Use of the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) for full suppression and managed fires within the Southwestern Region of the US Forest Service
Stephen D. Fillmore
A B * and Travis B. Paveglio C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Pacific Southwest Region, US Forest Service, 24321 Viejas Grade Road, Descanso, San Diego, CA 91916, USA.
B Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
C Department of Natural Resources and Society, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
* Correspondence to: stephen.fillmore@usda.gov
International Journal of Wildland Fire 32(4) 622-635 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF22206
Submitted: 11 October 2022 Accepted: 17 December 2022 Published: 25 January 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: United States federal wildland fire policy requires the use of formal decision support systems (DSS) for fire incidents that last for an extended time. However, the ways that wildfire managers use DSSs in decisions regarding fire management remain understudied, including how users engage with or utilise them to make strategic decisions.
Aims: Researchers sought to understand how users engage with the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS), their view of its utilities and challenges, and their perspectives about WFDSS training.
Methods: We present the results of thematic analysis from 46 semi-structured interviews with employees in the US Forest Service Southwestern Region with a WFDSS user account.
Key results: Users indicated that the program is viewed as efficient for sharing information about wildfires and documenting management decision rationale. They identified emerging gaps in technical proficiency and the need for specialised training that creates high-level users to help guide teams using the program.
Conclusions: We offer suggestions about continued use of WFDSS including modifications to information distribution, revision of user roles, and expanded support for skills training.
Implications: Our results suggest that small changes to the WFDSS program and training curriculum may improve the experience of end-users and better match how they are using the program.
Keywords: decision support, DSS, fire managers, interviews, managed fire, suppression, WFDSS, wildfire.
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