United States

Department

of Agriculture

Forest Service

Rocky Mountain

Research Station

General Technical

Report

RMRS-GTR-67-WWW

September 2000

FireFamily Plus

User’s Guide

Version 2.0

Larry Bradshaw

Erin McCormick
Abstract

Bradshaw, Larry; McCormick, Erin. 2000. FireFamily Plus user’s guide, version 2.0.

Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-67WWW. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.

FireFamily Plus is the new software for summarizing and analyzing daily weather

observations and computing fire danger indexes based on the National Fire Danger

Rating System (NFDRS). While the software and packaging are new, many of the reports

are not. FireFamily Plus addressed the year 2000 issues that confronted a litany of DOS

programs that operated against fire weather files and combined the critical functionality

of many of those programs into one 32-bit Windows program.

FireFamily Plus philosophy departs significantly from the traditional way of processing historical NFDRS indexes. Foremost, it has fire occurrence information integrated

throughout the program while historically programs have dealt exclusively with weather

only. This is accomplished through a fire weather/fire occurrence integrated database.

The database approach with computations “on the fly” allows a flexible analysis

environment, including station grouping, variable period groups (daily, weekly, and so

forth), and modification of station metadata. FireFamily Plus will generate Pocket Cards

for Firefighter Safety and supports the climatological data requirements of Fire Behavior

Analysts making long-range fire growth assessments using Rerap and fire growth

projections using Farsite.

This user’s guide provides detail on obtaining historical fire weather and occurrence

data, importing those data into FireFamily Plus, and working with the analysis capabilities of the program.

Keywords: Fire danger rating, fire weather, fire occurrence, fire danger climatology,

long range assessments, season ending events, diurnal fire weather, fire

business analysis

The Authors

Larry Bradshaw has been the Meteorologist for the Fire Behavior Research Work Unit,

Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT, since June

1992. Prior to that he was with Systems for Environmental Management (SEM) where

he was principal investigator of more than 15 research agreements with the USDA Forest

Service. Larry earned his B.S. in meteorology from the University of Utah in 1975. He

has specialized in the development and application of climatology to fire management

problems and authored several national applications in this field. Recent works include

developing the FIRES program, design and implementation of the Wildland Fire

Assessment System (WFAS-MAPS) Web site on the USDA Forest Service Home Page,

co-author of the research paper on the fire behavior associated with the 1994 South

Canyon Fire, and project manager for the FireFamily Plus program development. His

current work focus is integrating gridded weather products from the Weather Service into

the next generation of fire danger/fire behavior products.

Erin McCormick is a contracted Senior Technical Writer for the USDA Forest Service.

Primarily, she writes technical user guides to document fire, weather, and aviation

software programs for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID. Other technical

documentation she has written and produced include the “Weather Information Management System (WIMS) User’s Guide,” the “FIRESTAT User’s Guide,” the “Aviation
Management Information System (AMIS) User’s Guide,” and the “Kansas City Fire

Access Software (KCFAST) User’s Guide.” Ms. McCormick majored in Computer and

Management Science and holds a B.S. degree in business administration from Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO. She works in State & Private Forestry in Lakewood,

CO, for Region 2, Rocky Mountain Region, Forest Service.

Acknowledgments

Funding for the development of FireFamily Plus was provided by the USDA Forest

Service, Fire and Aviation Management (F&AM), Washington, D.C.; USDA Forest

Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Behavior Research Work Unit, Missoula

Fire Sciences Laboratory; and Systems for Environmental Management, Missoula, MT.

Program development was completed under contract No. 53-0343-7-0020, “Wildland

Fire Modeling Computer System Development” between the Missoula Fire Sciences

Laboratory and Systems for Environmental Management. Program design and software

development was performed by Stuart Brittain, Systems for Environmental Management.

Software technical support is provided by USDA Forest Service, Fire and Aviation

Management, National Systems Support Group, Boise, ID.
July 1, 2000 i

Preface

Welcome to the FireFamily Plus User’s Guide. This guide explains how to 

use the FireFamily Plus software application to perform fire danger analysis.

We hope you find this guide friendly and easy-to-use. If you have any 

questions, comments, or concerns about this guide, please contact:

USDA Forest Service

National Fire and Aviation Management Information Systems Team

3833 S. Development Avenue

Boise, ID 83705

You can email us at:

fire_help@dms.nwcg.gov

To obtain a copy of the FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

1 Start your Internet browser.

2 In the address box, type http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/planning/nist, and 

then press ENTER.

3 Click Distribution, and then click FireFamily Plus User’s Guide.

What’s new

Version 2.0 is the first upgrade to version 1.2 that was released in May 1999. 

