protection protection program orientation information for incoming fire behaviour specialists

ProtectionProtection Program

Orientation Information for Incoming Fire Behaviour Specialists

WelcomeWelcome to BC• The total land area is 93 million hectares.

Forests predominate, covering over 55% of the area. Extensive grasslands, wetlands and alpine areas make up the remainder.

• The area protected from wildland fire is 86.5 million hectares.

• The climate varies from maritime to semiarid, influenced by moist westerly flows from the Pacific Ocean and dry continental flows from the NE. Precipitation varies from <200mm to as much as 6000mm/year.

• The landscape is dominated by a series of mountain ranges generally running NW to SE. These have a strong influence on local climate and weather patterns.

BC’s 5 Physiographic Regions:BC’s 5 Physiographic Regions:

• Northern and Central Plateaus and Mountains: This area, mostly north of the 56th parallel, consists of rolling plateau country and series of lower less rugged mountain ranges than the those of the coast and SE. Pine, spruce and balsam dominate.

• Great Plains: This area of flat to gently rolling terrain is found in the northeastern part of the province, east of the Rocky Mountains. The main relief features are deeply incised river valleys. Forests are mostly pine, spruce and aspen in the south with black spruce dominant in the boggy boreal forest of the northern most parts.

BC’sBC’s 5 Physiographic Regions:5 Physiographic Regions:• Coast Mountains and Islands: 2 parallel

mountain belts dominate the coast. The terrain is generally steep except on coastal plains. Forests consist primarily of Hemlock, Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar. Recently harvested old growth areas can carry very heavy slash loads.

• Interior Plateau: This is a varied landscape, gently rolling in the north with deeply incised steep banked rivers in the south and rugged, deeply dissected terrain in the east. Large areas of grassland and lodgepole pine forest dominate the central to northern parts. The valley bottoms of the south tend to be open and semiarid. Ponderosa Pine grasslands give way to Interior Douglas Fir and Spruce as elevation is gained.

BC’s 5 Physiographic Regions:BC’s 5 Physiographic Regions:

• Columbia Mountains and Southern Rockies: This is a varied area ranging from near rainforest to semi arid grassland. 4 rugged mountain belts comprise the Columbia Mountains. The northern and central parts of this area make up the interior wetbelt. Coastal tree species are present in this area along with most of the interior species. The southern valley bottoms, especially the Rocky Mountain trench area are pine grasslands similar to those of the southern Interior Plateau.

• The average of annual fire starts for the 10 year period 1994-2004 is about 1900. A high of 4088 was experienced in 1994.

• Lightning and person caused fires usually each account for about half the average.

• The average annual area burned over the same 10 years has been about 49,000 hectares. The 2003 fire season increased this from the previous average of 25,000 ha.

• The fire season in BC is generally considered to be from April through October. However, in the dry southern parts of the province the season may stretch from March into November.

FireFire

• The most severe fires usually occur from mid July through mid September.

• The northern boreal region often experiences the largest fires in late May and June, coinciding with the “spring dip” in foliar moisture content.

• Fire return intervals vary from 5-15 years in the open Ponderosa Pine grasslands to over 500 years in the coastal forests.

FireFire

BioGeoClimatic ZonesBioGeoClimatic Zones

• British Columbia has 14 major climatic, ecological subdivisions, known as biogeoclimatic zones.

• Other than the Alpine Tundra, the zones are named for the primary climax tree species within them. (see map on next slide)

• Further information and maps are available on the following websites:Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification website(to access the site, right click on the hyperlink and select <Hyperlink> then select <open>

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hre/becweb/mapping.htm



Legend to Fire Size & Return Interval Tables(on 2 pages following)

Tree species codes:At trembling aspen Py ponderosa pineBa amabilis fir Sb black spruceBl subalpine fir Se Engelmann spruceCw western redcedar Ss Sitka spruceFd Douglas-fir Sw white spruceHm mountain hemlock Sx hybrid spruceHw western hemlock Yc yellow-cedarPl lodgepole pine

Fire type: Fire intensity:S = surface L = lowC = crown M = medium

H = high

Not all sites will be affected by fire and other disturbance agents play various roles as well. Data quality and quantity vary, therefore some information presented is based on extrapolation or interpolation.

