In this seminar, Matt Jolly and Larry Bradshaw will present on the past, present and future of the National Fire Danger Rating System.
The Past
The first National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) was released by the lab in 1972 and subsequently revised in 1978 and 1988.
The Present
A fire danger rating system (NFDRS2016) that
- meets the needs of local, regional and national-level decision makers while remaining simple and relevant to operational firefighters.
- implements a physically-based fine dead fuel moisture model and a physiologically-based live fuel moisture model and a reduction in the number of fuel models, that do not reduce the effectiveness of the system
- leverages gridded forecasts and historical data to produce spatially consistent fire danger forecasts across large areas that can easily be adapted or scaled to address a range of tactical and strategic decisions.
- provides a prototype application: the Severe Fire Weather Potential demonstrates these capabilities and shows how a properly leveraged fire danger rating system can inform both preparedness and wildland fire response decisions.
The Future
Ultimately, this next-generation system paves the way for a nationally-relevant and spatially-continuous fire danger rating system that can adequately depict fire danger across a range of climates and fuel types and that can meet the needs of fire management decision makers from local to national scales.
This seminar will also be available to stream via Adobe Connect: Adobe Connect meeting room
Conference Line 888-844-9904, Participant Code: 6034929#