We've incorporated many of the suggestions from the extended beta test and 

done many things that allow the program flow better. Several screens have 

been modified for clarity and consistency. 

Specific areas that have changed include:

• Diurnal weather support, including export files for FARSITE. 

• Edit, print, export, and delete functions available when viewing weather 

and fire data.

• Better control of line characteristics on climatology overlay years graphs. 

• Graphs can be saved in JPEG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP formats. 

• The FIRES analysis has the goodness-of-fit statistics completed. 

• The decision point (DP) module from FIRES is complete. 

• Projections of NFDRS indexes can be generated in the Forecast module. 

• Import of USDI fire records can be filtered for the nine USDI fire types.

• A stand-alone NFDRS calculator has been added.

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. This guide employs many styles, conventions, and guidelines 

established in “The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications.”
July 1, 2000 i

Contents

Chapter 1. About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.1

Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.1

How to use this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.1

Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.2

Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.1

Terms and concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.1

Screen terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.1

FireFamily Plus toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.2

Working set screen elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.2

Installing FireFamily Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.3

To download the FireFamily Plus installation files from the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.3

To install FireFamily Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.4

To start FireFamily Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.4

Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.1

Opening the sample database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.1

To open the sample database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.1

Creating a database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2

Retrieving and downloading data from KCFAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2

To retrieve historical fire weather data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2

To retrieve U.S. Forest Service fire occurrence data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2

To retrieve station catalog information for a single station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.3

To download a file from ftp.fs.fed.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.3

Importing your station catalog and weather data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.3

To create and save a new database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.3

To import a station catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.4

To import historical fire weather data - optional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.5

To import FS fire occurrence data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.6

To compact the database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.6

Defining an active working set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.6

To define the Active Working Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.7

To set fire associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.7

Working with Special Interest Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.8

To create a Special Interest Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.8

To set weights to stations in a SIG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.10

To save a Special Interest Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.11

To edit a Special Interest Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.11

To delete a SIG from the database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.11
Contents FIRESTAT User’s Guide

ii July 1, 2000

Reviewing weather data and generating reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.12

To review weather observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.12

To remove duplicate records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.12

To review weather data by generating a statistical table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.13

To review weather data by generating statistical graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.14

To resize a statistical graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.17

To determine a specific value on a statistical graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.18

Working with overlays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.18

To create an overlay on a statistical graph of your choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.18

Changing the look of your statistical graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.20

To change the look of your statistical graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.22

To create a statistical bar graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.23

To generate a wind report by month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.23

Working with Season Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.25

To generate a Persistence Probability report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.25

To generate a Severity List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.26

To generate a Severity Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.27

To generate a Probability Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.28

To generate a Daily Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.29

Reviewing fire occurrence data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.31

To review fire occurrence data by generating summary graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.31

To review the working set fire occurrence data by generating summary graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.33

Using the Event Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.35

To search for erroneous data - an example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.35

To search for a fire-ending event - an example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.36

To perform a more complex query - an example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.38

Using the NFDRS Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.40

To use the NFDRS calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.40

To calculate the Keetch-Byram Drought Index for 88 Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.41

To compare parameters among fuel models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.41

Chapter 4. Working with fire analysis tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.1

Performing cumulative and probability fire analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.2

To review the Working Set for FS fire occurrence data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.2

To narrow or exclude FS fire occurrence data for your analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.3

To perform Cumulative and Probability fire analysis using ERC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.3

Evaluating Cumulative Fires Analysis graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.4

Evaluating Fires Probability Analysis graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.6

Setting decision points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.8

To set decision points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.8

Reviewing the Decision Points graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.11

Changing decision points to reflect fire business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.13

To change the Class lower limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.15
FIRESTAT User’s Guide Contents

July 1, 2000 iii

Chapter 5. Generating a pocket card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.1

Identifying the years of interest, fires, and index values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.1

To determine the years of interest for comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.1

Generating the pocket card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.2

To generate a pocket card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.2

To print a pocket card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.4

To change the background pattern of your pocket card graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.4

To save a pocket card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.5

Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.1

Understanding generated fire weather records from climatological percentiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.1

Reviewing the active working set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.2

Generating fire danger projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.3

To start the fire danger projection module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.3

To select the fire danger projection options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.3

To add days of projected weather data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.4

To remove a record from your list of Fire Danger Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.5

To modify the weather for a specific date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.5

Generating reports and graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.7

To generate reports and graphs from your projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.7

To create an overlay on your statistical projections graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.9

Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.1

Generating hourly listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.2

To generate an hourly list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.2

Generating diurnal graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.3

To generate an diurnal graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.4

To save your diurnal reports and graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.5

