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Meeting

February 27 – March 1, 2006

Boise, ID

1. Welcome & Introductions

• Attendees: FENWT Members: Paul Schlobohm, Wayne Cook, Pete Lahm, Wayne Mitchell, Joe Kennedy, Larry Bradshaw, Mike Hilbruner, Dick Bahr, Leroy Spayd, Erin Albiston, Neal Hitchcock and guests, Mike Deon (NWS), Tim Swedberg, and Tim Brown.
• Logistics information shared
• Agenda discussed and expectations established
• Bagpipe wakeup call provided courtesy of the Idaho Professional Firefighters Association

2. Review and discuss Action Item Tracker tasks – All

• Information: group quickly reviewed previously assigned items in order to stay current with tasks. Some items “completed” while many are currently “in progress”. No decisions required, though some items were clarified.

3. Study Plan update – Paul

• Information: plan was presented to NWCG and plan has been approved. Our assignment is now linked directly to OFCM/JAG survey effort. FENWT to meet with JAG March 1-2, 2006. (Attachment 1 – Study Plan )

4. Business Practices and expectations (set by NWCG) – Paul

• Proposed: Work on Operating Principles during Day Two breakouts.
• Task: Paul and Erin work on it by April conference call.
• Question: “Is myfirecommunity.net working for the group as a means to facilitate meeting information?” General group agreement that using the site is a worthwhile effort but the down side is that when the site is not available business can’t be done in a timely manner. Pose questions to Lessons Learned Center later in the day: 1) what to do about business needs when site goes down, 2) is it possible to have public and private sides of the site, 3) are there easier ways to get notification than current way and 4) will virtual meetings be available?

5. NWCG Glossary Terms – All

• Information: Tom shared process through which the terms must go in order to be “recommended” by FENWT then approved and changed by NWCG.
• Process Suggestion: When action (i.e. term definition) is delegated to a committee (FBC, FWC, FDC), each committee should have autonomy that doesn’t require larger group (FENWT) to address unless there are issues that cannot be resolved without mitigation. Interaction between groups should be initiated by each committee chair.
• Decision: Committees will have responsibility for the terms and interaction between groups regarding these terms. FENWT Chair, as representative of larger group, will approve terms and forward to NWCG without discussion. Caveat listed above. Add this process to Operating Principles.
• Discussion: “Living fuel” term deletion presented.
• Decision: Modify suggestion (do not delete) “living fuel”. Synonymous with “live fuels”, indicate this in glossary. Example: living fuels – synonymous with “live fuels”.
• Action: Paul submit approvals for NPSG-proposed terms and modified change request for “live fuels” term by March 3, 2006.

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6. National Interagency Fuels Coordinating Group – John Segar

• Information: NIFCG invited to discuss overlapping roles (in common with) with FENWT in areas such as efficiency in use of models and/or tools and research related to fuels. NIFCG top priorities include working with national level performance measures, budget issues as they relate to fuels, IFPM related to Prescribed Fire Specialist timeline, and Wildland Fire Use. Continued discussions between NIFCG and FENWT are needed to ensure that groups stay abreast of each other’s priorities. NIFCG Charter link.
• Action: Paul meet with NIFCG, discuss Strategic Plan and “what we do” to explore opportunities for FENWT to work on things for NIFCG as appropriate.

7. Fire Behavior Committee report – Wayne Cook

• Information: Committee membership depth and workload is a challenge that hasn’t been seen in the past. Application learning is limited and committee is addressing the topic. “Plume-dominated fire” concept is being worked on by a sub-committee of FBC. Competencies for task books and positions (specific positions under IOS) under FBC that may come to fruition through FENWT. Successfully completed a module (Fire Fighter Refresher) and have set task-tickler to address changes as needed each fall. Strategizing a mechanism to announce availability of funds (request of funds) to groups outside of FENWT and FBC. (In anticipation that FENWT and Committees will have an increased or consistent budget that is beyond own needs in the future). FBC is working on developing its own Strategic Plan in April. Fire Behavior Curriculum Development strategy should follow from the plan development. Appendix B is completed but there are some communication “glitches” that may be holding it up.
• Decision: “Defining Fire Behavior Fundamentals and Applications” 2007 conference unanimously supported by FENWT. Each member of FENWT expressed ability to support conference and FBC with either monetary or in-kind contributions.

