The Role of Incident Meteorologists in Supporting High Complexity Prescribed Fires

Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) are dispatched to complex wildfires where they embed with Critical Incident Management Teams (CIMTs), providing key weather support for the incident. The primary reason for onsite weather support is firefighter safety, as weather has played a direct role in numerous firefighter fatalities over the years, including the South Canyon Fire tragedy in 1994, and the Yarnell Hill tragedy in 2013. In addition to firefighter safety, the information provided by the IMET is used by the CIMT in fire behavior forecasting, strategic planning, and a variety of other ways to meet fire suppression objectives on the incident.

In recent years, under the jurisdiction of the United States Forest Service (USFS), IMETs have begun supporting high complexity prescribed fires on lands administered by the USFS. Unlike wildfires where full suppression is the strategy, prescribed fire is used and actively managed as a resource benefit, often reducing fuel load or removing unwanted species for ecological benefit. Successful prescribed fires rely on a desired fire behavior based on a prescription of fuel and weather conditions to achieve prescription objectives. These projects typically take years of planning, and as the potential burn approaches, weather forecasts play an increasingly important role in identifying burn windows, ordering the necessary resources, and ultimately putting fire on the ground. Sudden and unexpected changes in weather conditions can shut down a project, resulting in significant money wasted, or worse result in a prescribed fire exhibiting unintended behavior, spreading outside the intended bounds and eventually transitioning to a wildfire.

Much like a wildfire, the role of the Incident Meteorologist on prescribed fires focuses first and foremost on firefighter safety, monitoring changes in weather conditions on the incident which could threaten firefighter safety, and communicating those conditions to crews in the field. Beyond safety, IMETs assigned to prescribed fires work directly with the burn boss in both the outer planning periods as well as the operational burning period. Forecast weather information during the planning periods is heavily weighted in making operational decisions including whether or not to burn on a given date. This information is invaluable in terms of identifying potential burn windows and ordering resources in advance. During operational periods when active burning is taking place, IMETs monitor changing weather conditions, particularly those which may push the burn out of prescription and halt burning operations. Co-locating the IMET with the prescribed burn team allows the IMET to quickly communicate this information to the burn boss. This presentation will focus on the valuable role the IMET plays on prescribed fires, using experiences, success stories, and lessons learned from prescribed fires across California, Utah, and Colorado.