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National Wildfire Coordinating
Group
Fire Environment Working Team
Fire Behavior Committee
Minutes
FINAL
NIFC Boise,
Idaho
May 30 – June 2, 2006
May
30 & 31, 2006
Members present:
Dan Jimenez
John Barborinas
John Saltenberger, joined 6/1
Larry VanBussum
Risa Lange-Navarro, joined 5/31
Robert Ziel
Wayne Cook
Punky Moore - Executive Secretary
Sheri Shetler, Facilitator
Continued developing Strategic
Plan
Curriculum Matrix Revision:
Developed plan to update course matrix:
Telecon with Paul Werth to obtain missing
S290 weather input to matrix
Began revision process – reviewing
S190, 290, 390 & 490
Identified discrepancies between matrix and course materials
Added numerous components, reworded, reorganized, deleted
outdated information
June 1, 2006
Guests joining meeting:
Paul Schlobohm, FENWT
Tim Sexton, FUWT, NIFCG
Pat Garbutt, S590
Tim:
Fuels Curriculum and Applications:
Group is working on an overall training
strategy for the fuels curriculum.
Overall training strategy topics:
1. Spatial skills, appropriate scale
and resolution
2. LANDFIRE data, industry standard for fuels planning
and fire issues (consistency)
3. Photo series – no training sessions to learn
how to use
4. New technology (wind wizard tool) how to make available
to field
5. F CAM, better site specific forecasts (point and click
application)
6. Risk quantification and contingency planning
- Need to do a better job, develop tools
and deploy to field
- Reviewed escaped Rx fires –
recognized poor contingency planning
- Protecting Communities by reducing
risk of wildfire – determining how much risk is
reduced after treatments.
- Displaying tradeoffs in a quantitative
manner, people may be more willing to accept impacts
- Risk to firefighters – how do
we get the research to the field in a usable format?
Collectively, we need to look at
prerequisites for FB and fuels curriculum – identify
common areas where we can work together to become more efficient
(developing building block courses)
- FB has some applications and
lesson plans that can be utilized
- Eliminate competition and overlap
- Leverage the resources we do
have
- Ensure there are no gaps with
related courses receiving most current fire behavior advances
if course updates are being done on different schedules.
Discussed proposal to TWT for FBC oversight
of S490 plus courses. Fuels Group agrees oversight should
go to experts responsible for specific courses. Fuels Group
is responsible for maintenance of fuels curriculum taskbooks.
NIFTT was developed for a specific purpose – LANDFIRE
data development and tech transfer.
Then what? Long term maintenance is a
big issue
Workshops and distance learning opportunities are currently
available for LANDFIRE training (U of Idaho)
Will discuss possibilities of working in conjunction with
NIFTT
Annually, satellite burn severity imagery
is available.
Is it possible to update LANDFIRE database?
Validation and correction – not institutionalized
How can we work more closely together?
FBC will be added to NIFCG mailing list
for meeting notification (2nd and 4th Wed of the month)
Access to website where notes are located
Invitation to call in – can raise issues
How can FENWT and FUWT coordinate?
Dick Bahr is on both teams – should
be the liaison between the groups
Continuing Education issues:
Is FUWT working toward CE? Rx 300, 310
& 341 initially
Looking at distance learning, merits of required refreshers
for burn bosses
Is the update model meeting the needs of the fire community?
Pat Garbutt
S590 Steering Committee
Committee recognizes need for representation
on FBC; proposed that S590 Steering Committee member attend
FBC meetings as an adhoc member until a full time member
can be identified. FBC proposed that FBC member/S590 cadre
member represent FBC as faculty adhoc member at S590 meetings.
Will also determine which meetings could benefit from representation
from both groups.
‘06 course review:
Steering Committee is looking at the
course relative to costs, time commitments and course
length. Can the course maintain its integrity and be shortened
to one week? The committee did not think so.
a. Have not taken an adequate look
at the course to see what can be distance learned. Will
send a recommendation to NAFRI to have professional
educators review the course
b. If distance learning is selected, committee is not
confident that students could pull it off with time
commitments
Back to the top
Are distance learning statistics available?
Action Item #205: Wayne will raise the question
next week (6/5/06) in NY at the FENWT meeting.
Issues discussed:
- We need to be looking at all possible
alternate learning mechanisms, not just distance learning.
