NOAA’s Fire Weather Testbed: Moving Advanced Technology into Operations

With wildfires increasingly impacting society and ecosystems from local to global scales, NOAA has increased its strategic investments and planning to address wildfire-related hazards and prepare for the increase in prescribed burning. One key aspect of these investments is the establishment of a new NOAA Fire Weather Testbed (FWT). The FWT intends to bring together a broad range of fire-related communities across agencies and jurisdictions, including decision-makers, researchers, and operational fire weather forecasters, to improve and tailor tools, applications, products, and information. A primary focus centers on understanding the information needs of those involved with wildland fire before, during, and after the flames to create a fire-ready nation: one that is fire-adapted and fire-resilient.

The FWT is a joint effort between three of NOAA’s Line Offices: NOAA Research (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research), National Weather Service, and NOAA Satellites (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service). Housed within NOAA’s Global Systems Lab in Boulder, Colorado, the FWT consists of physical and virtual facilities for conducting evaluations and experiments. Social and behavioral science is a critical component of every aspect of the FWT user needs assessments, research, and evaluation activities. Here, we will introduce the FWT’s mission and provide updates on the status of the infrastructure, staffing, and highlight two unique, recently completed FWT evaluations. By engaging with the weather, water, and climate enterprise at an early stage, we hope to develop a wide range of interdisciplinary collaborations that will serve to improve our understanding of the total fire environment.