Exporting hourly weather data to FarSite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.6

To create a FarSite export file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.6

Viewing hourly observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.8

To view all observations in your working set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.8

To save (export) observation records to your personal computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.8

To delete a range of observations from your active working set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.9

To sort the weather observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.10

To increase a column width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.10

To print the weather observations in your working set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.11

Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.1

Accessing KCFAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.1

To access KCFAST from the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.1

To setup your WIMS/NIFMID logon ID for KCFAST retrievals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.2

Retrieving weather, fire occurrence, and station catalog data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.2

To retrieve historical fire weather data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.3

To retrieve U.S. Forest Service fire occurrence data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.4

To retrieve station catalog information for a single station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.5
Contents FIRESTAT User’s Guide

iv July 1, 2000

Downloading files from the ftp site to your personal computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.6

To download a file from ftp.fs.fed.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.6

Appendix B. Using FireFamily Plus with RERAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.1

To generate a Percentile Weather report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.1

Appendix C. Defining and importing fire occurrence data for other agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.1

Defining a custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.1

To create a custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.2

To define a region for your custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.2

To define a unit for your custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.3

To define a subunit for your custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.4

To review the new custom agency structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.4

Importing data from your custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.4

To define the import file format for your custom agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.4

Appendix D. Adding missing subunits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.1

To open the template database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.1

To add a subunit to the FireSubunits table - an example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.3

Glossary of Fire Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i
FireFamily Plus

User’s Guide

Version 2.0

Larry Bradshaw

Erin McCormick

Rocky Mountain Research Station

324 25th Street

Ogden, UT 84401
July 1, 2000 1.1

Chapter 1. About this guide

This guide explains how to use FireFamily Plus version 2.0. It contains 

information about how to create a new database by importing station catalog 

and weather and fire data, how to define an active working set, how to 

generate reports and pocket cards, and how to perform fire analysis and 

forecasting functions.

Before you begin

Before using FireFamily Plus software, you must feel confident that:

• You are familiar with your personal computer and function keys and 

understand personal computer concepts.

• You are familiar with Windows 95, Windows 97, or Windows NT and can 

log on and log off.

• You have a basic understanding of fire weather observations, fire danger 

concepts, and terminology.

How to use this guide

You do not need to read this entire FireFamily Plus User's Guide to complete a 

specific task. Once you understand how to start FireFamily Plus, you can 

quickly locate commonly used tasks by reviewing the “Contents” in the front 

of this guide.

This guide is divided into chapters. The chapter title appears at the top of 

each page. At the beginning of each chapter you will find an overview of the 

topics explained. Where appropriate, diagrams are shown immediately 

following each task.

Chapter 1, “About this guide,” introduces the FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

and explains how to use the guide.

Chapter 2, “Introducing FireFamily Plus,” explains Windows-based terms and 

concepts and how to install FireFamily Plus.

Chapter 3, “Working with FireFamily Plus,” explains how to create a database 

and define a working set, review weather data and generate reports, work with 

Season Reports, and use the Event Locator and the NFDRS Calculator.

Chapter 4, “Working with fire analysis tools,” explains how to use the fire 

analysis and decision point tools in FireFamily Plus to view and interpret 

combined weather and fire occurrence data.

Chapter 5, “Generating a pocket card,” explains how to generate a pocket card 

that identifies two years of interest for comparison. It also includes 

instructions on changing the background pattern for your pocket card graphs.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 1. About this guide

July 1, 2000 1.2

Chapter 6, “Working with fire danger projections,” explains how to generate 

medium range fire danger projections based on current year-to-date weather. 

It also outlines several techniques for developing fire weather scenarios.

Chapter 7, “Performing hourly data analysis,” explains how to work with 

hourly weather data.

The Glossary lists terms and definitions used in this guide.

References are arranged alphabetically and contain sources of information 

used to complete this guide.

Conventions

The following conventions are used within this guide:

• Option button labels and hard label keys appear in bold, in the same case 

as on your keyboard or screen. For example, the second step in a 

procedure might instruct you to

2 On the Set Fire Associations dialog box, click the USFS tab.

• Topics of special interest or hints that will help you perform a specific 

task show a line before and after the text. The text appears in italic type. 

For example

Although you can delete and then recreate a SIG, you cannot change its 

name once you save it.
July 1, 2000 2.1

Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus

This chapter explains the information you need to log on and use FireFamily 

Plus. Topics include:

• Terms and concepts

• Installing FireFamily Plus.

Terms and concepts

This section identifies some of the screens, toolbars, and menus that you will 

be using in FireFamily Plus. If you are not already familiar with Windowsbased programs, become familiar with these terms and concepts before 

proceeding with the remaining chapters in this guide.

