Wildland Fire Operations Research Group

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Wildland Fire Operations Research Group

• Ray Ault
• FERIC Western Division

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Presentation outline

• Why the fire group exists
• Who funds the group
• How projects are chosen
• How we deliver results
• Example of past projects

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Need for fire operations research
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Program areas

• Debris management
• Community protection
• Firefighter safety
• Aviation
• Linear developments
• Equipment design and evaluation
• Fire detection
• Railroads

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Where we work
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Funding -Government members

• Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
• Saskatchewan
• Government of NWT
• BC Forest Protection Branch
• Yukon Government
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
• Parks Canada

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Allied Industries-Linear development

• Atco Electric
• CN Rail
• Fortis Alberta
• BC Transmission

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Allied Industries - Aviation

• Fire-Trol Canada
• Astaris Canada
• Conair Aviation Ltd.
• F. I. Flying Tankers
• RBH Pacific
• Canadian Aircrane

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Allied Industries - General

• Mercedes Textiles
• Wildfire Equipment
• Syncrude, Suncor, CNRL
• Saskatchewan Forest Centre
• Vanderwell Contractors (1997)Ltd
• Millar Western Forest Products
• West Fraser Forest Products
• Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc.
• Vanguard Plastics

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Advisory Committee
Peter Bothwell Canadian Forest Service
Con Dermott Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd.
Wally Born Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Mark Coolen Millar Western Forest Products Ltd.
Warren Kehr West Fraser
Vince Eggleston Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.
Don Podlubny Foothills Model Forest
Brent Schleppe Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Susan Corey GNWT Forest Management Division
Robin Woodward Saskatchewan Forest Centre
Daryl Jessop Saskatchewan Environment
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Sources of funding Wildland Fire Group
2006 budget 1mil
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How projects are chosen

• Projects proposed by advisory members
• Advisory meets twice yearly
• Fall meeting to vote on projects priorities and
  set work program
• Each funding member has a vote

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How we deliver results
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Advantage reports
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Research and technology transfer

• http//fire.feric.ca

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Log Deck Protection Workshop
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Wildland Fire Group Personnelmissing Dave
Patterson / Sharad Karmacharya
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Examples of projects
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Aviation gel drop evaluations
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Fire fighter safetyhead protection
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Fire fighter safetyU of A Mechanical Engineering
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Saskatchewan Community Assessment Project

• Types
• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary

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(No Transcript)
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Linear Developments
Planning
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Linear Disturbancespecies selection with ARC
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Equipment evaluationall terrain vehicle caused
fire
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Equipment evaluations infrared scanning
evaluations
Operations
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Aerial ignition DeviceTechnology development
University of Saskatchewan
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Smoke detection
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Summary

• All projects support fire operations
• Wide range of outside partners.
• Bring people together to apply innovations and
  better methods.
• Often our work is not research but bring together
  the producer and user to the benefit of both.