Based on "Typical Historic Patterns of Wildfire Disturbance by Biogeoclimatic Zone." Published by Protection Branch, Ministry of Forests, Victoria, B.C. in 1992. Original source: table contributed by John Parminter in "Old-growth forests: problem analysis

Zone Cover type Fire type Fire intensity Min (yr) Avg (yr) Max (yr)

BG Grass S L 4 - 5 5 - 15 15 - 25

PP Fd Py, Py, Py Fd S L 4 - 5 5 - 15 15 - 25

Fd Py, Py, Py Fd C M - H Rare Rare Rare

SBS Pl, Bl Sx S + C M - H 75 - 100 100 - 150 150 - 250

BWBS Sb S + C M - H 50 - 75 75 - 125 125 - 175

At Pl Sw S + C M - H 75 - 100 100 - 150 150 - 250

Pl Sw Bl S + C M - H 100 - 150 150 - 200 200 - 300

SBPS Pl Sw S + C M - H 100 - 125 125 - 175 175 - 250

ICH Cw Hw S L 100 - 150 150 - 250 250 - 350

Cw Hw S + C M - H 100 - 150 150 - 250 250 - 350

IDF Py Fd, Fd, Fd Se S L 5 - 10 10 - 20 20 - 50

Py Fd, Fd, Fd Se S + C M - H 100 - 150 150 - 250 250 - 350

CDF Pl Fd, Fd, Cw Fd S L 50 - 100 100 - 300 300 - 400

Pl Fd, Fd, Cw Fd S + C M - H 50 - 100 100 - 300 300 - 400

MS Pl Se Fd, Se Bl S + C M - H 125 - 175 175 - 275 275 - 350

CWH Hw Cw, Hw Ba, Cw Ss S L - M 100 - 150 150 - 350 350 - 500

Hw Cw, Hw Ba, Cw Ss S + C H 100 - 150 150 - 350 350 - 500

ESSF Pl, Se Bl S L - M 150 - 200 200 - 300 350 - 500

Pl, Se Bl S + C M - H 150 - 200 200 - 300 350 - 500

SWB Bl Sw S + C M - H 150 - 200 200 - 350 350 - 500

AT Treeless or krummholz S L - M 250 300 - 400 500 - 600

MH Ba Yc Hm, Ba Hm S L - M 300 350 - 450 550 - 650

Ba Yc Hm, Ba Hm S + C M - H 300 350 - 450 550 - 650

Fire Return Interval by Biogeoclimatic Zone for B.C.

Fire Size by Biogeoclimatic Zone for B.C.

Zone Cover type Fire type Fire intensity Min (ha) Avg (ha) Max (ha)

BG Grass S L .1 - 5 5 - 50 50 - 150

PP Fd Py, Py, Py Fd S L .1 - 5 5 - 50 50 - 150

Fd Py, Py, Py Fd C M - H .1 - 5 5 5 - 50

SBS Pl, Bl Sx S + C M - H .1 - 5 50 - 500 15 000

BWBS Sb S + C M - H .1 - 5 3000 - 10 000 200 000

At Pl Sw S + C M - H .1 - 5 3000 - 10 000 200 000

Pl Sw Bl S + C M - H .1 - 5 3000 - 10 000 200 000

SBPS Pl Sw S + C M - H .1 - 5 50 - 500 > 1000

ICH Cw Hw S L .1 - 5 150 - 500 > 25 000

Cw Hw S + C M - H .1 - 5 150 - 500 > 25 000

IDF Py Fd, Fd, Fd Se S L .1 - 5 5 - 50 50

Py Fd, Fd, Fd Se S + C M - H .1 - 5 50 - 500 > 5000

CDF Pl Fd, Fd, Cw Fd S L .1 - 5 5 - 50 150 - 500

Pl Fd, Fd, Cw Fd S + C M - H .1 - 5 5 - 50 150 - 500

MS Pl Se Fd, Se Bl S + C M - H .1 - 5 50 - 500 > 5000

CWH Hw Cw, Hw Ba, Cw Ss S L - M .1 - 5 50 - 500 > 500

Hw Cw, Hw Ba, Cw Ss S + C H .1 - 5 50 - 500 > 500

ESSF Pl, Se Bl S L - M .1 - 5 50 - 500 10 000

Pl, Se Bl S + C M - H .1 - 5 50 - 500 10 000

SWB Bl Sw S + C M - H .1 - 5 150 - 2000 > 5000

AT Treeless or krummholz S L - M .1 - 5 5 - 50 50 - 150

MH Ba Yc Hm, Ba Hm S L - M .1 - 5 50 - 150 150 - 500

Ba Yc Hm, Ba Hm S + C M - H .1 - 5 50 - 150 150 - 500

Fuel TypesFuel Types


• Due to the wide variety of climates and terrain in the province, most FBP fuel types are represented in BC.

