knf pocket card 20021 klamath nf pocket cards fire season 2002

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Klamath NF Pocket Cards

Fire Season 2002

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Why Pocket Cards?

• In response to the Thirtymile Accident Prevention Plan the Chief of the Forest Service directed that each fireline supervisor will be issued a pocket card for the fuel types on their home unit

• Additionally, fireline supervisors will be issued a pocket card before deployment on assignment by the receiving unit

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Why Pocket Cards? (Cont.)

• Pocket Cards are intended to enhance firefighter Situational Awareness through:– Relating current conditions to historical

thresholds of fire danger• In both familiar and unfamiliar firegrounds

– Visualizing measurements of fire danger indicators and relationships

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Pocket Card Elements

• Pocket Cards display –– Location

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Upper Left Corner:– A graph of highest recorded data, as well as– A graph of average recorded data– For a specific Fire Danger Indicator– For a specific Fuel Model

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Lower Left Corner:– A graph of two memorable years– References to wildfires of note– For the Fire Danger Indicator in question

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Upper Right Corner:– Weather Station Information– Graph explanations– Local thresholds of observed and calculated Fire Danger

indicators which should be available to all firefighters– In this case:

• 20’ Windspeed• Relative humidity• Air Temperature• 1000 hr Fuel Moisture

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Lower Right Corner:

– An explanation of BI and what to look out for

– Notes on past experience

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Pocket Card Elements

• Pocket Cards display –– Location

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Upper Left Corner:– A graph of highest recorded data, as well as– A graph of average recorded data– For a specific Fire Danger Indicator– For a specific Fuel Model

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Lower Left Corner:– A graph of two memorable years– References to wildfires of note– For the Fire Danger Indicator in question

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Upper Right Corner:– Weather Station Information– Graph explanations– Local thresholds of observed and calculated Fire Danger

indicators which should be available to all firefighters• In this case:

– 20’ Windspeed– Relative humidity– Air Temperature– 1000 hr Fuel Moisture

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Lower Right Corner:

– An explanation of BI and what to look out for

– Notes on past experience

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KNF Central Fire Danger Key Points -• KNF Fire Danger Rating Areas 204 and 208• NFDRS indices from 3 fire weather stations are

compiled and stored by WIMS :– Collins Baldy (High Elevation)– Oak Knoll (Low Elevation)– Callahan (Low Elevation)

• With use of Fire Family Plus software correlations were made between occurrences of ≥100 acre fires and various WIMS outputs

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KNF Central Fire Danger Key Points (cont) -

• 100 acre fires start showing up at when Burning Index (BI) exceed 55 (81st percentile)

• Correlations between Energy Release Component above 60

• Local thresholds reflect observations from Scott River valley and Oak Knoll locations:

• Wind speeds exceeding 8mph • Relative humidities below 20% correlate with large fires• Maximum daily air temperatures above 90 indicate large

fire possibilities

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Pocket Card Elements

• Pocket Cards display –– Location

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Upper Left Corner:– A graph of highest recorded data, as well as– A graph of average recorded data– For a specific Fire Danger Indicator– For a specific Fuel Model

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Lower Left Corner:– A graph of two memorable years– References to wildfires of note– For the Fire Danger Indicator in question

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Upper Right Corner:– Weather Station Information– Graph explanations– Local thresholds of observed and calculated Fire Danger

indicators which should be available to all firefighters• In this case:

– 20’ Windspeed– Relative humidity– Air Temperature– 1000 hr Fuel Moisture

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Pocket Card Elements (cont.)

• Pocket Cards display –– In the Lower Right Corner:

– An explanation of BI and what to look out for

– Notes on past experience

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KNF East Fire Danger Key Points -

• Fire Danger Rating Area 220

• NFDRS indices from 2 RAWS weather stations are compiled and stored by WIMS :– Van Bremer– Juanita

• With use of Fire Family Plus software correlations were made between occurrences of ≥100 acre fires and various WIMS outputs

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KNF East Fire Danger Key Points (cont) -

• 100 acre become more frequent when the Burning Index (BI) exceeds 50 (55th percentile)

• Correlations between Energy Release Component above 50

• Local thresholds reflect weather observations on large fire days from the mountains to the west and east overlooking Butte Valley

• Late afternoon wind speeds frequently exceed 15-2- MPH, leading to large fire growth. Winds from the south, southwest and west are of concern

• Relative humidities below 20% correlate with large fires• Maximum daily air temperatures above 80 indicate large

fire possibilities

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