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Analyse vegetation fire behaviour

URN: LANCS97
Business Sectors (Suites): Incident Management in the Land-based Sector
Developed by: Lantra
Approved on: 2023

Overview

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This standard is aimed at specialists who undertake research into factors affecting vegetation fire behaviour in all habitats and can be applied to wildfire incidents and prescribed fire operations.
A vegetation fire behaviour analyst will use tools to carry out analysis before, during and after vegetation fires.

To meet this standard, you will be able to:
• Complete analysis of vegetation fires before, during and after an incident or operation, to facilitate tactical and/or strategic planning.

For you to fully understand the content of the standard, and the activities it describes, it is important that you are able to understand the terms used within the standard. See Glossary for some definitions that should help you with this.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

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  1. collect information before, during and after incidents and operations on fire behaviour and spread from a range of sources and record these in accordance with your organisation’s requirements
  2. identify the most appropriate products and methodologies for the task
  3. undertake analysis of fuels, weather and the effects of topography on fire behaviour
  4. seek relevant site information from databases or experts in accordance with your organisation’s requirements
  5. utilise the relevant fire prediction tools and references in the analysis of fire behaviour and spread
  6. develop fire behaviour and spread predictions in accordance  your organisation’s requirements
  7. validate predicted fire behaviour against actual observations and intelligence, as it becomes available
  8. assess map information and data regarding predicted fire spread and behaviour 
  9. confirm that quality information is provided within the required timeframes for vegetation fire planning
  10. assess key assumptions and limitations affecting the predictions, and identify and report to the command, control and communication structure
  11. monitor and update fire behaviour and spread predictions as new weather and fire information becomes available
  12. predict location and timing of potential future impact of the fire 
  13. consider key risks of fire to life, property and environment in accordance with organisation procedures
  14. communicate identified risks and impacts to the relevant personnel
  15. participate in the preparation and communication of options analysis of risks, impacts and control measures for consideration by the Incident Management Team (IMT) or Incident Command Team (ICT), in accordance with the organisational procedures, to assist with developing tactics and strategies
  16. confirm that the relevant timeframes and fire behaviour thresholds for fire suppression strategies and tactics are considered
  17. confirm that the  predicted changes to, or variations in, fire behaviour conditions due to fuel, weather, topography and fire size are reviewed and considered
  18. provide advice and analysis results to the Incident Management Team (IMT) or Incident Command Team (ICT) to inform tactical and strategic decisions

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

  1. how to develop objectives and outcomes and task fire observers to effectively and safely gather the data
  2. the most appropriate products and effective methodologies to be used to meet the objective and task
  3. the wildfire incident and prescribed fire operation strategies and tactics
  4. the effects of fuel, topography and weather on fire behaviour and  defining critical points
  5. the reliable sources of information relating to weather and fire behaviour
  6. your organisation’s documentation, policies and procedures with regard to analysis of fire behaviour
  7. the types of fire prediction tools and references
  8. your organisation’s requirements for health and safety, including risk mitigation and categories of risk
  9. fire behaviour and its impact on the future intensity, severity and rate of spread
  10. fire hazards and risks
  11. fire suppression strategies and tactics and the conditions suitable for, and limitations of, direct and indirect fire suppression 
  12. the importance of analysing fire weather and the impact of weather on fire behaviour
  13. the fuel types and fuel assessment techniques
  14. the key risks to life, property and the environment that need to be considered

  15. map information and data including:

    • fire behaviour estimates
    • fire intensity and severity outputs
    • impact of vegetation fire upon species, habitats and other assets
    • assessment of prescribed fire operation prescription
    • maps of fire spread estimated at time intervals as required, with separate mapping for probable and possible scenarios
    • narrative regarding limitations, assumptions, prediction uncertainties and other comments to assist in the interpretation of data

  16. the information required by the Incident Management Team (IMT) or Incident Command Team (ICT) in accordance with organisational procedures, to assist with developing tactics and strategies

Scope/range

Scope Performance

Scope Knowledge

Values

Behaviours

Skills

Glossary

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  • Anchor Point: An advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to begin constructing a control line.