• A number of fuels, especially the hemlock, fir , cedar mixes along the coast and in the interior wet belt, are not well represented by the FBP fuel types, so a best fit based on close examination of the fuel complex structure is required.

• To represent the spruce-balsam stands in the central and northern interior the C-3 fuel type has been modified by reducing the crown base height and increasing the crown fuel load. Tables are available. Field validation continues.


• The C7 (Ponderosa Pine/Douglas Fir) fuel type has been revised as the C&b type to include an adjustable grass curing component. This should support a significant improvement in the accuracy of projections made before grass, which is the primary fire carrier in this type, has fully cured.

• Large tracts in the interior plateau, especially between Tweedsmuir Park and Prince George in the central interior are heavily infested with Mountain Pine Beetle. Studies are proceding to determine the impact of different stages of the mortality process on fire behaviour.

Fuel Type Map

WeatherWeather

• Weather patterns locally are strongly affected by the mountain ranges. The wettest areas will be on the westward slopes and the driest to the east. The Okanagan area in the lee of the Coast Mountains is the hottest and driest part of the province. Temperatures in the 40’s and RH’s near 10% occur for short periods most summers.

• During outflows, coastal areas can experience similar conditions along with high winds, when a high pressure system lies over the interior and a low sits off the coast.

• Additional mountain influences are covered in the TopographyTopography section.

WeatherWeather

• Though most weather systems move eastward from the Pacific Ocean, the southern part of the province is also subject to tropical moisture feeds that move north from the US. These increase the potential for high based lightning in the affected areas.

• Additionally the area east of the Rocky Mountains is affected by drying flows from Alberta and the NWT.

• Local weather patterns and anomalies should be discussed with the fire weather forecaster upon arrival at the fire centre.

WeatherWeather

• Fire weather forecasters are dedicated to each fire centre during the fire season. They are physically located in the Coastal, Kamloops, Cariboo and Southeast Fire Centres. Service to the NW and Prince George Fire Centres is by phone and computer based briefing by Meteorological Services Canada (MSC), Kelowna based forecasters dedicated full time to each of these fire centres.

• Fire weather data is collected hourly from an automated network of 219 fire weather stations. Daily values are also provided from 35 MSC weather stations to fill gaps in the hourly network.

WeatherWeather

• The weather data and calculated codes and indices are posted on the website.

• Temporary weather stations can be requested through the Logistics Section if no network sites are considered representative. 5 of the units are quick deploy types with Global Star satellite communications.

• Belt weather kits are also available for feed back from the fireline. Most BC crews carry at least 1 kit with them. It is recommended to review proper data collection techniques with the crew member responsible when requesting readings from them.

Forecast Regions, Fire Weather Zones Forecast Regions, Fire Weather Zones & Danger Index Regions& Danger Index Regions

•5 synoptic level forecast regions •30 weather zones which facilitate geographical grouping of weather stations •3 danger regions to facilitate danger rating comparison across divergent climate regimes.

Fire Weather SiteFire Weather Site

Avail on the fire weather web site

Charts & Images AvailableCharts & Images Available

Weather Station DistributionWeather Station Distribution Protection & MSC Sites Protection & MSC Sites

Available on the fire weather website, this ArcIms map can be zoomed in and will display station information as well as recent hourly and daily data.

