Topics
• development of the Alberta fire danger/weather network
• advent of the pre-suppression concept and application of fire
weather/danger data in fire operations and management.
Topics
• technologies in data collection
• some future requirements in fire growth modeling
A brief training course on the Canadian FDR…
Fuel Moisture Evaluation
• Direct Method: determine moisture content through drying
and weighing a fuel sample – time consuming and impractical
• Indirect Method: measure the factors which most influence
fuel moisture content and estimate their influence on the fuels
CANADIAN FOREST FIRE DANGER RATING SYSTEM
(CFFDRS)
Developed by Forestry Canada as an indirect system to
determine the fuel moisture content of dead fuels (forest
duff layers).
Relative Humidity
Fire Weather Index (FWI) System
Wind
Relative Humidity
Precipitation
Precipitation
Precipitation
Temperature
Temperature
Temperature
Fine Fuel Moisture
Code (FFMC)
Duff Moisture
Code (DMC)
Drought
Code (DC)
WIND
Initial Spread
Index (ISI)
Build Up
Index (BUI)
Fire Weather
Index (FWI)
Drought Code (DC) – seasonal moisture code
• over-winter precipitation monitoring essential
Darwin Lake Project
Building the danger rating
system
• higher
numbers > higher fire danger
Darwin Lake
burn project
(1970)
•
jackpine fuel type
FFMC = 88 BUI = 21 ISI = 5
Darwin Lake
burn project
(1970)
F90 B43 I5
Darwin Lake
burn project
(1970)
F92 B52 I11
Darwin Lake
burn project
(1970)
F93 B61 I12
Fuel Moisture – Fire Behavior
• simple inputs…practical…a daily weather observation with diurnal
adjustment…
• a forecast of weather inputs > forecast of fire danger indices
Area of interest
SRD Observation Network
Lookout tower - 126
RAWS station - 48
Ranger station - 21
Contract observer - 8
Boreal lookout
(Legend tower)
30 m
East slopes / mountain lookout
Lookout Tower
Foggy Mountain
Fire detection….
Lightning observation….
Weather observation….
Lookout site
(under stress)
Algar -1995
Goose Tower
Goose Tower - May 05 1998
Extreme lookout duty
RAWS NETWORK
Remote Automatic Weather Station
(RAWS)
Data telemetry by cellular..satellite
phone systems
Globalstar
telemetry
Used to track
criminals and now
fire danger in AB
and other provinces
• “Remote”
automatic weather stations
generally require helicopter access…
• a RAWS site close encounter with wildfire…
PORTABLE AUTOMATIC STATIONS
Over-winter precipitation monitoring
Low cost – low technology
Sacramento Gauge
Sacramento storage gauges
137
Forecast fire danger indices provide:
• guidance to pre position resources
• inputs for fire growth modeling – hourly data – (sub hourly?)
• heightened awareness and safety on the fireline
Fire Behavior Prediction System (FBP)
• links the fire danger rating system to specific fuels..
• primary output is Headfire Intensity (HFI)
• largely indicates the difficulty of control
The same ISI value will produce a
different rate of fire spread in
different fuel types….
The FBP system predicts
fire behavior based on weather,
the FWI components, topography
and fuel type.
Example : ISI = 15
Fuel = cured grass.
Spread rate = 50 m/min
Fuel = mature pine
Spread rate = 15 m/min
Head Fire Intensity
ISI
BUI
Fuel Type
Wind Direction
Percent Slope
Aspect
BUI
Fuel Type
Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Date
Fuel Type
Surface Fuel
Consumption
Crown Fuel
Consumption
Rate of Spread
(ROS)
Total Fuel
Consumption
Head Fire
Intensity
ISI for May 28, 2001
BUI for May 28, 2001
HFI for May 28, 2001
Weather during the Chisholm
Fire - May 28 2001
Plume
You are here
Stony Plain Wind Profile
0600 May 28 2001
16000
14000
12000
Height (feet)
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
0
20
40
60
Windspeed (km/h)
80
100
120
Fire weather and FWI components
at Vega Lookout for May 28 2001
Temperature - 24 deg RH - 24% Wind - SE 55G85 km/h
FFMC - 93 BUI - 142 DC - 572
ISI - 101
Weather Map for
May 28 - 0900
A classic fire weather
pattern : 1968
1980