Welcome
The S-591 course addresses advanced training needs of Incident Meteorologists (IMETs), Fire Weather Program Leaders (FWPLs) in NOAA's NWS weather forecast offices (WFOs), and Regional Program Managers. These individuals are responsible for maintaining local fire weather programs and supporting all-hazards incidents onsite including wildfires, hazardous material releases, and incidents of national significance.
Course Objectives
The instructional objective for this course is to provide a review of the following core concepts:
- Science
- Define extreme fire behavior and conditions under which it occurs
- Apply mesoscale meteorological concepts to forecasting fire weather
- Evaluate atmospheric stability and explain potential effects on fire behavior
- Describe unique characteristics of fire climatology at specific locations in the United States
- Procedures
- Describe specific fire weather data sources and guidance products and explain how they are used in fire weather forecasting
- Describe the components and responsibilities in the Fire Weather Program
- Mentoring and Culture Building
- Describe the importance of the fire weather program to customers
- Apply situational awareness concepts to fire weather forecasting operations
- Develop Red Flag Warnings and Spot Forecasts by analyzing case studies of critical fire weather patterns
- Given a fire behavior software program, explain what weather data is input and how it is used
Course Goal
The goal of the S-591 Advanced Fire Weather Forecasters Course is to prepare students to deliver specialized services to NWS customers and to manage local and regional fire weather programs. Advanced knowledge of mesoscale meteorology and fire behavior are necessary to better support fire management activities. After completion of this course, students will have a better appreciation for the needs of their customers and the intricacies of providing forecasts for specific fire events.