Hourly Fire Weather Station Hourly Fire Weather Station LocationsLocations

Wx ZoneStation Name Latitude Longitude Elev (m)1 SUMMIT 48.92833 124.64833 8572 BEAVER CR 49.36333 -124.95000 1002 MENZIES CAMP 50.06500 -125.80500 3702 MESACHIE 48.80000 -124.10000 2002 WOSS CAMP 50.20000 -126.60000 703 BOWSER 49.43667 -124.70333 1843 CEDAR 49.04833 -123.87500 1003 SALTSPRING 2 48.77400 123.47400 343 SECHELT ORCHARD 49.45000 -123.71900 754 BIG SILVER 49.69167 -121.86000 1254 CHILLIWACK NURSERY 49.09833 -121.66333 2954 HAIG CAMP 49.36900 -121.49200 1624 UBC RESEARCH 49.26500 -122.57333 985 SCAR CREEK 51.19000 -125.02833 505 TOBA CAMP 50.56800 -124.07300 16 COPPER 53.15000 -131.86000 2876 HONNA 53.25500 -132.13500 1007 HAGENSBORG 52.38362 -126.59133 507 MACHMELL 51.59333 -126.45167 3668 KITPARK 54.17000 -128.57667 758 ROSSWOOD 54.91500 128.85833 1379 ATLIN 59.58333 -133.66667 7299 BOB QUINN LK 56.98333 -130.25333 6099 DEASE LK FS 58.40000 -130.00000 8009 ISKUT 57.85667 -130.00833 8909 TELEGRAPH CREEK 57.90333 -131.19667 38210 FORT NELSON FS 58.83758 -122.57501 38210 HELMUT 59.42100 -120.78901 59810 NELSON FORKS 59.61728 -124.09851 60410 PADDY 57.78181 -120.23680 729

10 SIERRA 58.83811 -121.39666 58410 SILVER 57.49678 -121.29695 83511 GRAHAM 56.43465 -122.45753 76811 HUDSON HOPE 56.03470 -121.99021 70411 LEMORAY 55.52498 -122.51710 75711 MUSKWA 57.89250 -123.61630 78011 PINK MTN 57.07653 -122.55766 98911 RED DEER 54.63303 -120.57621 130611 TOAD RIVER 58.86585 -125.31070 71111 TUMBLER(DENISON) 55.02736 120.93405 94211 WONOWON 56.71850 -121.76543 96712 BEAR LAKE 54.50935 -122.69101 73912 BLACKPINE 56.31878 -125.36785 112612 FORT ST J AMES 54.39408 -124.26101 75012 INGENIKA PT 56.97770 -125.17595 121312 MACKENZIE FS 55.30421 123.13473 69012 MANSON 55.57988 -124.23198 104712 MCLEOD LAKE 54.72585 -123.07733 91512 NABESHE 56.36433 -123.36556 110812 SIFTON 57.85175 -126.11676 98512 SUSTUT 56.32873 -127.03390 87112 TABLE RIVER 54.71590 -122.27321 76012 WITCH 55.02303 -124.26503 103013 AUGIER LAKE 54.36333 -125.52000 90013 BEDNESTI 53.86536 123.32328 85813 BURNS LAKE 850M 54.25667 -125.75500 83013 EAST OOTSA 53.50167 -125.77167 106013 EUTSUK 53.27000 -126.17000 96013 GANOKWA 54.80500 -126.94833 85513 GRASSY PLAINS 53.94667 -125.86667 107613 HOLY CROSS 2 53.88855 -124.78296 1024


13 HOUSTON(DUNGATE) 54.41167 -126.62667 60813 KLUSKUS 53.38305 124.51208 113713 LEO CREEK 55.08183 -125.47740 91513 LOVELL COVE 55.68850 126.05126 99013 MCBRIDE LAKE 54.07000 -127.40167 81513 MOOSE LAKE 53.07146 125.41215 110913 NADINA 53.93000 -126.95500 102013 NILKITKWA 55.55333 -126.57833 94013 NORTH BABINE 55.13667 -126.21167 93013 NORTH CHILCO 54.15463 -123.75413 85013 PEDEN 53.98667 -126.52167 74713 SMITHERS A/P 54.80000 -127.20000 013 UPPER FULTON 55.03333 -126.80000 90013 VANDERHOOF 54.05545 -124.01016 67814 CHILAKO 53.49368 123.60920 81414 HIXON 53.42646 -122.59096 61514 J ERRY 53.52660 -122.10623 99715 BOWRON HAGGEN 53.46316 -121.55893 94515 MCGREGOR 54.07780 -121.82658 63815 MCGREGOR 2 53.92920 -120.63606 97516 CATFISH 53.57653 -120.85673 86616 HOLMES 53.34543 -119.71323 117916 MCBRIDE 53.29498 -120.15223 71616 TONQUIN -Parks 52.70268 -118.47011 166716 VALEMOUNT 1 52.87000 -119.29733 79716 VALEMOUNT 2 52.78805 119.31481 119517 ALEXIS CREEK 52.07667 -123.27167 79117 ANAHIM LAKE 52.45667 125.30333 109617 BALDFACE 52.75833 124.53500 166617 BENSON 52.91000 -122.06500 1006