- Policy and terminology – consistent
terminology is a must
- Leaving slots open in the curriculum
for new technology (processors), built in flexibility
- Interpretive skills – written
and oral communication needs to be carried thru the curriculum
Mentoring process update:
Is there an opportunity for a Mentoring presentation at
the Fire Behavior Conference in March? Global mentoring
idea; not specific to S590. Formal process will be used
for solicitations for presentations. Will keep committee
updated with conference planning and schedules.
Who is managing the graduate database for
S490, 491, 492, 493? Has not been identified.
June 2, 2006
Guests joining meeting:
Paul Schlobohm
Tim Sexton
Wendel Hann
Kathy Schon
Reviewed meeting minutes and decisions thus
far.
Tim suggested to the group additional training
issues that were identified from escaped fire reviews:
Deficiencies in measuring weather
– how it’s being done and what is being used.
• FBC initiated process to address
this issue with John Saltenberger developing an initial
fire weather refresher module that is being utilized
through WFSTAR.
Action Item #206: Decision was
made for Wayne to take this topic to FENWT meeting. FBC
supports the continued development of this project. Due
date: 6/5/06
Taking fuel moisture samples is not practiced
consistently. Where in the curriculum does this training
fit?
• FBC can extract the fuel moisture
lesson in S390 to be used as a building block for further
training.
Action Item #207: Wayne will raise
the issue at the FENWT meeting to help identify a lead
on this issue. Due date: 6/5/06
Wendel Hann:
NIFTT - National Interagency Fuels Technology Transfer:
The team was created to support the collaborative
nature of the NFP and Healthy Forest Initiative. The team
is usi ng an integrated process to bring fuels specialists
and resource managers together in the land management planning
process. Because users are coming to the table with varied
backgrounds and levels of experience, the team has developed
training to teach an integrated approach to fuels, fire
and resource planning by using LANDFIRE data in spatial
analysis.
Courses being offered include 437 (online
tutorial for LANDFIRE data, concepts and science) &
438 (advanced applications of LANDFIRE data for fuel assessment).
Discussion included the possibility of FBC
and NIFTT collaborating to develop a course for acquisition,
critiquing and editing spatial data. These components would
be extracted from existing S492/493 lessons. Also discussed
the appropriate source for training spatial data core skills
and how to institutionalize the training.
Methods for training:
Developing new courses vs. university courses
Need GIS prerequisites. ESRI ArcGis online
course is currently being used.
After this fall, LANDFIRE courses will roll into online
courses in a maintenance mode. Discussed possibilities
for the ESRI course to be tailored to fire. We need to
be charting courses for training, education and retention,
not just looking at week long courses. There could be
a lesson plan/path of knowledge that needs to be started
at the S190 level.
Level of training required:
Revising land management plans - There
are deficiencies in fuel model skills. What is the knowledge
level that planners need? All disciplinary planners need
to have some knowledge about fuels and fire behavior.
The prerequisite level for planners needs to be determined.
This course is not just a federal agency issue. It is
similar to fuel model regionalization concept and should
be offered to states and regions.
Scott’s 40 fuel models – is
this going to be the standard model?
Joe Scott has been added to the training cadre.
Items for discussion at NIFCG meeting -
June 14
- What are training needs and how are
we going to address?
- What do we need from NIFTT?
- NIFTT needs to chart a path for potential
new course (acquiring, critiquing and editing spatial
data)
- Wendel - Draft the content
- What’s being offered, what needs
to be developed in addition – identify all courses
that would be affected
- Kathy – GIS prerequisites
- Focus on learning, understanding and
retention – an ongoing process not restricted to
one course. Where does CE fit in?
- Can Mark Finney provide an update on
new fire model?
- Range Report that identifies the gaps
between job ksas and necessary training to move from an
entry level position to master level will be sent to Wayne
before meeting. Charting a course for individual development
plans based on a Job Taskbook.
- Wayne will present NWCG FB information
during meeting
Memo from Fire/Air Issues Coordinating Group
to FENWT for FBC response regarding Smoke Management Training:
FBC was asked what kind of content is
available now and what content should be taught. Smoke
management training is introduced in S390 and S490 in
the stability and instability lessons, assessment and
forecast projections are included in S492 & S493 and
briefing and written forecast projections are included
in S590.
Action Item #208: Wayne will carry
this information forward at the FENWT meeting. Due date:
6/5/06
Action Item #209: Assigned Curriculum
Matrix Tasks. Due date: 6/14/06
- Wayne – S491
- Zeke – S492
- Risa and John – S590
- Zeke – Recategorizing
- Punky – Distribution
Next conference call scheduled for June
16th, 0900 MDT
Meeting adjourned June 2, 2006 1400
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