Wildland Fire Workshops

(Tuesday afternoon, April 22)

First session: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Foreign Disaster Assistance: Preparedness and Response Activities
The United States Agency for International Development, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) uses expertise from the US Forest Service, structural firefighting agencies, and expert consultants to provide foreign disaster assistance. Training in the Incident Command System and disaster simulation exercises have been conducted in a number of countries. OFDA fields Disaster Assistance Response Teams to coordinate the US government's response to foreign disasters. This presentation will describe disaster training and preparedness programs overseas, how actual disaster responses are managed, and the role of the US Forest Service Disaster Assistance Support Program. Information will be provided on avenues to pursue assignments in the foreign disaster preparedness/response arena.

Faculty: Deanne Shulman, International Fire Management Specialist, Sequoia National Forest, USDA Forest Service, Kernville, California. Deanne has worked with the US Forest Service since 1974 in a variety of fire management positions. At the operational field level, she has held positions on hotshot crews, helicopters, engines, smokejumper, and as a battalion chief. Since 1992, she has been involved in international fire management, research, and disaster response activities in Russia, Mongolia, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Nepal. Deanne holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management from Northern Arizona University.

Second session: 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Building a Fire Education and Mitigation Program
Learn to build a fire education and mitigation program, and learn from your peers about what they are doing in their areas. The success of your fuels and wildland urban interface projects is dependent upon your relationships with the communities and even the media. Learn about communication planning and tools of the trade. Identify what's working and what's not for your area, and find new ways of getting your messages across and work done on the ground with communities.

Faculty: Teresa Rigby, Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist, Salt Lake Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake City, Utah; also Type II Fire Information Officer. Teresa's duties at the field office include fire education, mitigation, fire trespass, case administration, cause determination and a fire web page, as well as the mitigation program. She holds a B.A. in History Teaching and a minor in Geography from BYU. She participates on the Utah Living With Fire Committee and was part of the Great Basin Fire Prevention and Education Workshop committee in 2001-2002.

OR, double session: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

FireWorks: A Hands-On Curriculum for Teaching about Wildland Fire
People who work in wildland fire always end up teaching about it. Children are fascinated by fire; fire appeals to teachers as a science-based subject; and adults need to understand fire in order to protect their own property and participate meaningfully in discussions about the management of public lands. How can fire management and fire prevention specialists become effective teachers on top of all their other responsibilities?

A good curriculum, hands-on materials, and experience "doing" educational activities are a good place to start. This workshop will present seven activities from the FireWorks educational trunk and curriculum, which is currently being used in many communities in the northern Rocky Mountains. The program has been found effective for all age groups, including adults.

Lead faculty: Nancy McMurray, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, Montana; Sonja Scott, USDA Forest Service, Bitterroot National Forest, Montana/Idaho