Wx ZoneStation Name Latitude Longitude Elev (m)17 COLDSCAUR LAKE 51.72500 -120.39000 115817 GASPARD 51.45167 -122.66167 167517 GAVIN 52.47000 -121.74167 108117 HORSEFLY HUB 52.33000 -121.39667 70117 KNIFE 52.06500 -121.88500 94517 LONE BUTTE 51.50700 -121.16200 115817 MEADOW LAKE 51.37500 -121.71667 107017 MIDDLE LAKE 51.70167 -124.87500 91517 NAZKO 52.95750 123.59580 91017 NEMAIA 51.48000 -123.81833 122017 PLACE LK. 51.81667 -122.00000 106517 RISKE CREEK 51.96000 -122.51000 88417 TALCHAKO 52.25167 -126.02833 24417 TATLA LAKE 51.90667 -124.60500 94517 TAUTRI 52.53500 -123.25000 108517 TIMOTHY 51.91300 -121.38900 116117 YOUNG LAKE 51.23777 -120.99762 117018 CAHILTY 50.88833 -119.83833 161518 CLEARWATER 51.62833 -120.09500 39618 DECEPTION 51.96700 -120.60800 117018 EAST BARRIERE 51.25333 -119.88167 67118 HARBOUR LAKE 51.52333 -119.11500 137218 WINDY MOUNTAIN 51.67000 -120.65000 158019 BERRY 51.97833 -119.41333 152419 BIG VALLEY 53.26167 -121.76167 135519 BLUE RIVER FS 52.12000 -119.29833 68319 GOSNEL 52.45333 -119.17500 185919 LIKELY RS 52.61500 -121.51333 104619 MATHEW 52.91000 -120.91167 110819 NIAGRA 52.62500 -120.35833 91019 PRAIRIE CREEK 52.39167 -120.98500 1015


Wx ZoneStation Name Latitude Longitude Elev (m)19 WELLS GRAY 52.34167 -120.24333 97520 AFTON 50.67333 -120.48167 78020 ALLISON PASS 49.06333 -120.76667 121520 ASPEN GROVE 49.94800 -120.62000 106520 BOSTON BAR 49.85500 -121.43500 15020 BOTANIE 50.40000 -121.57000 155420 D'ARCY 50.52500 -122.49333 30520 FRENCH BAR 51.03000 122.25500 134120 GLIMPSE 50.27000 -120.28833 131120 GOLDBRIDGE HUB 50.85333 -122.83500 73120 GWYNETH LAKE 50.79667 122.88000 125020 LEIGHTON LK 50.61667 -120.83667 120420 LILLOOET 50.67167 -121.88833 40220 LYTTON FS 50.23167 -121.58667 29520 MCLEAN LK. 50.79167 -121.35833 112820 MERRITT RS 50.08745 -120.74573 64020 NAHATLATCH 49.90178 -122.02070 140020 PASKA LAKE 50.50400 -120.67400 144020 PEMBERTON BASE 50.30600 -122.72900 20420 SPARKS LAKE 50.92333 120.86667 103620 STEMWINDER 49.38000 120.15333 57920 THYNNE 49.71500 -120.86667 152420 TURTLE 50.80333 -119.63000 64021 ASHNOLA 49.14000 120.18333 133521 BRENDA MINES 49.86833 -119.99333 149321 FINTRY 50.20667 -119.48000 67021 IDA BELL LK II 49.73667 -119.17667 125021 KETTLE II 49.96000 -118.62500 134121 MABEL LK II 50.35167 -118.77333 48821 MCCUDDY 49.14833 -119.41500 1067

