WILDFIRE: LATEST LEARNINGS- v01.6

WILDFIRE: LATEST LEARNINGS

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General learning outcome:

GENERAL FIRE CONCEPTS:

Specific learning outcome:

The interaction of wind & terrain is a fundamental concept for understanding fire behaviour.

Topic:

Methods for obtaining data on terrain attributes.

Expert Awareness for Advanced Firefighters & Fire Behaviour Analysts


Understanding wind-terrain interaction generally requires a model – ranging from a complex computer-intensive one to a simple look-up table one. However these do not handle turbulence or eddies in moderate wind regimes, reducing their usefulness.
Terrain data should be of a resolution between 25m and 100m. Topographic maps are useful for basic work, while data from state agencies or the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mapping mission can be used in computer models. Initial data on wind should come from the BoM NexGen system, otherwise nesting wind-terrain interaction analyses are needed – e.g. 'the NW winds are deflected around the ranges, becoming locally NNW winds, which interact with the ridge to form a lee eddy where the fire is'.
A range of key parameters for wind – terrain interaction may be accessed from the HighFire risk website.The wind regimes are an important attribute:
  • Terrain exposed to prevailing winds.
  • Terrain prone to lee-slope eddies, depending on prevailing winds.
  • Terrain prone to wind channelling.

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This website is dedicated to bringing forward the latest research findings. They are provided to allow firefighters to be made aware of critical safety issues ahead of the material being included in the national training curriculum.
Material prepared by Rick McRae for AFAC Research Dissemination Pilot Study, March 2012.