NREM 390 – FIRE ECOLOGY & MANAGEMENT – FALL 2008
OUTCOMES – 11/2 – 11/11
NOVEMBER 2
FIRE SUPPRESSION: types of fire, types of control and attach, methods of suppression
Reading assignment: Pyne et al. 457-469.
After doing the assigned readings and participating in class discussions, you should be able to:
Ø Describe the 10 a.m. rule. Why was it revised?
Ø Explain the difference between wildfire, prescribed fire, and escaped fire.
Ø Describe the three types of fire control and under what circumstances each would be used.
Ø Explain how to break each of the three components of the fire triangle for fire suppression.
Ø Describe the five different methods for establishing a fireline, and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
NOVEMBER 4
FIRE SUPPRESSION RESOURCES: crews, teams, equipment, ICS management structure
Reading assignment: Pyne et al. 472-480.
After doing the assigned readings and participating in class discussions, you should be able to:
Ø Define what a hand crew is and give examples.
Ø Define and distinguish between Type 1 and Type II crews and Type 1 and Type II teams.
Ø What is NIFQS.
Ø List the major types of equipment used to fight fires and give several examples of each.
Ø Be able to describe the different modes of attacking a fire.
Ø Be able to define the following terms and apply them to a fire management situation:
Sizeup Tactics Burning out Catline
Scout Anchor point Fireline Wetline
Safety zone Hotspotting Handline Retardant
Escape route Mopup Hotline Control
Strategy Demobilization Coldtrail Contain
Backfiring (counterfiring, suppression firing, firing out) Confine
Ø Describe the five primary functional areas of the ICS.
Ø Describe the reasons why the ICS is effective at managing complex fire situations. How does it achieve a high level of flexibility and efficiency?
Ø Be able to develop an effective ICS structure to address a particular fire situation.
NOVEMBER 9
NFDRS (National Fire Danger Rating System) & PRESCRIBED FIRE INTRODUCTION (definition, control, fire plan, firing operations)
Reading assignment: Pyne et al. 539-552 and thoroughly explore the Website: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/fire/olm/nfdrs.htm
After doing the assigned readings and participating in class discussions, you should be able to:
Ø Describe the basic principles of NFDRS
Ø Briefly describe each of the components of NFDRS
Ø Briefly describe the indices of NFDRS
Ø Be able to apply information from the NFDRS to a fire situation.
Ø Explain some examples of prescribed fire objectives.
Ø Explain how prescribed fire control is similar to wildfire control.
Ø Describe the purpose and components of a prescribed fire plan.
Ø Explain the purpose of the ‘prescription’ in a prescribed fire plan. What are the main parameters included in the prescription?
Ø Discuss how different types of firing operations may be used to achieve different fire behavior conditions.
Ø Be able to discuss how the following related to prescribed fire:
o The prescribed fire plan, including the prescription and burn plan
o Operations and strategies used in the prescribed fire
o Organization structure used in the prescribed fire
o Considerations for safety, communication, finance, and logistics
NOVEMBER 11
PRESCRIBED FIRE AS A TOOL FOR ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT: REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Reading assignment: Pyne et al. 539-552.
After doing the assigned readings and participating in class discussions, you should be able to:
· What should a prescribed burn plan include? Name 5 elements that should be present
· List three justifiable objectives for prescribed fire use:
· What ecological considerations should be made when considering a fire for ecosystem management purposes?
· What weather/climatological factors can have an impact on how a fire behaves? List three factors that MUST be known before, during & after a fire is planned.
· Name two social / community considerations that must be planned for when thinking of using fire as a tool.
· What is the WUI ? Does it exist in Iowa & the midwest?
· When thinking about smoke management, what are two examples of “smoke-sensitive areas”?
· Patch-Burn Grazing is an example of a prescribed fire use in ecosystem management & restoration – what prescribed fire OBJECTIVES (see above) are addressed with this practice?
· Patch-Burn Grazing (Fire-grazing Interaction) seeks to restore which:
o Homogeneity to grassland ecosystems
o Heterogeneity to grassland ecosystems
· Do all grassland birds use all grassland habitat? Why or why not?