Screen terminology

The following diagram outlines many of the elements available on the 

Windows-based FireFamily Plus screen.

Screen elements and toolbars unique to a specific module are introduced 

within the corresponding chapter.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 2.2

FireFamily Plus toolbar

The following diagram shows the expanded FireFamily Plus toolbar. This 

toolbar allows you to quickly access many FireFamily Plus functions by 

simply clicking a button.

Working set screen elements

The following diagram shows the new FireFamily Plus Working Set screen.

The “Observation Type” group box, which allowed you to select either “Daily” 

or “Hourly” observation data, has been removed from this screen.
Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

2.3 July 1, 2000

Installing FireFamily Plus

This section outlines the basic instructions to install the FireFamily Plus 

program for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT operating 

environments. The “FireFamily Plus Version 2.0 Release Notice” contains 

the information and instructions you need to choose the correct self-extracting 

install and/or upgrade setup program.

You can display the FireFamily Plus Version 2.0 Release Notice from the 

Internet by entering the following address:

http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/planning/nist/distribu.htm

This release notice also identifies the system and data requirements, sample 

database, and uninstall instructions. Review the entire notice carefully for 

complete instructions.

To download the FireFamily Plus installation file from the Internet

1 Start your Internet browser.

2 In the address box, type http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/planning/nist/

distribu.htm, and then press ENTER.

3 Scroll down to Release Notices, and then double-click FireFamily Plus 

Version 2.0 Release Notice.

4 Review the release notice to determine the appropriate installation file 

you need to upgrade to FireFamily Plus version 2.0.

5 Double-click the appropriate installation file, and then save it in the folder 

of your choice.

For a new installation, double-click ffp_20_setup.exe. To upgrade from 

an older version of FireFamily Plus, double-click ffp_20_upgrade.exe.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 2.4

The following diagram shows the Fire Applications Support Distribution 

page. The arrow points to the FireFamily Plus release notice.

To install FireFamily Plus

1 From your personal computer, double-click the self-extracting FireFamily 

Plus installation file.

2 Complete the installation process as instructed on your screen.

The following diagram shows the InstallShield dialog box.
Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

2.5 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Welcome dialog box. Click Next to 

continue the installation process.

The following diagram shows the Start Copying Files dialog box. Review the 

Target Folder for the FireFamily Plus software, and then click Next to 

continue the installation process.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 2. Introducing FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 2.6

The following diagram shows the Read Only File Detected dialog box. This 

displays when you already have FireFamily Plus installed on your personal 

computer. To proceed, click Yes. 

To start FireFamily Plus

• On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to F&AM Applications, 

and then click Fire Family Plus.
July 1, 2000 3.1

Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

This chapter explains how to perform some common operations within 

FireFamily Plus. Topics include:

• Opening the sample database

• Creating a database

• Defining an Active Working Set

• Reviewing weather data and generating reports

• Working with Season Reports

• Reviewing fire occurrence data

• Using the Event Locator

• Using the NFDRS Calculator.

Opening the sample database

FireFamily Plus is shipped with sample database “FFPLUS.mbd.” It contains 

station catalogs “101028” and “240107” and the Special Interest Group 

“Sample SIG.”

For more information about Special Interest Groups, see “Working with 

Special Interest Groups” later in this chapter.

To open the sample database

1 On the File menu, click Open.

2 Double-click FFPLUS.

The following diagram shows the sample database “FFPLUS” as it first 

appears on your screen.

For more information about the elements on this screen, see Chapter 2, 

“Introducing FireFamily Plus.”
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.2

Creating a database

This section explains how to create a FireFamily Plus database that you will 

populate with station catalogs and imported historical and fire occurrence 

data. Topics include:

• Retrieving and downloading data from KCFAST

• Importing your station catalog and weather data.

You can create as many databases as required to suit your needs. Although 

you can keep many databases open at the same time during your FireFamily 

Plus session, only one database is “active” at a time.

Retrieving and downloading data from KCFAST

To begin, you must access KCFAST from the Fire and Aviation Management 

web page. First, retrieve historical fire weather data, fire occurrence data, and 

the station catalog information. Next, download the files from the ftp site to 

your personal computer.

For complete instructions about using KCFAST, see Appendix A, “Retrieving 

NIFMID data using KCFAST,” in the back of this guide.

To retrieve historical fire weather data

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Weather.

2 Click Data Extract, and then click Historical.

3 Type the Station ID, and then Begin and End Date Range.

4 Click Raw Datafile - 1972 Data Format.

To use diurnal functions or create files to support FARSITE, select Raw 

Datafile - 1972 Data Format, *.FW9.

