Wildland fire management has risen to the forefront of land management and now receives greater social and political attention than ever before. As we progress through the 21st century, these areas of attention are continually presenting challenges never experienced before.

We may consider ourselves well positioned to move into the future. Our knowledge of many areas of fire management pertaining to the physical fire environment, ecological interactions, science and technology, and management strategies and tactics has never been greater. But, an improved understanding of human behavior - at individual, group and organizational levels – is vital to making fire management safer, more active, progressive, and adaptable. This is a far-reaching topical area that includes, but is not limited to, firefighter and public safety, best practices in safety training and operations, safety related research, new approaches to safety, fire response, safety issues in wildland urban interfaces, training, equipment and technology, risk assessment, risk informed decision-making, high reliability organizations, sense-making, shared responsibility, preparedness, organizational discipline, organizational performance, organizational breakdown, decision making, communications, resilience, risk, decision support, community and homeowner fire protection and hazard mitigation, fire education, and social, economic, and political effects of fires. Each year’s fire seasons around the world reinforce that we have much to respond to and to learn in these areas.