8. Lessons Learned Center (myfirecommunity.net) – Paula, Dave & Curt Braun

• Discussion: myfirecommunity.net created to house a place for communication between groups like FENWT as well as “communities of interest”. LLC shared Road Map and requested a copy of FENWT Strategic Plan. Goal of LLC is to help fire become a learning organization. FENWT on the forefront of using the website for doing business. LLC encouraged FENWT to provide input and needs to LLC as they come up. New technology coming online in April that will benefit FENWT including web meetings, notification of postings, new web site format, public v. private dissemination. Website is usually closely monitored to prevent downtime. LLC is soft money funded, so they could use our support. (Attachment 2 – LLC Road Map)

9. Forest Service Data Warehouse – Larry

• Information: FAMWEB stores fire weather, fire occurrence, aviation, excess property. Shawn Jones and Robert Palmer from SAIC. February 16th in Boise. JAD session (Joint Application Design). They are using a Business Intelligence tool called “Cognos” to allow users to build their own reports, downloads, etc. over the web. The Query Studio is the ad-hoc reporting tool where users can quickly build queries and download information. The tool supports a variety functions including sorting, filters, grouping, and charting. The Report Studio is an advanced reporting tool to build custom, canned reports. Their database does a nightly query of FAMWEB and updates new & changed records. We worked with: Station Information, Observations (Hourly RAWS and Standard Fire Weather), NFDRS (Observed and Forecast), Point Forecasts, RAWS Sensors, RAWS DATA. Opportunity to try to use the tool. Drag and drop query/report builder. You can add filters, sorting, and grouping. Easy to remove columns, change fonts, sort. Major Suggestions: 1) Order elements as in WIMS instead of alphabetically. 2) Change name of some column headers, 3) Use upload to load certain RAWS data elements (peak winds, solar radiation, electronic stick moisture) into Observations table and don’t show users the RAWS data tables. Drawback: No simple count functions. So to get a count of observations, there must be a #n in group field added to the database and these decisions have to be made in advance. You have to decide in advance to have a field a Sum or Average field in order to get a correct value by grouping. You can to math but you have to create new column and add 0 to the column you want to do math on. Pluses: You can create and store your queries and have them run on a schedule and have the results email to a mailing list. This requires a user name/password to do this.

10. Data Quality and Archiving – Tim Brown, Howard Roose, and JR Epps

Information: Reviewed FPA efforts to develop in QA/QC’d dataset as the introduction to a discussion of appropriate fate (resides where, used in what ways, etc) for such data. Slide show presentation. (Attachment 3 – FPA Power Point)

11. NPSG Weather Station Data Issue Paper – Tom

• Information: Issue paper presented to FENWT from NPSG. Discussion: generally supportive of recommendations. Paul, Dick, and Pete drafted a cover letter for FENWT to NWCG expressing our perspective of the situation. Previous data quality discussion demonstrates effects of not following standards. (Attachment 4 – NPSG Memo)
• Action: Cover letter draft needs to be finalized and sent to NWCG soon. Paul has the lead.

12. Core Fire Science Caucus – Colin Hardy, Mike Hilbruner, Sam Sandberg, Warren Heilman, Al Riebau, Francis Fujioka

• Information: Core Fire Science Caucus is made up of FS Research Station representatives that come together to talk about the future of research and development. Discussed Caucus structure, Strategic Planning Area (SPAs) (fire is one of eight), Fire Five Fire Portfolios (Core Fire Science Caucus is one), Four Core Fire Science Elements (Physical Fire Processes, Fire Characteristics at Multiple Scales, Fire Danger Assessment, and Fire behavior physics, potential, emissions). Discussed ideas for future fire danger rating system. Discussed need for the user community to provide research with spatial fire spread data for model validation. (Attachment 5 – Core Fire Science Brief, Attachment 6 – Hilbruner Power Point)
• Action: Follow up letter from FENWT (Paul) to thank and continue dialogue

13. Joint Fire Science Program – Erik Berg, Tim Swedburg, Becky Jenison and Sue Conard (by phone)

• Information: Created by Congress in 1998, the JFSP was established to provide scientific information and tools in support of fire and fuel management programs. Key elements include 1) partnerships and dialogue, 2) science delivery and success on-the-ground, 3) annual competitive proposal process, and 4) provide scientific information and tools to integrate fire into longer term management. Dialogue welcome and encouraged between FENWT and JFSP. FENWT expressed desire to stay engaged in the process of gathering information and needs to share with JFSP and their governing board.
• Question: Who funds technology transfer research? Science delivery is addressed in the FS research logic model (Jamie Barber). Discussion on the need for a process to review research / applications that decides what ideas are used in the field and which are dropped. Who does this?
• Action: Committees develop proposed questions/opportunities requested in JFSP-to-FENWT letter; submit through Paul by March 31. Due to JFSP April 15, 2006.