5 Select the email notification option of your choice, click Submit, then 

write down the file name.

To retrieve U.S. Forest Service fire occurrence data

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Fire.

2 Click Standard Extract.

3 Type the two digit Region and two digit Forest numbers.

4 Type the Begin Year and End Year Date Range.

5 Click NFMAS - PCHA (PC Historical Analysis).

6 Click Raw Datafile.

7 Select the email notification option of your choice, click Submit, then 

write down the file name.
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3.3 July 1, 2000

To retrieve station catalog information for a single station

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Weather.

2 Click Station Catalog, and then click Station Information.

3 Click BY SINGLE STATION, and then type the desired Station ID.

4 Click Send file to FTP site.

5 Select the email notification option of your choice, click Submit, then 

write down the file name.

To download a file from ftp.fs.fed.us

1 Start your Internet browser. 

2 In the address box, type ftp://ftp.fs.fed.us/incoming/wo_fam then press 

ENTER.

3 Right-click the file name of your choice, click Copy to folder, then 

double-click the folder of your choice.

Importing your station catalog and weather data

After saving the historical fire weather data, fire occurrence data, and the 

station catalog information on your personal computer, you can import the 

information into the newly created database.

To create and save a new database

1 On the File menu, click New.

2 In the File name box, type the name of your new database, and then click 

Save.

The following diagram shows the “New FireFamily Plus Database” 

dialog box.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.4

To import a station catalog

1 On the Data menu, click Import.

2 Click WIMS Station Catalogs, and then double-click the desired station 

catalog file.

3 When finished click Close, and then click Close on the Import Fire and 

Weather Data dialog box.

4 To review the station catalog, click Stations on the Data menu, click the 

desired station ID, and then click Edit.

The following diagram shows the Import Fire and Weather Data dialog 

box.

The following diagram shows the Import Complete dialog box.

To review, print, and/or save the error log, click View Log.
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3.5 July 1, 2000

The following Weather Stations dialog box lists all the station catalogs 

available in your working set database.

The following Edit Station Information screen shows station catalog 

“050505.”

To import historical fire weather data - optional

1 On the Data menu, click Import.

2 Click Old Fwx Fires, and then double-click the desired historical fire 

weather data file.

To import historical fire weather data retrieved in the 1998 data format, 

click New FW9 Files.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.6

To import FS fire occurrence data

1 In the Agency box, type or select USFS.

2 Click RAW Files, and then double-click the desired fire occurrence file.

3 When finished click OK, and then click Close.

Since FS fire occurrence data is verified for duplicate records, this import 

process may require several minutes. For datasets containing more than 

10,000 records, this process may require several hours!

To compact the database

1 On the Data menu, click Compact.

2 Select the Duplicate Weather Records option of your choice, and then 

click OK.

The following diagram shows the Compact Database dialog box. From here, 

you can remove extra storage due to records that you deleted from your 

database, or check for duplicate records.

Defining an active working set

This section explains how to define an active working set and how to set fire 

associations. Think of the “working set” as a filter of the active database. By 

filtering the database, you can use the data that pertains only to your specific 

fire danger analysis needs. For example, you may choose to analyze the 

potential for the fall fire season or determine the window for the spring 

prescribed fire season.

Setting fire associations allows you to define which fires are associated with 

the weather station or stations in the working set. You can also blend fires 

from different agencies.

Every output of FireFamily Plus directly relates to the configuration of the 

working set. Therefore, be sure that each of the eight elements in the working 

set accurately reflects your data requirements.
Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

3.7 July 1, 2000

To define the Active Working Set

1 On the SIG/Station box, select the desired station ID.

2 Change the remaining Active Working Set Definition fields as needed.

The following diagram shows a sample Active Working Set Definition for 

station “050505.”

To set fire associations

1 Click Fire Associations.

2 On the Set Fire Associations dialog box, click the USFS tab.

3 Select the Region(s), Unit(s), and Sub Unit(s) of your choice.

4 To verify your selections, click View Selections, then click OK.

5 To review fire data, click View Fires.

The following “Set Fire Associations for 050505” dialog box shows 

Region 02 and Unit 10 selected.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.8

The following “Edit Fire Occurrence Data” screen lists all fires for station 

“050505” and based on the Active Working Set.

Working with Special Interest Groups

A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a collection of weather station catalogs that 

you group together to analyze fire danger climatology. You can group as 

many stations as you wish, then weigh the importance of each station within 

the SIG. In this way, you can adjust the influence of each station when 

performing FireFamily Plus calculations.

FireFamily Plus creates new pseudo weather records for each day using all 

available data from every station in the SIG. If any station within the SIG has 

a data record for a day, the SIG will have a weather record for that day. If no 

stations have a data record for a particular day, the SIG will not have a 

weather record for that day.