21 PENTICTON RS 49.51833 119.55333 42722 BIG MOUTH 51.82883 -118.36117 83222 CRAWFORD 50.72883 117.94300 100022 CURWEN CREEK 50.60333 118.42333 125022 GOLDSTREAM 51.74533 -118.65783 63222 HOWARD 52.37208 -118.65941 83822 REVELSTOKE FS 51.06033 -118.21717 40022 SALMON ARM 50.68500 -119.23500 52722 SEYMOUR ARM 51.27333 -118.91500 54922 SOR-NIE 51.47083 -118.18550 76122 TFL 33 50.92000 -118.96333 125022 TSAR CREEK 51.99722 118.10250 120023 CARIBOO CK 51.17670 117.23030 151823 DONALD CREEK 51.43117 -117.16383 130023 DRIFTWOOD 50.84583 -116.33800 93823 MARION 51.04217 -116.36383 130023 SUCCOUR CREEK 51.71617 117.54167 100023 WHISKEY 51.06533 -116.78500 130024 DUNCAN 50.78083 -117.18050 137624 FALLS CK 50.49065 117.87990 79024 GOLD HILL 50.36583 -117.06450 80024 HOWSER 50.36633 -117.00167 130024 POWDER CREEK 49.90650 -116.85510 101924 TROUT LAKE 50.62133 -117.46450 99125 8 MILE 49.43283 -118.57833 133825 BEAVERDELL 49.45700 -119.08833 80725 GRAND FORKS 49.03070 -118.41560 63025 NICOLL 49.52667 -118.36033 86625 ROCK CREEK 49.05200 -118.93667 60926 AKOKLI CREEK 49.43580 116.74640 82126 CRESTON 49.03800 -116.49583 683


Wx ZoneStation Name Latitude Longitude Elev (m)26 GOATFELL 49.12533 -116.16383 109826 NANCY GREEN 49.25450 117.99417 139726 OCTOPUS CREEK 49.69900 -118.08100 143226 PENDOREILLE 49.05300 -117.41283 81326 SLOCAN 49.78467 117.44000 123026 SMALLWOOD 49.49667 -117.44750 99727 BULL 49.90250 -115.13883 132627 CHERRY LAKE 49.18800 -115.54200 137227 CRANBROOK FS 49.66730 -115.84800 99627 DEWAR CREEK 49.78450 -116.38300 160827 ELKO 49.28333 -115.24333 77527 EMILY CREEK 50.14508 -115.97723 119027 FLATHEAD 2 49.07083 -114.53717 131127 J OHNSON LAKE 49.92200 -115.73667 85327 NEGRO CK 49.45390 -115.98720 157227 PALLISER 50.49000 -115.65800 110027 ROUND PRAIRIE 50.08670 -114.89970 164727 TOBY 50.51283 -116.05533 89427 WHITE RIVER 50.18500 -115.26600 135728 BELL-IRVING 56.34833 -129.29333 45028 CEDARVALE 55.02667 -128.31333 27428 CRANBERRY 55.57667 128.70500 50028 KISPIOX 55.43500 -127.64667 33528 NASS CAMP 55.28833 128.99333 27328 UPPER KISPIOX 55.60000 -128.04167 38128 VAN DYKE 56.01667 129.09667 30529 NOEL 55.29576 -120.48606 98830 BOYA LAKE 59.36833 -129.11000 73030 ELK MOUNTAIN 59.33368 -125.51136 43730 FIRESIDE 59.72273 -127.33491 731

30 KETCHIKA 58.72698 -127.12496 68730 WATSON LK FS 60.06667 -128.70833 800

Meteorological Services Canada, Meteorological Services Canada, Daily Station LocationsDaily Station Locations

