Volunteer fire fighter dies during wildland fire suppression - South Dakota.

We describe a model that estimates the optimal total expected cost of a wildland fire, given uncertainty in both flame length and fire-line width produced. In the model, a sequence of possible fire-line perimeters is specified, each with a forecasted control time. For a given control time and fire line, the probability of containment of the fire is determined as a function of the fire-fighting resources available. Our procedure assigns the resources to the fire line so as to minimize the total expected cost. A key feature of the model is that the probabilities reflect the degree of uncertainty in (i) the width of fire line that can be built with a given resource allocation, and (ii) the flame length of the fire. The total expected cost associated with a given choice of fire line is the sum of: the loss or gain of value of the area already burned; the cost of the resources used in the attack; and the expected loss or gain of value beyond the fire line. The latter is the product of the probability that the chosen attack strategy fails to contain the fire and the value of the additional burned area that would result from such a failure. The model allows comparison of the costs of the different choices of fire line, and thus identification of the optimal strategy. A small case study is used to illustrate the procedure.

Download Full-text

The wildland - urban interface fire problem - current approaches and research needs

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf07131 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 238 ◽

Cited By ~ 207

Author(s):

William E. Mell ◽

Samuel L. Manzello ◽

Alexander Maranghides ◽

David Butry ◽

Ronald G. Rehm

Keyword(s):

Wildland Fire ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Economic Cost ◽

Field Measurements ◽

The United States ◽

Test Methods ◽

Wildland Urban Interface ◽

Fuel Treatment ◽

Treatment Techniques ◽

Exposure Conditions

Wildfires that spread into wildland–urban interface (WUI) communities present significant challenges on several fronts. In the United States, the WUI accounts for a significant portion of wildland fire suppression and wildland fuel treatment costs. Methods to reduce structure losses are focussed on fuel treatments in either wildland fuels or residential fuels. There is a need for a well-characterised, systematic testing of these approaches across a range of community and structure types and fire conditions. Laboratory experiments, field measurements and fire behaviour models can be used to better determine the exposure conditions faced by communities and structures. The outcome of such an effort would be proven fuel treatment techniques for wildland and residential fuels, risk assessment strategies, economic cost analysis models, and test methods with representative exposure conditions for fire-resistant building designs and materials.

Download Full-text

A method for estimating the socioeconomic impact of Earth observations in wildland fire suppression decisions

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf18237 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 282

Author(s):

Vincent Herr ◽

Adam K. Kochanski ◽

Van V. Miller ◽

Rich McCrea ◽

Dan O'Brien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wildland Fire ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Break Line ◽

Socioeconomic Impact ◽

Incident Management ◽

Socioeconomic Impacts ◽

Earth Observations ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

The Impact ◽

Behaviour Simulation

A method for estimating the socioeconomic impact of Earth observations is proposed and deployed. The core of the method is the analysis of outcomes of hypothetical fire suppression scenarios generated using a coupled atmosphere–fire behaviour model, based on decisions made by an experienced wildfire incident management team with and without the benefits of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite observations and the WRF-SFIRE wildfire behaviour simulation system. The scenarios were based on New Mexico’s 2011 Las Conchas fire. For each scenario, fire break line location decisions served as inputs to the model, generating fire progression outcomes. Fire model output was integrated with a property database containing thousands of coordinates and property values and other asset values to estimate the total losses associated with each scenario. An attempt to estimate the socioeconomic impact of satellite and modelling data used during the decision-making process was made. We analysed the impact of Earth observations and include considerations for estimating other socioeconomic impacts.