To create a Special Interest Group

1 On the Data menu, click SIGS, and then click New.

2 In the SIG Name box, type a meaningful name for the SIG.

Although you can delete and recreate a SIG, once you save it you cannot 

change its name.
Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

3.9 July 1, 2000

3 In the Description box, type a description that identifies the SIG and its 

purpose.

4 Under Available Stations, select the station of your choice, then click 

>>>> to include that station in the SIG.

5 When finished adding stations to the SIG, click OK.

The following diagram shows the Special Interest Groups dialog box.

The following diagram shows the Enter Special Interest Group Attributes 

dialog box. From here, you can include or remove station catalogs in the SIG 

that have been imported into your database. 

Only station catalogs imported into the database will display on this dialog 

box. To import additional station catalogs, see “Importing your station catalog 

and weather data,” earlier in this chapter.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.10

The following diagram shows the new SIG as it appears on the Special 

Interest Groups dialog box. 

To set weights to stations in a SIG

Weight factors are relative in FireFamily Plus. Initially, every station in the 

SIG is assigned a weight factor of “1.0,” denoting equal weight for all stations. 

To increase a station’s importance for your analysis, simply increase its 

weight. For example, to double the importance of a particular station, enter 

“2.0” as its weight. To reduce the importance of a particular station by half, 

enter “0.5” as its weight.

1 From the Special Interest Groups dialog box, select the SIG Name of 

your choice, and then click Set Weights.

2 For each station, type the appropriate weight, and then click OK when 

finished.

The following diagram shows the Set Station Weights dialog box.
Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

3.11 July 1, 2000

To save a Special Interest Group

• When finished adding stations and setting weights to each station to the 

SIG, click Close.

To edit a Special Interest Group

1 On the Data menu, click SIGS.

2 From the Special Interest Groups dialog box, select the SIG Name of 

your choice, and then click Edit.

3 Add and remove the station(s) of your choice, then click OK when 

finished.

4 Click Set Weights, type the appropriate weights for each station, then 

click OK.

5 To save your changes and exit, click Close.

To delete a SIG from the database

1 On the Data menu, click SIGS.

2 From the Special Interest Groups dialog box, select the SIG Name of 

your choice, and then click Delete.

3 Click Yes to confirm or No to cancel, then click Close.

The following diagram shows the delete confirmation dialog box.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.12

Reviewing weather data and generating reports

This section explains how to review weather data and generate Climatology 

statistical tables and graphs. 

To review weather observations

• On the Weather menu, point to View Observations, and then click All.

The following “View Weather Data” screen lists the weather observations 

for station “050505.” 

To sort by any field, right-click on the column heading of your choice. To 

adjust column width, drag the column heading to the desired width. 

To remove duplicate records

1 On the Data menu, click Compact.

2 Click Remove Duplicates, and then click OK.
Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

3.13 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Compact Database dialog box.

To review weather data by generating a statistical table

1 On the Weather menu, click Climatology. 

2 Select the Stats Table check boxes of your choice, and then click Run.

The following “Climatology Options” dialog box shows the statistical 

table, “Burning Index” selected.

The CP #1 and CP #2 columns identify the critical percentiles that are used 

when you generate statistical tables. 

CP #1 and CP #2 are also used when generating percentile graphs, daily 

frequencies, and pocket cards.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.14

The following screen shows the statistical table for Burning Index for 

station “050505.” As shown in the previous diagram, the 90th critical 

percentile was used for this statistical table.

Only data defined by the active working set is included in the table.

To review weather data by generating statistical graphs

1 On the Weather menu, click Climatology. 

2 Select the Stats Graph check boxes of your choice, and then click Run.

Clear any check boxes in the Stats Table column.

The following diagram shows a three-day Analysis Period Length (Days). 
Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

3.15 July 1, 2000

The following “Climatology Options” dialog box shows Energy Release 

Component and Burning Index variables selected. The critical percentile 

values for both the Energy Release Component and Burning Index are set to 

“90” for CP#1 and “97” for CP#2.

The following diagram shows the Burning Index statistics graph and 

weather percentile graph. 
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.16

The following diagram shows the Energy Release Component statistics graph 

and weather percentile graph.
Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

3.17 July 1, 2000

To resize a statistical graph

• To maximize the statistical graph of your choice, double-click anywhere 

on that graph.

The following diagram outlines how to adjust the size of the statistical graphs. 

You can click and hold the bar that separates the two statistical graphs, then 

slide the bar right or left to obtain the desired size.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 3. Working with FireFamily Plus

July 1, 2000 3.18

To determine a specific value on a statistical graph

• Click the point of your choice.

