National Weather Service
Professional Development Series
Professional Competency Unit

Fire Weather

PCU 2: General Characteristics of Fire Behavior and Fire Danger

Producer: Dennis Gettman, WFO MFR

Description of Job Duty Competency to be Achieved

Know how to integrate fire behavior and fire danger concepts into the forecast process.

Description of Need

Meteorologists need to possess a sufficient understanding of fire behavior, fire danger and fire terminology in order to provide comprehensive and relevant fire weather products and services to NWS customers and partners.

Specific Job Task Skills and Knowledge

1. Apply fire behavior concepts.

  • Fire environment (i.e., fire triangle):
  • Impact of weather on fire behavior.
  • Impact of topography on fire behavior.
  • Impact of fuels on fire behavior.
  • Visual indicators of fire weather and fire behavior (e.g., smoke columns):
  • Extreme fire behavior.

    • 2. Apply fire danger concepts.

  • Distinction from fire behavior.
  • Basic principles of fire danger rating (e.g., fuel models).
  • Fire danger rating systems (e.g., NFDRS, CFDRS).
  • Fire danger rating outputs/indices (e.g., Burning Index).
  • Drought indices (e.g., Keetch-Byram Drought Index)

    • 3. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the terminology associated with fire behavior, fire danger and fire weather.

    Instructional Components

    Instructional Component 2.1 Complete the Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior Course (S-290), which is available via CD-ROM, workbook and instructor slide series from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). It is also available via a classroom course from local and/or state fire management agencies. The classroom version of the course has two important benefitsto consider: 1) face to face interaction with fire management personnel, and 2) meteorologists will learn the level of meteorological knowledge that most fire management personnel are expected to have.

    Instructional Component 2.2 Complete the resident course "Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior Calculations (S-390)".

    Instructional Component 2.3 Complete a National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) course. A variety of courses exists including 1) the S-491 course, a 1-2 day short course, 2) a self-study book entitled "Gaining a Basic Understanding of the Fire Danger Rating System" writtenby Jim Brain. It is available for distribution to the Regions from the NIFC, 3) A NFDRS self study course is avilable online in a PDF workbook format.

    Instructional Component 2.4 Review, as needed, the The Glossary of Wildland Fire Weather Terminology. It is also available through the NIFC.

    Instructional Component 2.5 Complete the Introduction to Fire Behavior.

    Implementation and Evaluation Tasks

    TBD

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    Last updated or modified on 06/03/2003