Presentation by: Heath Hockenberry, National Fire Weather Program Manager, National Weather Service

1. NWS Fire Weather Program:
2017 Weather Services in Support
of Fire Management
Heath Hockenberry
Michelle D. Hawkins- PhD, Robyn Heffernan, Larry Van Bussum
November 9, 2018

2. NWS Fire Weather Program Vision
Fire weather decision support information, combined with
resource and fire environment intelligence, maximizes
firefighter and public safety, property protection, and
effective resource management.
NWS Fire Weather Guiding Principles
1. Safety through Quality Service
2. Teamwork
3. Performance Excellence

3. We serve a diverse group of partners…
• The States
• Forest Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• National Park Service
• Fish & Wildlife Service
National
Regional
Local

4. NWS Products Support Fire Decisions

5. Diverse needs for fire weather
• Develop fire management strategies
• Plan for expected resource needs
• Identify locations to move crews and
engines
• Decide if pre-evacuation notices need to
be sent for new residences threatened
• Plan for relocation of wildlife
Credit: KCPQ TV

6. Incident Meteorologist (IMET) Program
• Provided at the request of fire agencies
• Operational since 1929 – as a fleet of
weather trucks
• Currently 10x the capability in a box the
size of a suitcase
• 90 year history of over 3,500 missions
• 79 qualified IMETs across 55 WFOs
• Continuity of Excellence Exercise
provided yearly

7. Cumulative Missions*

8. 2017 Fire Weather Decision Support
• Number of fires: ~71,000
• Number of Acres: 8.2 million
• Damages: $18 billion (U. of
Colorado, Boulder)
• 200 IMET missions, 2nd
largest ever
• 25, 870 spot weather
forecasts – Record level

9. Evolution of Services – Red Flag Warning
• RFW intended as a tool for fire
management agencies
• Evolving the warning requires
collaboration and research:
• How will warning on fire detection transform
services?
• How do we retain the needs of fire
management agencies while balancing needs
for public messaging?

10. 10
NOAA’s NWS Future
Warning and Detection Capabilities
• GOES-16/17 Fire and Smoke Detection
• GOES-16/17 Lightning Detection
• Forms potential basis for improving detection, lead time and
warning/ impact messaging