  • Containment - When a control line has been established around the perimeter of the fire and stopped further growth.

  • Control line - An inclusive term for all constructed or natural barriers and treated fire edges used to control a fire.

  • Control measure - Mitigation actions that can be taken to reduce the potential of exposure to an identified hazard.

  • Controlling - Improving and securing control lines to the degree that there is no foreseeable chance of the fire escaping.

  • Direct attack - An offensive fire suppression tactic that involves an attack being made at or near the fire’s edge.

  • Fire behaviour – The reaction of a fire to the influences of fuel, weather, and topography. Different types of fire include: smouldering, creeping, running, torching, spotting and crowning.

  • Firebreak - Gaps in vegetation, which may be natural or man-made features. These include heavily grazed areas or mown tracks and rides.
  • Fire danger - A general term used to express an assessment of both the fixed and variable factors of the fire environment, which determine the ease of ignition, rate of spread, difficulty of control, and impact. Fire danger is often expressed as an index.
  • Fire danger rating system (Index) - A quantitative indicator of fire danger, expressed either in a relative sense or as an absolute measure. Fire danger indexes are often used to guide fire management activities.
  • Fire hazard - Any situation, process, material or condition that can cause a wildfire or that can provide a ready fuel supply to augment the spread or intensity of a wildfire, all of which pose a threat to life, property or the environment.
  • Fire intensity – The rate at which a fire releases energy in the form of heat at a given location and at a specific point in time, expressed as kilowatts per metre (kW/m) or kilojoules per meter per second (kJ/m/s).
  • Fire risk - The probability of a wildfire occurring and its potential impact on a particular location at a particular time. Wildfire risk is calculated using the following equation: Fire risk = probability of occurrence x potential impact.
  • Fire severity - A qualitative assessment of the level of heat generated by a fire/burn and the resulting impact on a fuel.

  • Fire type – There are three different schemes for classifying fire type: 

    1. Classification of a fire or section of fire according to the fuel level within which it occurs. For example, aerial, crown, understory, surface and ground fires. 
    2. Classification of a section of fire according to its position along the fire perimeter. For example, head, tail and flank fires. 
    3. Classification of a fire or section of fire according to the visual characteristics it displays. For example, smouldering, creeping, backing, running, torching, spotting, crowning, fire whirl, convection driven fire etc 

  • Fire weather – Weather conditions that influence fire ignition, behaviour, and suppression.

