Be Prepared with the WildfireSAFE App.

COLORADO – As Matt Jolly explains the WildfireSAFE mobile app during a webinar, you can hear his email pinging in the background—slowly at first, but soon increasing to a rapid-fire pace.  

“Oh,” he chuckles. “People are registering for the app in real time, and I get an email every time they do.”

The symphony of pings attests to the attractive features of WildfireSAFE; a computer, tablet and smartphone application that integrates critical fire information onto one platform. The app provides a one-stop shop for updates on weather that may lead to a wildfire, expected fire behavior and, importantly, forecasts up to seven days in advance of expected severe fire hazard conditions.

Matt Jolly, a research ecologist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station at the Missoula Fire Lab, is the driving force behind WildfireSAFE. He has spent his career studying severe hazard conditions and how they might affect fire crews and communities—and staying up at night worrying about firefighter safety. While the app originally served only the Rocky Mountain Region, Jolly and his colleagues at Missoula Fire Lab and Technosylva, a private company that innovates wildfire safety tools, expanded its scope to the entire United States as well as many countries worldwide.

Anyone can download WildfireSAFE for free; it only requires users to create an account. Once launched, it displays a map of the U.S. replete with icons indicating the location of wildfires and prescribed burns. An intuitive key—blue for least severe, red for most severe—gives context to each blaze. Clicking on an icon reveals more detailed information about a wildfire, like when it started, who owns the impacted land and who is responding to the fire.

WildfireSAFE data stems from two sources: one that reports virtually all wildland fires within five minutes of their igniting, and the Severe Fire Danger Index, which was developed by Jolly and his colleagues. The SFDI combines metrics on fire intensity and spread potential into a ranking system ranging from “low” to “severe.” The app also integrates data on the locations of buildings and structures, along with population statistics, which quantify at-risk homes and community resources.

A seven-day weather rating forecasts how temperature, precipitation and wind patterns—along with fuels, topography and other environmental factors—may affect a wildfire’s trajectory.

The app—and most notably, its seven-day weather rating—holds promise for wildland firefighters, enhancing their situational awareness and informing their management strategies. Jolly notes that over 60 percent of firefighter entrapment fatalities have historically occurred on only 3 percent of fire weather days. Being better able to predict these days in advance means that fire crews might adjust their strategies and tactics.

To broaden the outreach of WildfireSAFE, Jolly has partnered with Rocky Mountain Research Station science delivery lead Nehalem Clark and Conversketch artist Karina Branson. Together, they have produced a series of short, animated videos intended for firefighters and the public living near and recreating within public lands. These videos inform viewers how WildfireSAFE, together with other safety measures, can guide decision-making in the face of wildfire—like when to grab a “go” bag and evacuate.

With wildfires increasing in both frequency and intensity, and fire season expanding to a fire year, most everyone can benefit from the features of WildfireSAFE. So, send one more ping to Matt Jolly’s email and download it to your smartphone, tablet or computer.