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Partner Webinar: Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Prescribed Burning Atlas

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Host: Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC

Presenters: Naomi Stephens (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service), Prof Ross Bradstock (University of Wollongong), Dr Hamish Clarke (University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University)

Abstract: 

A website specifically designed for fire and land managers, the Prescribed Burning Atlas is a tool to inform prescribed burning strategies and tailor them to outcomes that will best reduce the risk in a target area within available budgets. Backed by eight years of CRC research incorporating thousands of fire simulations, the Atlas compares the level of risk reduction achieved from different combinations of prescribed burning techniques and compares the costs of different mitigation options and their effect on reducing the likelihood of life loss, property loss and environmental values, as well as the effects of climate change on prescribed burning effectiveness. This webinar will provide you with the full details and a guided tour of the Prescribed Burning Atlas, explaining how the website can support organisations to make the best decisions about where and how to undertake prescribed burning for different areas across New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland.

Additional information about the webinar can be found here.

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2021 Prescribed Fire Training Center Sessions and Workshops

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The Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center (PFTC) based in Tallahassee, Florida has announced their 2021 season sessions and workshops. Every year from January through June, PFTC hosts 20-day prescribed fire practical training experiences that work on task books and increase the knowledge and experience of fire professionals. PFTC participants from from across the country (and world) and represent a wide range of professional backgrounds and organizations. For more information check out the 2021 flier.

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Job: Americorps TNC Prescribed Fire Position

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Multiple Locations

From Lenya Quin-Davidson:

Last year Jeremy Bailey created an Americorps position focused on prescribed fire, and it was awesome, so he’s doing it again. It is a volunteer position, but it receives a monthly living stipend of ~$1400, plus lodging when in travel status. The actual work would be several 1 to 2 month-long assignments on prescribed fire crews in NM, AR, NE and CA. Feel free to share with other folks who would be a good fit for this kind of opportunity.

Link: Search “Americorps Prescribed Fire Member 48803”  https://careers.nature.org/psp/tnccareers/APPLICANT/APPL/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_SCHJOB&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1

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Job: Florida Avon Park Wildland Support Module Crew Member

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Avon Park, Florida

The Avon Park Wildland Support Module (WSM) is currently advertising a crew member position.  This position will be based out of the Avon Park Air Force Range (Avon Park, FL), but will be part of the crew responsible for prescribed burning/wildfire response on Air Force lands across peninsular Florida including Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, MacDill Air Force Base and Homestead Air Reserve Base.  Our new crew member will also support the USAF Wildland Fire Branch in fire activities across the nation, as needed.  This is a great opportunity for someone interested in gaining experience in a high-tempo, interagency, constantly changing environment. https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/78071

For questions contact:  Sam Ashbaugh (samuel_ashbaugh@fws.gov)
Assistant Module Leader – Avon Park WSM
Air Force Wildland Fire Branch East Region, AFCEC
29 South Blvd, Avon Park FL

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SFE Webinar: Prescribed Fire 101

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A free one hour webinar from Tall Timbers Research Station, the Southern Fire Exchange, the Southeast Prescribed Fire, Smoke and Air Quality Working Group and the University of Florida.

Society of American Foresters CFE Credit Expected.

Presenter: Kevin Robertson, Ph.D., Fire Ecology Program Director, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL.

Webinar Description: This webinar will provide an introduction to the fundamental concepts of ecology and practice related to prescribed fire in the Southeastern U.S. This webinar is intended to provide non-practitioners with information regarding the “how” and “why” of prescribed fire in the region. Following the presentations there will be time for audience Q/A with the speakers.

Registration required. Register here.

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Late May US EPA Smoke Science Research Webinars

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Two interesting US EPA research webinars will take place Wednesday, May 20th and Thursday, May 28th presenting new research on smoke data visualization and the health effects of smoke / PM2.5 .  Members of the fire management and fire research communities of the Southeast may be particularly interested in these two webinars given the importance of smoke management for Southeastern prescribed fire programs.

