WFDSS Overview

Wildland Fire Decision Support System

Welcome to the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS)!

This system is intended to assist fire managers and analysts in determining the response for fire incidents. It is designed to replace the WFSA (Wildland Fire Situation Analysis) process with one that is more intuitive and easier to use. WFDSS also incorporates the Wildland Fire Implementation Plan (WFIP) and Long-Term Incident Planning (LTIP) processes.

WFDSS was conceived as a way of integrating the various applications used to manage incidents into a single system, which streamlines the analysis and reporting processes.

WFDSS provides the following advantages over previous systems:

• Combines desktop applications for fire modeling into a web-based system for easier data acquisition.
• Provides an easy way for fire managers and analysts to accurately document their decision-making process by allowing results of analyses to be attached to the decision point and included in the final incident report.
• Provides one decision process and documentation system for all types of wildland fires.
• Is a web-based application for easier sharing of analyses and reports across all levels of the federal wildland fire organization.
• Introduces economic principles into the fire decision process.

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Last updated on 5/3/2010 11:39:42 PM.

WFDSS Background

Over the past 30 years, fires have dramatically increased in size and complexity, often stretching the capacity of the management systems in place. The Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) project evolved from the need to streamline and improve these decision-making processes, as well as take advantage of improvements in technology, fire modeling, and geospatial analysis.

The former system, Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA) has been around for 30 years with little change, has become cumbersome to use, and is not scalable or flexible enough for today’s fire management needs.

In June 2005, the National Fire and Aviation Executive Board chartered WFDSS to replace WFSA in 2009 with a system that has the following capabilities:

• Develops a scalable decision support system for agency administrators
• Uses appropriate fire behavior modeling, economic principles, and information technology
• Supports effective wildland fire decisions consistent with Resource and Fire Management Plans

WFDSS will also replace the Wildland Fire Implementation Plan (WFIP) and Long-Term Incident Planning (LTIP) processes.

WFDSS has the following advantages over the existing systems:

• Enables spatial data layering
• Reduces text, increases use of map displays
• Reduces input requirements
• Begins process at time of discovery
• Removes alternative comparison and decision tree development
• Pre-loads information from the following sources to allow pre-planning:
  • Land Management Plans/Fire Management Plans
  • Other sources
  • Preplanned decision criteria
  • Local spatial data files
• Provides scalability for incident complexity
• Can be ended at any level, can progress through levels, or jump to appropriate level
• Can be used for single or multiple fire situations.

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Last updated on 7/23/2010 4:17:08 PM.

WFDSS Timeline

Figure 1: WFDSS Timeline

Date	Event
June 2005	National Fire and Aviation Executive Board charters WFDSS Phase I
April 2006	Initial planning and requirements analysis completed
October 2006	Forest Services contracts with IBM to develop WFDSS system
June 2007	FSPro, RAVAR, and SCI WFDSS components available for testing on wildland fires
December 2007	FEC approves continued development of WFDSS for all five federal fire agencies
Winter/Spring 2008	Additional functionality and components added to system
June 2008	Second WFDSS prototype during fire season to test as replacement for WFSA, WFIP and LTIP
February-March 2009	Training Webinars begin
March 6, 2009	USFS Regional Leads designated
April 1, 2009	USFS Agency administrators authorized to use WFDSS for decision reporting
June 1, 2009	USFS Regions 3, 8, 9 complete transition to WFDSS for decision analysis and reporting
July 1, 2009	USFS Regions 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 complete transition to WFDSS for decision analysis and reporting
September 1, 2009	All USFS agency field units entering all unplanned wildland fires into WFDSS
Fall 2009 and beyond	Additional enhancements and maintenance will occur

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Last updated on 9/27/2016 11:41:46 AM.