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National Wildfire Coordinating
Group
Fire Environment Working Team
Fire Behavior Committee
Teleconference
February 14, 2008
Members
Present:
Kyle Cannon
Kelly Close
Dan Jimenez
Risa Lange-Navarro
Punky Moore
Tami Parkinson
John Saltenberger
Larry VanBussum
R. Ziel
Others Present:
Wayne Cook
Noble Dunn
Laurie Kurth
Paul Schlobohm
Meeting Minutes from January 24, 2008:
Minutes were approved with minor edits.
Advanced Fire Behavior Assessment Course Curriculum
Update:
Laurie Kurth reported the steering committee is working
with four learning objectives that have been identified.
Taskbooks have been reviewed for the requirements that are
necessary for Fire Behavior Analyst and Long Term Analyst
positions. Looking at the learning path that includes the
fire behavior components that are already being taught in
existing courses and identifying what is not, then determining
what should be included in new course(s) that are replacing
S492 & S493.
Steering committee: Laurie Kurth, Robert
Ziel, Wayne Cook, Chuck McHugh, Matt Jolly and Pat Stephen.
Kathy Schon represents the host (Univ. of Idaho) for planned
online spatial analysis course.
The committee is working with Paul Schlobohm to develop
a funding request for the Interagency Fuels Committee that
includes a contracted training specialist position. This
specialist will help the committee look at a variety of
learning methods to decide which options will be used to
present material.
Need to explore agreement with McClellan and how they want
to participate logistically and administratively since they
were going to host S492 & S493. Decision was made for
the FBC to make this contact.
Action Item #338: R. Ziel will contact
Jim Barnett (USFS-Boise), due date 3/27/08.
Further discussion included the good response from the call
for cadre members. Steering committee may consider a subset
of the cadre as reviewers. Steering committee requested
current version of S490 from Noble Dunn; he will forward
to steering committee. The final corrections for S490 will
be made Feb. 25 & 26.
Curriculum update – Noble Dunn
S190:
On the shelf, working on final details to post online
version.
S290:
There were errors in the final test. FBC responded to Noble’s
email message. FBC discussed how to send additional changes
to Noble, format and content. Noble is developing a new
form to use for responses, but until that is received, continue
to send clear, concise responses via email. Some of the
responses are opinions and not used. It was suggested that
filtering the reviews could eliminate some content that
might be helpful to reviewers. Noble will send the editorial
comments to FBC.
Received three errata concerns back and they were all the
same. Also received concerns about problems with FLAME.
S390:
Nothing new on course. There should be some responses
forthcoming from northern geographic training group. In
the next revision, once it’s on a website, we can
make changes quickly.
S490:
Editorial staff is finishing today. Final correction workshop
will be held on Feb. 25 & 26. Noble asked for assistance
if there are questions for FBC. Committee needs content
to reference; Noble will send out course cds to members.
John Saltenberger – volunteered
Risa & Tami – teaching that week, can be reached
Zeke – teaching that week, can be reached
Issue Paper:
Development Group submitted an issue paper to request
the S490 course be electronic and cd only. FBC expressed
approval about the ease of making corrections electronically
thereby reducing errors. Items of discussion included:
- request to TWT, needs to be forwarded
to FENWT, FBC
- meeting with LLC to discuss website
similar to Rx 310 or S491
- consider how this could work for S490
- building a new format that would be
a database where instructors are only working with the
front page
- anything corrected would have a version
date for reviewers
- auto populates changes so the instructor
guide is not different from student workbook or powerpoints
Another issue paper will be submitted for approval of a
new website to house the course.
Field Reference Guide:
The finished student workbook will include the reference
guide. It is already electronic and needs to be updated.
The version on MFC was scanned from the 1992 guide. Zeke
will change to pdf file and forward to Noble to add to student
cd. Responsibility for content remains with the FBC; it
is still a work in progress.
FLAME:
Online – in the process of submitting a request
to instructional media shop to begin formatting to go online.
Hope to have it completed by summer, for both instructors
and students.
Field guide – book will be available from Boise with
flame sheets and instructions
FENWT Report:
Paul Schlobohm provided an update from the NWCG meeting
that discussed combining subgroups under NWCG and NFAEB.
The process includes reorganizing the subgroups into branches
with similar function. It is proposed to move FENWT into
a group called Equipment and Technology. This group may
also contain IRM WT, Equipment WT & Radio and Voice
groups. These groups did some rearranging and will remain
in a branch. There will be a branch director that works
between NWCG directors and subgroups inside the branch.
FENWT is proposing to have a Fire Weather subcommittee like
the current one and a Fire Modeling subcommittee that is
organized to the future to handle the scope of the current
Fire Danger and Fire Behavior committees by FY 2010. Further,
there would be another subcommittee for fire occurrence
in order to maintain continuity and oversight of activities
chartered under NFAEB.
There is likely to be much more overlap between Fire Danger
and Fire Behavior as tools and underlying models are updated.
