Columbia Weather Systems

Extreme summer heat, winter freeze, weather-related disasters. Professional weather monitoring improves the SAFETY of incident response with calculated parameters for perceived temperature and alarm notifications for extreme conditions and operational safety. “One of the most overlooked elements that affect firefighting operations and the health of firefighters themselves is the weather conditions we operate in,” said Tom Warren, retired assistant chief, Providence RI, in a Fire Engineering article. 1  Besides having a direct impact on firefighter health, weather impacts the severity of fires, increasing risk and safety hazards. Summer months bring danger of heat-related disorders and fire due to dry fuel conditions. High heat and humidity can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. The variability of wind can pose safety and fire control problems, which can result in fatalities. In winter, on-scene operational considerations include the impact of cold temperat...

“The risk involved in fire suppression can be reduced if firefighters and fire managers pay attention and understand weather conditions that impact fire behavior,” states the Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, a training manual developed in conjunction with the National Interagency Fire Center. This principle applies to hazmat as well as urban and wildland-urban interface fire response. Weather monitoring is a cornerstone for predicting fire behavior. Government agencies partner with the National Weather Service to provide forecasts with local offices including Fire Analysts and Meteorologists. Additionally, on-site monitoring provides the edge in real-time decision-making. For example, a Fire Behavior Outlook* [i] concludes: “Be alert to the potential influence of thunderstorms on your fire – outflow winds, even miles from a storm, can dramatically increase fire behavior very quickly.” Here are a few examples of how weather parameters affect fire behavior: [ii] ...

Weather data is a key component of risk assessment and management from the planning/preparation stages, PPE and resource management, to decisions regarding public safety such as shelter-in-place or evacuate. Utilize weather data in these phases: Evaluate historic weather conditions for planning/preparation Assess current response conditions (normal and/or severe weather) for transport and approach Monitor for changing meteorological conditions throughout an incident An example cited by Battalion Chief Henry Costo in Fire Rescue Magazine: “ No PPE risk assessment would be complete without adequate consideration of a jurisdiction’s prevailing climate and weather conditions, as well as the potential for extremes of temperature, humidity, wind, rain, storms, flooding, snow accumulations, ice, etc. Keep in mind that many jurisdictions experience significant weather variations even within their own boundaries—such as the beaches vs. inland areas of San Diego and Los Angeles cou...