  • Fireline intensity - The rate of energy release per unit length of fire front, described in kW/m.
  • Flank fire - A fire spreading or predicted to spread parallel (approximately at a right angle) to the prevailing wind direction or a slope.
  • Flanking attack - A method of fire suppression which involves attacking a wildfire along the flank or both flanks simultaneously or successively.
  • Flanks - The parts of a fire's perimeter that are roughly parallel to the main direction of spread.
  • Fuel - Any material that can support combustion within a wildfire environment. Fuel is usually measured in tonnes per hectare. 
  • Fuel break - Gaps in vegetation where litter and organic materials are removed to expose mineral soil.  These may include rivers, roads or control lines created with hand tools or machinery.
  • Fuel hazard - A fuel complex defined by kind, arrangement, volume, condition, and location that presents a threat of ignition and resistance to control.
  • Fuels – The classification of fuels according to their height relative to the ground surface. There are five general fuel layers: • Aerial fuels • Elevated fuels • Near surface fuels • Surface fuels • Ground fuels
  • Hazard - Anything which has the potential to cause harm.
  • Head - The most rapidly spreading portion of a fire's perimeter, usually to the leeward or up slope.
  • Heel or tail - The rearmost part of a wildfire/forest fire, it is normally out of alignment with wind and slope, and consequently will usually demonstrate less fire activity than the head fire because it usually has less support from wind or slope.
  • Indirect attack - Any suppression methods implemented away from the fire edge.
  • JESIP - Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme
  • Knockdown - The initial suppression work aimed at reducing the fire’s intensity and slowing or stopping fire spread. Implies that the foreseeable danger of the wildfire has been significantly reduced.
  • LACES – An essential safety protocol which should be implemented at wildfire incidents to address risks and hazards. LACES is an acronym for: L = Lookouts,  A = Awareness (or Anchor Point), C = Communication, E = Escape route and plan, S = Safe area
  • Landscape - The physical appearance of the land comprising of the features of the terrain, the indigenous vegetation and the human impact caused by variations in land use.
  • Likelihood - An assessment of the probability of an identified hazard resulting in a loss (normally expressed as a number 1 to 5, low to high).
  • Methods of heat transfer – The process by which heat is imparted from one body or object to another. In wildfires and forest fires, heat energy is transmitted from burning to unburned fuels by: Convection, Radiation and Conduction.
  • Mop up and patrol – Activity that commences after the fire has been controlled and involves extinguishing the burning area until there is no possibility of re-ignition. Patrolling the perimeter of the fire will help to ensure that the fire will not escape outside of the control lines. A fire can be called “out” after the completion of this phase.
  • Observer - An individual occupying an observation tower/point or completing a patrol of a designated area who is tasked with detecting and reporting wildfires.
  • Pinch attack - The tactic of attacking a wildfire by working along the flanks either simultaneously or successively from an anchor point and endeavouring to connect the two lines at the head.
  • Risk - The probability (likelihood) that the harm from a hazard will be realised together with the level of resultant loss, damage or injury.
  • Risk assessment - The process of establishing information regarding acceptable levels of risk and actual levels of risk posed to an individual, group, society or the environment. The process involves the identification of risk, an assessment of the likelihood of an event occurring and an assessment of the severity of the impact if it does occur.  
  • Risk rating - The result of multiplying the likelihood by the severity to reach a value for risk. This is then expressed as either a numeric value or simply, low, medium or high.
  • Severity - An assessment of the possible outcome of an identified hazard (normally expressed as a number 1 to 5, low to high).
  • Topography – The description and study of the shape and features of the land surface.
  • Wildfire – Any uncontrolled vegetation fire which requires a decision or action regarding suppression. Wildfires are commonly classified according to size and/or impact upon suppression resources.
  • Wildfire management plan - A site-specific plan developed to address the risk of wildfire and set out measures that will reduce or mitigate the risk and/or consequences of a wildfire. Ideally this is produced following a wildfire risk assessment.
  • Wildfire management zones - The aim of wildfire management zones is to protect health and safety and important assets and infrastructure. They can provide a useful framework to help managers identify and prioritise wildfire prevention measures across a site, based on the level of wildfire risk. Wildfire management zones comprise spatial zoning of wildfire prevention measures based on proportionality.  Zone A is the Asset Zone where infrastructure must be protected from fire, Zone B is the buffer zone, where increased fuel management is carried out to protect Zones A and D. Zone C is an area of low wildfire risk where normal land management activities can be carried out. Zone D is a fire exclusion zone, where operations such as prescribed burning or suppression fires should not be permitted.
  • Wildfire Prediction System (WiPS) - A recognised system for anticipating and predicting the likely behaviour of a wildfire. It is based on the consideration of wind, slope and aspect combined with fuel.
  • Wildfire prevention - A collective term for all proactive activities that are implemented with the aim of reducing the occurrence, severity and spread of wildfires.
  • Wildfire prevention measures - Activities directed at reducing the incidence of fires, including public education, law enforcement, personal contact, and reduction of fuel hazards (fuels management).
  • Wildfire prevention plan - A scheme or programme of activities that is formulated in order to prevent wildfire incidents.
  • Wildfire response plan - An area specific plan developed to set out the response required to a wildfire incident. WRPs should include information that would prove useful for Fire and Rescue Services, such as location of infrastructure, access routes, water sources, specialist equipment, contact details and site maps.
  • Wildfire risk assessment - A tool for identifying fire hazards and evaluating fire risk. The process involves the identification of risk, an assessment of the likelihood of an event occurring and an assessment of the severity of the impact if it does occur.

Links To Other NOS

External Links

Version Number

1

Indicative Review Date

2028

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Lantra

Original URN

LANCS97

Relevant Occupations

Vegetation Fire Analyst

SOC Code

5119

Keywords

wildfire; prescribed burning; analysis