Another factor in the proposal to combine Fire Danger and
Fire Behavior Committees into one subcommittee is the fact
that both the Fire Danger and Fire Behavior committees have
been challenged to find a chair.
FBC needs to digest suggested changes and submit input
soon thru Paul or NWCG rep. NWCG Directors are spending
time each week to structure this concept by March. No immediate
impacts on FENWT or committees, but changes are expected.
NWCG direction is to be thinking about this new proposed
structure in regards to FY ‘09 budget. As soon as
it is available, Paul will forward electronic material on
restructuring to chairs.
Agenda item - March teleconference
NWCG Liaison:
Membership discussed interaction between development group,
TWT and FBC. What is the FBC role in commenting about the
S490 Issue paper? Mark will respond to Deb Epps that FBC
agrees with the issue paper.
Relayed information to Mark Koontz from Advanced Fire Behavior
Assessment Training Steering Committee update. Clarified
that Zeke will contact McClellan on future course curriculum
support. Current agreement will be the basis to discuss
where to go. Identifying other training needs from various
groups will be helpful.
Interaction with TWT and Development group:
FBC will be meeting in Boise April 7-11. Would this be
a good time to spend some time together to discuss S190
thru S490 course issues?
Action Item #339: Zeke will contact
Deb and Mark to identify a time for them to meet with
FBC in Boise to discuss SMEs, course revisions, etc.,
due date 3/27/08.
Agenda item - April meeting, April 10th looks good
Budget:
Committee discussed possibility of shifting some funds
from other committees for state rep travel. What agency
should handle the money? Paul will make arrangements to
have the funding set up appropriately. FBC will look at
the budget exercise from Tucson and send info to Paul.
Agenda item - March teleconference
Training – NR Fire Behavior Workshop:
- Good turnout, went well, good feedback,
better understanding of the WFDSS decision making process.
- Updates from Predictive and NWS services
– Activity Planner on the NWS website for burning
and other activities to know about the weather related
to projects
- Case Studies from NR geo area –
life changing events related to fire behavior were shared
at the workshop
- Wind Wizard presentation by Brett
Butler (corporate license for different agencies, should
be pursued)
- Unable to use Webinar, may help out
with budget concerns in the future
- Dan & Risa made a presentation
about what FBC does. (Communication Plan input?)
- Video conference – Mark Finney
and 2007 fire activity, evacuations, law enforcement,
etc.
- Landire presentation – Jeff
Jones made a presentation about current status (need to
contact Chris Lee to get somebody to make a presentation)
- FWS representative, Shane DiGrasso,
presented information about his assignment as FBAN assessing
how fuels project areas are responding to fire. Interagency
Fuels Group may be looking for FBANs to lead these groups
on future assignments
- Next year - Human Factors lesson and
2-3 hour WFDSS session
John Saltenberger is interested in workshop planning for
future fire behavior workshops. Risa will forward the NR
workshop agenda for consideration. Basically, NR asks what
the fire community would like to see during the workshop.
’88 Fires – Yellowstone & Beyond
Conference:
Dan and Punky drafted the abstract and posted on MFC under
Fire Research, (deadline for submission, April 15). FBC
needs to submit poster ideas to Dan. Dan will check whether
there is a fee for submitting the poster abstract.
Action item #340: FBC submit poster
ideas, due date 3/10/08
Action item #341: Dan will confirm whether
there is a fee associated with submitting the poster abstract,
due date 3/27/08.
Communication Plan:
Punky reminded committee to post ideas for the Communication
Plan by March teleconference.
Action Item #342: Punky will post outline on MFC under Communication
Plan topic, due date 2/18/08.
Viegas Model Request for Review:
The request for review is ready to send; Zeke will email
the request to Collin Hardy.
Round Robin:
RAWS/Roman report – There is support for the business
analysis; now working on providing the life support funding
for Roman. There is also consideration to fund the analysis
of the Raws network, size and density. Risa added that NR
workshop participants were encouraged to contact their state
fire head about importance of RAWS/Roman accessibility.
Tami – Talked to Al King about FBC’s primary
contact with the Fireline Safety Refresher Training Steering
Committee. They have not set dates for ’09 work yet.
We will build time into the Boise agenda to have someone
from the steering committee meet with us.
Action Item #343: Tami will inquire who can give update
during meeting in Boise, due date 3/27/08.
Agenda item – April meeting
FBC protocol question. Post information to the MFC where
all can see and followup with email.
Larry – S290 Comet
Met with Shari Gary and Wendel Welch, pursuing a way to
get $100,000.00 for Comet effort through the National Science
Foundation. Course is on track. Will start converting course
in April or May, 18 month project, a lot of the material
exists already; conversion should be easier than starting
from scratch. Weather units will be done first.
Fire agencies give the final blessing before it goes live.
Agenda item – April meeting, discuss with Deb Epps
and Mark Koontz the final product approval process.
Action Item #344: Larry will check whether
Comet received the S290 cds, provide information to Risa,
due date 3/27/08.
Next call March 27
Adjourned 1155
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