Download Full-text

Black-Backed Woodpecker Nest Density in the Sierra Nevada, California

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d12100364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 364

Author(s):

Chad T. Hanson ◽

Tonja Y. Chi

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Bark Beetles ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Small Population ◽

Nest Density ◽

Conifer Forests ◽

Forest Habitat ◽

High Severity ◽

Selection Of

In the western U.S., the black-backed woodpecker has been found to be associated with dense montane conifer forests with high snag densities, typically resulting from moderate- to high-severity wildland fires. However, black-backed woodpeckers are occasionally also detected nesting in unburned forests, raising questions about the type of habitat in which they nest and the potential abundance of such habitat. We conducted intensive black-backed woodpecker nest density surveys in large plots within the middle/upper-montane conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, California, within general (undisturbed) forests, snag forest habitat from moderate/high-severity wildland fire, and unburned snag forest habitat from drought and native bark beetles. We found black-backed woodpeckers nesting only in the two snag forest conditions, mostly in burned snag forest, and their preferential selection of burned snag forest was statistically significant. No nest was found in general forests. Our spatial analysis indicates that snag forest is rare in the forests of the Sierra Nevada due to fire suppression and logging, raising concerns regarding small population size, which we estimate to be only 461 to 772 pairs in the Sierra Nevada.

Download Full-text

Seasonal changes in wildland firefighter fitness and body composition

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf19104 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 294

Author(s):

Steven E. Gaskill ◽

Charles L. Dumke ◽

Charles G. Palmer ◽

Brent C. Ruby ◽

Joseph W. Domitrovich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Aerobic Fitness ◽

Ventilatory Threshold ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Metabolic Cost ◽

Load Carriage ◽

Fat Free Mass ◽

Fire Season ◽

Exercise Treadmill

Hiking with a pack is the highest-intensity task that wildland firefighters (WLFFs) perform during sustained activities related to wildland fire suppression. Firefighters perform this and other tasks together as a crew; this provides a unique model to evaluate select physical and physiological changes in members of working crews over a fire season during extended operations. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in peak aerobic fitness (VO2peak), sustainable aerobic fitness at the ventilatory threshold (VO2vt) and body composition over a 5-month wildland fire season. WLFFs from four crews (55 males, 10 females) participated in a maximal graded exercise treadmill test and body composition evaluation pre- and post season. VO2peak values and variance did not change across the fire season (pre=3.96±0.65, post=3.96±0.69Lmin−1, not significant). VO2vt average decreased slightly while variance decreased greatly within each crew (pre=37.5±7.0, post=35.4±2.3mLkg−1 min−1, P<0.05). There was an improvement in VO2vt in initially less-fit WLFFs and a VO2vt decrease in initially more-fit WLFFs. WLFFs lost fat mass (−1.56±−1.06kg, P<0.01) and fat-free mass (−0.38±−1.24kg, P<0.05). Post-season VO2vt values were the same as the higher range of the documented metabolic cost of uphill load carriage and reveal a unique group adaptation to extended physical demands.

Download Full-text

Spatial models for estimating fuel loads in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf02049 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 119 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Robin M. Reich ◽

John E. Lundquist ◽

Vanessa A. Bravo

Keyword(s):

South Dakota ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Estimation Error ◽

Spatial Models ◽

Black Hills ◽

Small Scale ◽

National Forest ◽

Forest Fuels ◽

Forest Fuel

Fire suppression has increased fuel loadings and fuel continuity in many forested ecosystems, resulting in forest structures that are vulnerable to catastrophic fire. This paper describes the statistical properties of models developed to describe the spatial variability in forest fuels on the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota. Forest fuel loadings (tonnes/ha) are modeled to a 30 m resolution using a combination of trend surface models to describe the coarse-scale variability in forest fuel, and binary regression trees to describe the fine-scale variability associated with site-specific variability in forest fuels. Independent variables used in the models included various Landsat TM bands, forest class, elevation, slope, and aspect. The models accounted for 55% to 72% of the variability in forest fuels. In spite of having highly skewed distributions, cross-validation showed the models to have nominal prediction bias. This paper also evaluates the feasibility of using the estimation error variance to explain estimation uncertainty. The models are allowing us to study the influence of small-scale disturbances on forest fuel loadings and diversity of resident and migratory birds on the Black Hills National Forest.

Download Full-text