The following diagram shows the X value and Y values of a particular point 

on a statistical graph.

Working with overlays

After you create a statistical table or graph, you can add an overlay to 

highlight specific years of interest.

To create an overlay on a statistical graph of your choice

1 On the Options menu, click Overlays.

2 Click New, then select the Year, Line Style, and Color for the overlay.

3 To review the appearance of the overlay, click Apply.

4 When finished adding new overlays, click OK.
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The following diagram shows 1977 and 1978 defined as overlays.

You can adjust the Color, Width, and Line Style to enhance the appearance of 

your statistical graphs.

The following diagram shows the Burning Index statistics graph and weather 

percentile graph. Note the added overlays for the 1977 and 1978.
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July 1, 2000 3.20

The following diagram shows the Burning Index statistics graph and 

weather percentile graph with added overlays for 1977 and 1978.

Changing the look of your statistical graphs

Graph Options on the Options menu displays a dialog box that allows you to 

modify the appearance of your statistical graphs.

The Graph Display Options contains the following tabs:

• The General tab allows you to change the grid line style, the type of 

graph you create, and the line colors for the Overall Percentiles, “CP 1” 

and “CP 2.”

• The Bar Graph tab allows you to choose Range tics and/or Critical 

Percentile tics for your statistical bar graph.

• The Line At Average tab allows you to change the color and width of the 

Average, Minimum, Maximum, CP 1, and CP 2 lines. You can also clear 

the Minimum, Maximum, CP 1, and CP 2 check boxes to eliminate those 

lines from your statistical graphs.

• The Fires tab allows you to highlight the Fire Days, Large Fire Days, and 

Multi Fire Days, select which fire cause to display, and specify the 

number of acres for Large Fires and the number of Fires for a Multi Fire 

Day.

• The Fire Danger Projections tab allows you to modify the line color, 

width, and style of your fire danger projection.
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The following diagram shows the settings available on the General tab.

The CP 1 and CP 2 check boxes allow you to graph the critical percentile 

values that are defined on the “Climatology Options” dialog box. For more 

information, see the second diagram in “To review weather and fire data by 

generating statistical graphs,” earlier in this chapter.

The following diagram shows the settings available on the Bar Graph tab.

The following diagram shows the settings available on the Line Average tab.
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July 1, 2000 3.22

The following diagram shows the settings available on the Fires tab.

The following diagram shows the settings available on the Fire Danger 

Projections tab.

For more information about the changing the graph options on this tab, see 

Chapter 6, “Working with fire danger projections” later in this guide.

To change the look of your statistical graphs

1 On the Options menu, click Graph Options, click the tab of your choice, 

and then change the settings as desired.

2 Click Set as Default to change your default settings, click Apply to 

change the settings to the current graph, click Apply To All to change the 

settings of all open graphs, or click Close to cancel.
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To create a statistical bar graph

1 On the Options menu, click Graph Options.

2 Click Statistical Bars, select the colors for CP 1 and CP 2 of your 

choice, and then click Apply.

The following diagram shows the Graph Display Options dialog box to create 

a statistical bar graph. 

The following diagram shows the resulting statistical bar graph.

To generate a wind report by month

1 Change the Analysis Period Length (Days) to 28.

2 On the Weather menu, click Winds. 
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July 1, 2000 3.24

The following “Wind Speed vs. Wind Direction” report shows the 

prevailing wind speed range and direction for May. Use the scroll bar to 

review other months.

About the Enable Auxiliary Year Overlay check box

The Enable Auxiliary Year Overlay check box allows you to overlay years of 

data outside the Data Years. The following diagram shows the location of the 

Enable Auxiliary Year Overlays check box. 

You must select the Enable Auxiliary Year Overlays check box on the Active 

Working Set screen before you can create an overlay from a data year that is 

outside the working set.
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3.25 July 1, 2000

Working with Season Reports

Season Reports summarize the seasonal variations of fuel moistures, NFDRS 

indices, and components. You can generate the following reports:

• Persistence Probability, which reports the chance that tomorrow’s 

variable will be the same as today’s. The higher the persistence, the less 

likely the weather will change.

• Severity List, which ranks each year at a fire weather station in terms of 

the burning index. The ranking accounts for how often and how much 

each day’s Burning Index exceeds the 90th critical percentile.

• Severity Summary, which summarizes the Severity List.

• Probability Analysis, which shows how often you can expect values of 

your adjective class to occur, and provides detailed information that you 

need to perform fire management activities.

• Daily Listing, which identifies historical weather records that you can 

compare against your original weather records.