14. PMO / National Wildland Fire Enterprise Architecture group – Judy Crosby and Frank Peters

• Information: Enterprise Architecture is a business model modeled after the current Department of the Interior enterprise architecture model. This system is a tool used to create “better business”.
  Concept: write or enter once – read and apply multiple times. The current practices and systems need to be mapped or deposited into a Data Repository. The repository is not the “home” of the data, in many cases, rather a place where it can be found easily. The Enterprise Architecture process is expected to take 18 months and began October 1, 2005. See Power Points for complete detail of “high level” steps for the architecture. FENWT is encouraged to continue to work with the PMO team, as they are ahead of the curve when it comes to improving a groups’ business. Suggestions for FENWT: 1) Map to the NWCG Strategic Plan; 2) Think “interagency” and “federated” (ie. Inclusive of NWS); 3) keep the customer in view; and 4) look into the process that has been set by the DOI enterprise architecture model.
  • Action: Paul contact Penny Barrowcliff regarding NWCG’s FENWT website and access to Glossary of Terms linked to responsible WT.

15. Fire Danger Committee – Larry Bradshaw

• Information: Membership completed. Conference call scheduled for March 15; schedule for meetings to be determined on the conference call.

16. The Ecosystem Management Decision System – Keith Reynolds

• Information: Software system that is intended to 1) improve the efficiency with which landscape evaluation is conducted, 2) improve the quality of evaluation products and 3) an integrated approach to evaluation and planning. See Power Point for complete description. Plan done in combination with Rocky Mountain Station, PNW Station and NRIS Tools. Fire hazard application of model is relatively new and idea came from research done by Bob Keane (trying to fill a “hole”). Landfire Technical Team interested as well as Forest Service Washington Office for allocating fuels treatment resources because of various audits by OMB and OIG. Considered rational and transparent by FS WO and filled needs of OMB and OIG. EMDS team see reasons to get together with FENWT for the knowledge base that it represents and a need to validate information. EMDS model proposed as a broad strategic scale model not as focused “heavy lifting” simulation model or operational tool. (Attachment 7 – EMDS Briefing Paper)

17. Fire Weather Committee – Dick Bahr

• Information: Final charter completed, to be signed and then posted to website. Nine members: Dick Bahr (Chair), Deb Hanley (FL), Randal Benson (SD), NWS INCEP rep (name not locked in), Elliott Jacks, Scott Goodrich, Fire Operations rep, and Rick Ochoa. Meeting planned for this summer.
• Action: Dick provide preliminary “As Is” document for use in JAG discussions ASAP. Final version due out pending last agency’s review.

18. Hourly Fire Danger – Tom Wordell, Tim Brown, Larry Bradshaw

• Information: Topic introduced in order to create a dialogue about hourly fire danger information. Should the dialogue begin at FENWT level and incorporate players (i.e. Oklahoma, CEFA, etc.)? Reviewed hourly fire danger displays at Oklahoma Fire Danger Model (http://agweather.mesonet.ou.edu); California Hourly Fire Danger Rating Areas CEFA(http://cefa.dri.edu/HourlyFD/); PNW.
• Action: Delegate to Fire Danger Committee to suggest recommendations on a minimum set of elements that would make up an hourly fire danger product, or a standard metadata/product description linkage.

19. FENWT and the Training Working Team – Wayne C. and Paul

• Information: history of fire behavior training-related issues was shared by Wayne in order to give members an idea of what is needed from FENWT. Paul and Jim Glenn and Deb Epps (TWT) met in order to begin a team-to-team dialogue about training-related issues. FENWT brainstormed several ideas for development and deliver of the curriculum.

20. OFCM/JAG – Mary Cairns, Eli Jacks, Al Riebau, and group

• Information: FENWT members joined the 2nd JAG meeting to collaborate on effort to develop user needs assessment survey. The role of the JAG is to identify the areas of concern and to provide recommendations to the agencies involved. Their role is not to create standards and requirements. Paul presented and the two groups discussed the assignment FENWT has from NWCG to address our weather station network and weather data systems. Discussed details of several Functional Areas needed to develop user survey. Next JAG meeting is April 20-21 via GoToMeeting on-line tool. Objective is to develop survey questions.
• Action: Paul: provide FENWT member names to Eli, Al, Mary for SME role on each Functional Area, by April 7.
• Action: FENWT provide list of people to contact in several categories.

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