Wx Zone Station Name Latitude Longitude Elev(m)01 PORT HARDY A/P 50.7 -127.4 2201 TOFINO A/P 49.1 -125.8 2402 CAMPBELL RVR A/P 50 -125.3 10502 PORT ALBERNI A/P 49.3 -124.8 503 COMOX A/P 49.7 -124.9 2403 VICTORIA A/P 48.7 -123.4 1904 ABBOTSFORD A/P 49 -122.4 5804 VANCOUVER A/P 49.2 -123.2 404 WHISTLER 50.1 -122.9 64505 POWELL RIVER A/P 49.8 -124.5 13005 SQUAMISH A/P 49.8 -123.2 5206 MCINNIS ISLAND 52.3 -128.7 2606 PRINCE RUPERT 54.3 -130.4 306 SANDSPIT 53.3 -131.8 607 BELLA COOLA A/P 52.4 -126.6 3608 TERRACE 54.5 -128.6 21709 TESLIN 60.2 -132.8 70510 FORT NELSON 58.8 -122.6 38211 CHETWYND 55.7 -121.6 61013 SMITHERS 54.8 -127.2 52214 PRINCE GEORGE 53.9 -122.7 69117 CLINTON 51.2 -121.5 1017 QUESNEL 53 -122.4 54517 WILLIAMS LAKE 52.2 -122.1 94020 PEMBERTON A/P 50.3 -122.8 20426 CASTLEGAR 49.3 -117.6 49527 SPARWOOD 49.5 -114.9 115829 DAWSON CK. 55.8 -120.2 65529 FORT ST.J OHN 56.3 -120.7 695

These sites are updated once per day with the daily readings and FWI values. No hourly data is currently available.

TopographyTopography

•Mountain dominated

•Variable throughout BC

•Significant impact on weather and fire behaviour

Topography Topography

Effects to consider:• Subsidence heating and drying in lee of mountains.• Channeling of winds along mountain ranges.• Funneling of winds through narrow valleys and

gaps with resultant velocity increases.• Turbulence around gaps and terrain breaks.• Rapid heating of steep southerly slopes.• Upslope winds from daytime heating.• Significant downslope flows can develop at night.• Strong downslope flows below glaciers at any time.


Effects to consider:• Overnight thermal belt development part way

up the valley sides keeps temperatures and relative humidities near daytime levels. Wind sheer at the top of the inversion can lead to sudden increases in fire intensity and rates of spread as the inversion breaks and the upper winds are mixed down. Fire weather forecasters at the fire centres can provide estimates of breakthrough temperature and time at specified elevations. Local observation is crucial for validation.


Effects to consider:• Temperature and RH change with elevation as a

result of adiabatic cooling. Upper slopes will have a cooler, more humid burning environment than lower slopes. As a fire progresses, spot forecasts must be requested for the appropriate elevation. If the weather station in use is not within 500 meters elevation of the active part of the fire, a portable station should be deployed or a virtual station can be created at the appropriate elevation in WeatherPro3. To reflect the cumulative effect on fuel moisture, the codes from the parent station should be rerun using adjusted startup values provided by the forecaster.

Protection BranchProtection Branch OrganizationOrganization

The protection organization is structured as follows:

• Headquarters office located in Victoria, includes the Provincial Fire Centre.

• 6 regional Fire Centres:– Coastal, located in Errington – Kamloops, located at the Kamloops airport– Cariboo, located at the Williams Lake airport– Southeast, located at the Castlegar airport– Prince George, located in Prince George– Northwest, located at the Smithers airport

Protection BranchProtection Branch OrganizationOrganization• Each fire centre is divided into Fire Management

Zones run by a Zone Protection Officer. There are 35 zones in the province.

• 3 person initial attack crews and 20 person unit crews (sustained action) are based seasonally around the zones.

• The provincial Rapattack base is located in Salmon Arm. Crews and helicopters will be repositioned to secondary bases as required.

• A 20 person Parattack team and jump ship are based at the Fort St John airport.

• The Provincial Airtanker Centre is located at the Kamloops airport. This office coordinates the positioning of air resources around the province.

Protection BranchProtection Branch OrganizationOrganization

• Fire equipment depots are located in Chilliwack and Prince George.

• ICSThe Incident Command System has been implemented to manage fire events in BC.

• The Fire Behaviour Specialist reports, as a technical specialist, to the Plans Section Chief.

Access to Protection InformationAccess to Protection Information

• Protection public website: www.for.gov.bc.ca/protect/

• Protection internal website: wwwinternal.for.gov.bc.ca/protect/

• Fire weather and CFFDRS information is accessible from the internal website.

• Necessary systems access will be granted on arrival.

Fire Behaviour Forecasts and AdvisoriesFire Behaviour Forecasts and Advisories

• Fire Behaviour Forecasts are issue daily. The timing may vary based on organizational requirements. The standard national format can be used.

• The following pages outline the requirements for Wind Advisories, Fire Behaviour Advisories and Extreme Fire Behaviour Warnings, which are issued by the specialist in addition to the forecast if the outlined conditions are met.

