Creating a PocketCard | Wildland Fire Application Information Portal

Create a Fire Danger Rating Pocket Card for Firefighter Safety using FireFamily Plus:

Create a data set with all the weather, catalog information and fire occurrence for area of concern. Consider all weather stations in the area not just agency specific stations.

When opening FireFamily Plus for the first time the Working Set screen will be the first to appear.

On the Working Set Screen, set the basic parameters as a basis for the card being developed:
1. Make sure the correct station is selected in the SIG/Station window.
2. Make sure the full range of years is displayed in the DATA Years window.
3. Set the calendar dates to cover the general fire season in the Annual Filter window.
4. Make sure the Analysis Period is set to 1 day.
Make adjustments to the station catalog information.
1. Confirm the fire season, both years of record and seasonal beginning and ending dates, by adjusting the dates in the Data Years and Annual Filter windows if necessary.
2. Confirm fuel model selection.
3. Verify the climate class.
4. Set the average green-up date for the selected station(s).
5. Set the average freeze date (typical killing frost date) for the station(s).
6. Make sure and use the correct starting 1000 hr FM value, this is dependent upon the climate class.
7. Set Fire Associations by clicking the button and highlighting the Region and Forest. The "Years" filter set in the 'working set' window should include only the years covered by the fire occurrence records, otherwise the analysis will be incorrect.
8. Close this screen by clicking OK and return to the Working Set screen

Build the preliminary card using the information assembled above. Select Weather and click on Pocket Card.
1. Enter the text information in the fields as required or available.
2. Enter critical Local Threshold values.
3. Select the two Years to Remember.
4. Select Graph Background and set to 70% Red, 20% Yellow, and 10% green as a starting point and click ok.
5. Select the fires to be overlaid on the card.
  1. Click on Fire and go to the search button. a secondary screen should pop up.
  2. Select sort by acre in the bottom left hand corner of the pop up screen. Fires will be ordered by size with the largest at the top of the list.
  3. Select the fire you want to include by double clicking on it on the screen. The name and date will be entered in the fire window.
  4. Repeat the steps outlined above for a second and third fire
6. Generate the preliminary pocket card by selecting OK.
7. In the event that there is no weather data available for any of the identified fires, the user will be prompted to either ignore the fire or assign a value. Note the date of the fire and then click ignore fire.Retrieve the necessary data later to include this fire.
8. Review the preliminary card and note any changes in content, text or background color needed. The card can be printed at this time to facilitate review. Set the print option to Landscape before printing

Develop additional data needed to complete the card.
1. Estimate missing data to all the use of rejected fire(s).
  1. Return to the Working Set screen.
  2. Set both the data Years to the year of the fire that was rejected.
  3. Set the Annual Filter dates to cover 5 days before the fire date and 5 days after the fire date.
  4. Select Weather and Click on Climatology.
  5. Press clear all.
  6. For the indices or component being used as the card basis, select the stat graph option.
  7. Select run.
  8. A graph of the selected indices will appear covering the data range of the fire.
  9. The user should have a missing value for the day of the fire but can determine an approximate value based on the information on the graph. Save this value for later use.
  10. Repeat the steps outlined above for each rejected fire
2. Another method to determine missing data for the card is to run a Daily Listing report from the Weather/Season Reports list.
  1. Return to the Working Set screen.
  2. Set both the Data Years to the year of the fire that was rejected.
  3. Set the Annual Filter dates to cover at least 5 days before the fire date and 5 days after the fire date.
  4. Select Weather - Season Reports - Daily Listing.
  5. Select variables to help determine an approximate value for the required index or component.
  6. Select Run.
  7. You will need to interpolate to determine an approximate value for the card
3. Return to the Working Set screen and reset the station parameters to the original values.
  1. Make sure the correct station is selected in the SIG/Station window.
  2. Make sure the full range of years covered by both weather data and fire occurrence in the DATA Years windows is showing.
  3. Set the calendar dates to cover May 1 through November 30 in the Annual Filter window. (If the fire season is in a different time of the year adjust the Annual Filter accordingly. i.e. Southern US or Eastern US may have a different fire season).
  4. Make sure the Analysis Period is set to 1 day

Make the final edits to the Pocket Card.
1. Select Weather and click on Pocket Card.
2. Make the edits as necessary.
3. Adjust the Graph Color Background if necessary.
4. Press Run.
5. Again a pop up screen will appear giving the option of ignoring a fire or assigning a value.
6. This time assign the value determined by looking at the weather prior to and following the fire date.
7. Click OK and a Pocket card will be generated

Save the card by selecting File and Save. The file can be saved in a selected graphic format, using an identifying name.

Proof the card for any misspelled words and typos before printing.