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In 1974, the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and state forestry organizations established a standard adjective description for five levels of fire danger for use in public information releases and fire prevention signing. For this purpose only, fire danger is expressed using the adjective levels and color codes described below. In 2000, the NWCG Fire Danger Working Team reviewed and slightly revised these terms and definitions for adjective fire danger.
The Energy Release Component is a number related to the available energy (BTU) per unit area (square foot) within the flaming front at the head of a fire. Daily variations in ERC are due to changes in moisture content of the various fuels present, both live and dead. Since this number represents the potential "heat release" per unit area in the flaming zone, it can provide guidance to several important fire activities. It may also be considered a composite fuel moisture value as it reflects the contribution that all live and dead fuels have to potential fire intensity.
| BI-1978 | Potential Flame | Fireline Intensity (BTUS/SEC/FT) | Narrative Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30 | 0-3 | 0-55 | Most prescribed burns are conducted in this range. |
| 30-40 | 3-4 | 55-110 | Generally represent the limit of control for |
The Burning Index is a number related to the contribution of fire behavior to the effort of containing a fire. The BI (difficulty of control) is derived from a combination of Spread Component (how fast it will spread) and Energy Release Component (how much energy will be produced). In this way, it is related to flame length, which, in the Fire Behavior Prediction System, is based on rate of spread and heat per unit area. However, because of differences in the calculations for BI and flame length, they are not the same.
The Fire Danger PocketCard is a tool based on the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) to help the firefighter develop an awareness of the current fire situation that you are about to step into.
The Fire Danger PocketCard provides a format for interpreting and communicating key index values provided by the National Fire Danger Rating System. The objective is to lead to greater awareness of fire danger and subsequently increased firefighter safety. The PocketCard provides a description of seasonal changes in fire danger in a local area. It is useful to both local and out-of-area firefighters.
In compliance with the requirement of the U.S. Department of Agriculture of Information Guidelines, this page provides information pertaining to requests for correction of information disseminated by the Forest Service.
The USDA Information Quality Guidelines correction mechanisms are not intended to imply any rights of individuals to request amendment of their own records beyond those permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974 or other organization specific laws.
This information service operates on a U.S. Government computer system. This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for other like purposes. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals possible evidence of criminal activity, system personnel may provide the evidence of such monitoring to law enforcement officials.
