OK-FIRE announces Fall 2014 workshop schedule

Thursday, October 2, 2014

OK-FIRE is an extremely helpful tool for wildland fire managers throughout Oklahoma. Users include multiple federal and state agencies as well as local fire departments, emergency managers and private landowners.

However, a tool is only good if you know how to use it properly, which is why training workshops for OK-FIRE will be offered across the state through the end of the year.

J.D. Carlson, fire meteorologist in Oklahoma State University’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and OK-FIRE program manager, is hosting five full-day workshops this fall. As Oklahoma will soon be entering its normal wildfire and prescribed burn season, the training sessions are right on time.

“The workshops will consist of a combination of presentations and computer lab exercises in which the attendees will get hands-on experience with the OK-FIRE website,” Carlson said. “Wildfire, as well as prescribed fire, applications will be covered.”

Five locations and dates have been selected for the workshops: Ardmore, Oct. 14; Bartlesville, Oct. 29; Woodward, Nov. 11; Altus, Dec. 10; and Stillwater, Dec. 16. Each workshop will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“In addition to covering the major sections of the website (Weather, Fire, Smoke), other sections such as Satellite and Radar will be discussed, as will topics such as fire detection by radar and satellite, the relationship of drought to fire danger, and burn bans,” Carlson said. “Operational procedures for assessing current and future fire danger using OK-FIRE also will be covered, as will the popular Fire Prescription Planner, a useful tool for planning a prescribed burn.”

Registration is required and can be done by contacting Elaina Wright (elaina.wright@okstate.edu; 405-744-5425; 405-744-5431) and providing your name, affiliation, email address and phone number.

Applications will be accepted through the middle of the week prior to each workshop or until space is filled. There is no cost for the workshops, which will be filled on a first registered, first served basis.