Transatlantic Fire Resource Guide

Photo Credit: Eric Evenson (NAFSE)

With the increasing number and intensity of wildfires becoming one of the imminent consequences of climate change worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to be aware of the meteorological conditions that favour their destructive potential. As wildfires become more extreme, firefighters' ability to extinguish them directly and quickly is decreasing. Therefore, long-term forecasting and an understanding of state-of-the-art weather models and satellite data are necessary to support operations. Highly sophisticated fire weather and fire behaviour analysis, as used by the fire services in Australia, Spain and the United States, provides a useful and safe approach to decision-making. Learning about the available resources, their uses, and their capabilities enables those dealing with fires to develop a comprehensive understanding of state-of-the-art information systems and potential gaps in regional information coverage.

This resource guide introduces the wide range of knowledge and data networks available online related to wildfires. It aims to provide an overview of the vast resources available and give readers an insight into their contents. These include real-time fire information networks and seasonal outlooks including fire danger indices, as well as natural variables such as drought, precipitation, air quality and smoke. More sophisticated portals include satellite imagery, radar and observational data, and weather forecasting services. Additionally, some fire weather tools and software solutions are highlighted. The final section of the guide serves as a transatlantic knowledge exchange library, showcasing North American and European institutions and organisations committed to advancing and sharing knowledge on wildfires and wildland firefighting. The aim of this guide is not to provide a complete and detailed description of all available resources, but rather to offer readers an insight into the realm of wildfire information.

The Transatlantic Fire Resource Guide is the collaborative work of Aaron Arneke and Eric Evenson. Aaron is a Master’s student at the University of Bremen in Germany and a volunteer wildland firefighter with the Waldbrandteam e.V. Eric is the Science Communications Specialist with the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange (NAFSE), which is part of the Joint Fire Science Program's (JFSP) Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN). He is also a former Incident Meteorologist (IMET) with the National Weather Service. They have worked together on this project through the International Association of Wildland Fire's (IAWF) Mentoring Program.