EPA Tools and Resources Webinar: Wildland Fire Community Engagement and Data Visualization Tools

Wednesday 05/20/2020 3:00PM to 4:00PM EDT

https://www.epa.gov/research/epa-tools-and-resources-webinar-wildland-fire-community-engagement-and-data-visualization

Summary

“This presentation will highlight two wildland fire smoke and health projects. Smoke Sense is a crowdsourcing, citizen science app which engages the public to broaden awareness of wildland fire smoke locally as well as health protective measures and behaviors. This presentation will share findings from the past two wildfire seasons including community engagement and data visualization tools. The Smoke Ready Communities project offers a model and framework to help communities improve their response. It supports collaboration and capacity building and also fosters preparedness and response to wildfire smoke episodes. This presentation will share a solutions-driven approach for helping reduce the public health burden of smoke intrusion at the community level. Participants will learn about how these projects can integrate a community capacity lens with resources specifically related to wildland fire smoke, air quality and health.”


Air Quality and Healthy Hearts: Progress and Remaining Challenges Webinar

Thursday 05/28/2020 2:00PM to 3:30PM EDT

https://www.epa.gov/research/air-quality-and-healthy-hearts-progress-and-remaining-challenges-webinar

Summary

“This webinar provides an overview of newly published research by EPA scientists and their colleagues that helps fill key knowledge gaps. The findings, published in leading scientific journals, offer new insights into the progress made to protect at-risk individuals with chronic health problems. The research also identifies remaining environmental health challenges, such as determining risks faced from sustained exposure to elevated PM2.5 from wildfire smoke, which is being observed due to more frequent and larger wildland fires in the United States.”

Additional information about this webinar can be found here.

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New Texas Extension Resource: Prescribed a Tool for Landowners Large and Small

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Texas A&M Agrilife Extension recently released a new prescribed fire guidebook “Prescribed Fire: A Tool for Landowners Large and Small” for private landowners and Cooperative Extension Agents. The 24 page guide has a focus on burning in Texas, but the information maybe relevant to neighboring states and other regions. The guide discusses Texas prescribed fire laws and liability concerns, equipment, planning tools, funding opportunities and resources.

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“The Case for Prescribed Fire Science” Webinar Recording Available

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The April Southern Fire Exchange webinar “The Case for Prescribed Fire Science” with Dr. J. Morgan Varner from Tall Timbers Research Station is now archived on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Channel. The slides from the presentation (pdf) can be accessed as well. Thank you all for joining us and we hope you’ll join us for one of our upcoming fire science webinars.

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Remote and Online Wildland Fire and Fire Science Training Resources

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During this time of COVID-19 altered work schedules, we recognize that there may be new opportunities to train, update, and learn new wildland fire information. This page is a collection of wildland fire and fire science related training resources that can be accessed remotely for little or no cost. These resources can be used to develop in-service training events, RT-130 refreshers or other classes for professionals, landowners, and students. We are working to add to this list over time as we become aware of new programs and opportunities. If you are aware of additional training resources that should be added to this list, please let us know (contactus@southernfireexchange.org). 

Please note that inclusion on this list does not indicate specific endorsement or review of the information provided by the educational programs.

Fire Weather Training Resources

  • COMET Advanced Fire Weather Forecasters Course (18 hrs.) The Advanced Fire Weather Forecasters Distance Learning Course addresses advanced training needs of Incident Meteorologists (IMETs), Fire Weather Program Leaders (FWPLs) in NOAA’s NWS weather forecast offices (WFOs), and Regional Program Managers. These individuals are responsible for maintaining local fire weather programs and supporting all-hazards incidents on site including wildfires, hazardous material releases, and incidents of national significance.
  • COMET GOES-R/JPSS Case Exercise: Detecting and Monitoring US Western Wildfires New-generation GOES-R and JPSS satellite products offer improved capabilities for detecting and monitoring wildland fires in the Western US and similar geographic regions. In the case of the northern California Kincade fire of October 2019, satellite monitoring capabilities provided useful tactical information to meteorologists who were working with fire agencies, emergency managers and first responders throughout the life of the fire. The lesson takes learners through two significant points in the life of the Kincade fire. Multiple satellite products are applied toward monitoring the conditions involving a potentially rapidly spreading fire. To identify how and when satellite information can be most effective, learners compare different products that can aid meteorologists in identifying fire starts and rapid spread associated with high winds and low relative humidity in the difficult terrain of California. The intended audience of GOES-R/JPSS Case Exercise: Detecting and Monitoring US Western Wildfires is operational meteorologists, including IMETs, and others needing to use satellite information for fire/smoke detection and monitoring. The lesson should also appeal to individuals from emergency operation centers and others (fire and land management agency personnel, USFS and state forestry fire behavior analysts) with interest in detecting and monitoring fires.
  • COMET Navigating the National Weather Service Fire Weather Program (1 hr.) This lesson provides the latest Fire Weather Program information to new and veteran staff in the US National Weather Service.  It includes an overview of the organizational structure and responsibilities of each Fire Weather Program branch, main policy documents, and partners that collaborate and use the program’s product and services.  The learners will play a Jeopardy-style game and practice using a process map to resolve various problems at different levels of the Fire Weather Program. The lesson will take between 45 and 60 minutes to complete (not including the quiz).

