The August Driptorch Digest is Now Available

August marks the beginning of peak hurricane season which presents special considerations for fire practitioners in our region. Here are a few points to keep in mind as meteorologists track the development of tropical storms in the Atlantic and Gulf.

Stay informed on the current and forecasted potential for tropical storms through the National Hurricane Center.
Hold off on any planned burning if there is an imminent chance of storm impacts in the area. The prospect heavy rain may provide a false sense of comfort that ignores the fact that a front of strong winds arrives well ahead of any rain.
Consider that a storm may result in blowdown and damaged trees. When burning resumes after a storm, expect that manual clean-up may be necessary first. Fallen limbs and debris may need to be burned in piles before broadcast burning can be introduced. Trees may need to be checked for damage that would render them more vulnerable to fire.
SFE's September 2022 Fire Lines newsletter included an interesting research brief on a study of the interactions between hurricanes and wildland fire that's worth a read!

Your Insights are Requested for Two Research Projects on RX Fire
1. Are you interested in developing a new MOU for prescribed burning but don't know where to start? Or, have you been involved in developing a prescribed fire MOU in the past and are willing to answer questions about your participation? If so, please join this study! Researchers at the University of Florida are leading a study to help provide recommendations for creating prescribed fire MOUs in the future. Please contact Tyler Carney at tcarney96@ufl.edu with questions or interest in participating in the study.
2. Dr. Chelsea LeNoble, at the University of Central Florida, and her colleagues are conducting a study of team resilience in prescribed fire operations, and would like to learn from your insights and experience. They are looking for folks that are certified to conduct RX fires to participate in a one-hour interview to share their RX fire expertise. Please follow this link for more details about the study and to sign up to participate. https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eYgMXGj2h8FEMgm

Researchers from University of North Carolina at Wilmington, with funding support from the NC Prescribed Fire Council, conducted research to identify the gaps between the prescribed fire that is achieved on NC public lands and the level of fire needed for ecological restoration. The fire gap looks very different for each of the different agencies examined in this study. Overall recommendations focus on the enhancement of data collection by these agencies to allow better-informed decision making regarding the allocation of the limited resources available for prescribed burning.

The Wildland Fire LLC has completed a total overhaul of their website that provides easy access to their resources, including the incident review database. All of the original LLC products are still present, but are much easier to find.
You can also find new products including Data Points, a new product introduced this year that identifies trends across multiple incidents and presents safety recommendations based on them. Check out the first edition about the value of carrying soft stretchers. More functionality is promised to be added soon, so stay tuned!