways to transition to Complex Incident Management (CIM). Responders may continue to utilize available NWCG pathways to attain Type 1 C&G qualifications until December 31, 2024.

References:

Memorandum 24-003

CIM Story Map

2024 Professional Reading Program

Date: April 26, 2024
Contact: Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program (WFLDP) 

The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program is announcing the 2024 Professional Reading list! The intent of the Professional Reading Program is to promote the reading and discussion of these books throughout the year. Discussion guides are provided and the corresponding Wildland Fire Leadership Levels have been identified.

The five books chosen for this year are: Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by William H. McRaven, The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee, Emotional Agility by Susan David, and Writing to Persuade by Trish Hall.

References:

Professional Reading Program

Wildland Fire Leadership Levels

NWCG Training Catalog now on Wildland Fire Learning Portal

Date: April 25, 2023
Contact: NWCG Training  

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has migrated the training catalog from the NWCG website to the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP) as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline processes and improve efficiency. To facilitate this transition, the training catalog remains available on www.nwcg.gov through April 2024.

Starting May 2024, the training catalog will no longer be accessible on www.nwcg.gov. However, you can still access the complete training catalog by logging in as a guest to the WFLP.

References:

Wildland Fire Learning Portal