• Fire Centres also issue these products on a wide area basis. Crews on your fire must be made aware that your forecasts, advisories and warnings supercede anything broadcast they hear from the fire centre on your incident.

Operational Safe Work Standard #5Operational Safe Work Standard #5

FIRE BEHAVIOUR ADVISORIES & WARNINGS

Exceptions If conditions call for deviation from these standards, an amending written practise will be developed to address the specific situation and ensure the safety of personnel. The appropriate Fire Centre Manager or the Director must approve this practise.

Applies to Personnel employed by the Forest Service and involved in field work including projects, fire suppression operations and use of aircraft.

Purpose To provide a safe work environment and to meet Workers’ Compensation Board Occupational Health & Safety Regulations. Continuously monitoring, updating and distributing weather and fire behaviour forecasts and feedback from on-site personnel can help predict potential fire behaviour. Strategies and tactics must be adjusted to ensure crew safety. The Forest Service will have Safe Work Standards that constitute safe methods, conditions and requirements for workers involved in fire line suppression operations.

Critical Safety Statement

Wind and Fire Behaviour must be anticipated and forecast wind and fire behaviour must be communicated to workers who may be at risk due to wind or fire behaviour.


DEFINITION(s)

Wind Advisory A wind advisory is issued when wind conditions are forecast to present hazards (e.g., wind throw, hazardous flying conditions for aircraft) or conditions that exceed safety limits for transportation of workers. This advisory includes: severe turbulence; strong winds; downbursts; and hail. Wind advisories may be issued in the absence of aggressive fire behaviour.

Fire Behaviour Advisory

A Fire Behaviour Advisory is issued when intensities in excess of Intensity Class IV for a particular fuel type are forecast. These fire behaviour characteristics in excess of 4000kW/m will likely challenge direct suppression efforts.

Extreme Fire Behaviour Warning

An Extreme Fire Behaviour Warning indicates that fire behaviour is expected to exceed Intensity Class IV for a particular fuel type. And conditions may escalate rapidly in association with one of the following: passage of a cold front; significant change in wind direction (> 90 degrees); severe localized thunderstorms and downdrafts; and development of low-level jets.An Extreme Fire Behaviour Warning is issued independently of any other advisory. These conditions pose the greatest threat to worker entrapment.


Key Components

Every Advisory and Warning must include:-type of Advisory or Warning;-date and time of issuance;-applicable geographic area (simple geographic description of the -specific area affected);-expected arrival time and duration of disturbance;-description of conditions expected;-Who should receive it and how it is to be distributed (e.g., radio, telephone, or fax to all Zones, bases, active Fires, PATC, PFCO and neighbouring Fire Centres).

Wind Advisory A Wind Advisory is issued to alert personnel that forecast conditions may present hazards to air operations, fireline or project operations. A Wind Advisory must include:-type and intensity of disturbance (e.g., outflow winds gusting to 50 km/h).

Fire Behaviour Advisory

Issuing Offices must adopt a format that highlights the period during which forecast conditions are expected to exceed Intensity Class IV.A Fire Behaviour Advisory must include:-relevant fuel type(s).


Extreme Fire Behaviour Warning

An Extreme Fire Behaviour Warning must include:-intensity of disturbance (e.g., generating 70 km/h winds);expected effect on fire behaviour (e.g., change in spread direction or fire intensity);-relevant fuel type(s);-if extreme fire behaviour is imminent, all personnel must be fully prepared to follow any specific instructions issued by the Incident Commander.

Issuance Three levels of the organization can initiate an Advisory or Warning:Provincial Fire Centre (PFCO), Fire (IC) and Fire Centres (CFCO).

Response Suppression strategies and tactics must be adjusted accordingly to ensure personnel safety is not jeopardized. Staff should report actual on-site weather conditions and fire behaviour characteristics to the Dispatch Centre to confirm or correct forecast information. Updates can then be passed on to others. The issuer should provide an explanatory note when forecast conditions do not occur. Advisories and Warnings must be retracted if forecast amendments mitigate the situation.

protection protection program orientation information for incoming fire behaviour specialists

Documents

varied area

area of flat

average annual area

northern parts

rocky mountain trench

southern interior plateau

coast mountains

pine grasslands similar