Online NWCG Training Resources

  • Fire in the Field wildland firefighter training courses are offered online or on CD-Rom by Interactive Training Media, Inc. The courses are currently recognized as National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) training equivalents in many states. Training may require partnering with a fire agency or NWCG qualified Instructor.
  • Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center has much to offer to the wildland firefighter and prescribed fire practitioner. With a focus on safety, the center provides feedback and a place to share knowledge to improve safety, performance, efficiency, and organizational learning throughout the entire wildland fire community.
  • National Wildfire Coordinating Group Training Catalog includes a variety of resources, including downloadable training courses for some positions. NWCG has also made the following courses available for download: S-131 | S-190 | S-200 | S-203 | S-211 | S-212 | S-215 | S-230 | S-260 | S-290.
  • The Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) library contains the entire catalogue of RT-130 videos and resources developed for annual fire line refresher courses.
  • WFSTAR Firefighting Orders and Watch Out Situations Immersive Activity developed and hosted by the WFTSTAR team that creates learning resources for RT-130 programs.
  • S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (15 hrs.) is the second course in a five course sequence developing wildland fire behavior prediction skills and knowledge. In the Wildland Fire Qualifications System Guide, PMS 310-1, this course is required of those planning to work as one of the Single Resource Bosses or a Fire Effects Monitor on wildfires, fire use fires, and prescribed fires. It builds upon the basics in S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, but with more detailed information about characteristics and interactions of the wildland fire environment (fuels, weather, and topography) that affect wildland fire behavior for safety purposes.

 Online Non-NWCG Wildland Fire Training

Fire Science Webinar Recordings

Check out the upcoming and archived webinar SFE webinars from the past ten years. Continuing education credits are often offered for participation in live webinars.

  • Other JFSP Fire Science Exchanges also provide fire science, wildland fire, and prescribed fire webinar opportunities that may be of interest.
  • Forestry Webinar Portal offers live and on-demand webinars on a variety of topics. Continuing education credits are often offered not only for live webinars, but recorded on-demand webinars as well.
  • The U.S. Drought Portal, maintained by the National Integrated Drought Information System provides a calendar of webinars on drought conditions in various regions, including the Southeast.

Online General Prescribed Fire Courses

  • Introduction to Southeastern Prescribed Fire is an eXtension course to introduce students to the fundamentals of prescribed burning in southeastern forested ecosystems. At the end of the course, students should have a working knowledge of fire law, fire terminology, fire prescriptions, fire safety, firebreaks, smoke management, and a basic understanding of how to conduct a prescribed burn. To access the training, follow the link and search “prescribed fire”.
  • Basic Prescribed Fire Training is an eXtension course for landowners, land managers, and state and federal personnel interested in the use of fire as a management tool in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. To access the training, follow the link and search “prescribed fire”.
  • North Carolina State University eFIRE is an interactive online course that uses 360 degree videos to provide information on how to prepare, conduct, and evaluate a prescribed burn. While targeted towards private landowners in the Southeast, the principles are applicable for burners anywhere.
  • University of Georgia Preparing for Wildfires with Firescaping is a free course for Master Gardeners and others that provides interactive training on fire-resistant landscaping. The course also provides training and resources to prepare course participants to share the information with their local communities

Online Smoke Training

  • Smoke Management and Air Quality for Land Managers is a tutorial on smoke management and air quality. The refresher includes four lessons, each of which can be completed in about half an hour; however, links and interactions allow further investigation of several topics.
  • Wildland Fire Personnel Smoke Exposure Guidebook is a draft document and a work in progress. The authors feel the guidance information within will be useful to wildland fire personnel, however in the future content may be added and edited.

 

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