To generate a Persistence Probability report

1 On the Weather menu, click Season Reports, and then click Persistence 

Probability.

2 In the Index list, select the variable of your choice.

3 Type the Display Ranges values, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Generate Persistence Probabilities 

dialog box for precipitation amount.
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July 1, 2000 3.26

The resulting Persistence Probabilities report shows the probability and 

amount of precipitation to expect.

To generate a Severity List

1 On the Weather menu, click Season Reports, and then click Severity 

List.

2 In the Index list, select the variable of your choice.

3 Type the Critical Percentile value, select the appropriate Display 

Values, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Generate Seasonal Severity List dialog 

box for Wind Speed above the 97th percentile.
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3.27 July 1, 2000

The resulting Severity List report shows the number of years that had high 

winds during peak fire months.

To generate a Severity Summary

1 On the Weather menu, click Season Reports, and then click Severity 

Summary.

2 In the Index list, select the variable of your choice.

3 Type the Critical Percentile value, select the appropriate Display 

Values, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Generate Seasonal Severity Summary 

dialog box for 1000-hour Fuel Moisture for days below the critical 

percentile of “3,” the driest days.
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July 1, 2000 3.28

The resulting Severity Summary report measures the number of days with 

large fuels below the critical percentile of “3.”

To generate a Probability Analysis

1 On the Weather menu, click Season Reports, and then click Probability 

Analysis.

2 In the Index 1 list, select the variable of your choice. 

3 In the Index 2 list, select the variable of your choice. 

4 Type the Index 1 Display Ranges, type the Index 2 Display Ranges, and 

then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Generate a Probability Analysis Report 

dialog box that determines the likelihood of a value of Energy Release 

Component given the value of Spread Component.
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3.29 July 1, 2000

The resulting Probability Analysis report shows the probability of a high 

Spread Component value given a high Energy Release Component.

To generate a Daily Listing

1 On the Weather menu, click Season Reports, and then click Daily 

Listing.

2 Select the General, Data Format, and Time Format of your choice.

3 On the Available Variables list, highlight the variables of your choice, 

and then click >>>>.

4 When finished adding variables to the Selected Variables list, click OK.
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July 1, 2000 3.30

The following diagram shows the selected variables for the Daily Listing.

The resulting Daily List shows the recorded/calculated values for the working 

set observations for Precipitation Amount, Spread Component, Energy 

Release Component, and Burning Index.

You can save this as a .txt file and import it into spreadsheet and/or graphics 

software applications.
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3.31 July 1, 2000

Reviewing fire occurrence data

This section explains how to generate a summary graph of fire occurrence 

data. You can either generate a general summary graph of all imported fire 

occurrence data, or generate a working set summary graph of the fire 

occurrence data that is contained in your working set.

To review fire occurrence data by generating summary graphs

In this example, you will generate summary graphs from fire occurrence data 

not associated with the working set for years 1988 through 2000.

1 On the Fires menu, point to Summary and then click General.

2 Click the USFS tab, and then select the Region(s), Unit(s), and Sub 

Unit(s) of your choice.

3 Click the Years tab, then type the Start Year and End Year of your 

choice.

4 The review the fire occurrence data, click View Fires.

5 To generate the Fires Summary graphs, click OK.

The following diagram shows the USFS tab of the Select Fires and Years for 

General Summary dialog box.
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July 1, 2000 3.32

The following diagram shows the Years tab of the Select Fires and Years for 

General Summary dialog box.

The following diagram shows the fire occurrence data for 1988 through 2000.

To sort by any field, right-click on the column heading of your choice. To 

adjust column width, drag the column heading to the desired width. 
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The following diagram shows the frequency distributions of Fire and Acres 

by year, Fires by month, Fires by Size Class, Fires by Cause Class, and 

number of Fires per Fire-Day for the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests.

To review the working set fire occurrence data by generating 

summary graphs

In this example, you will review only fire occurrence data associated with your 

working set.

1 On the FireFamily Plus toolbar, click Fire Summary Working Set.

2 Click the USFS tab, and then select the Region(s), Unit(s), and Sub 

Unit(s) of your choice.

3 Click the Years tab, then type the Start Year and End Year of your 

choice.

4 The review the fire occurrence data, click View Fires.

5 To generate the Fires Summary graphs, click OK.
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July 1, 2000 3.34

The following diagram shows the working set frequency distributions of Fire 

and Acres by year, Fires by month, Fires by Size Class, Fires by Cause Class, 

and number of Fires per Fire-Day.

Use the Size Class and Fires/Fire-Day graphs to determine large fire-days 

and multiple-fire days, which relate fire business to indexes.
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3.35 July 1, 2000

Using the Event Locator

The Event Locator allows you to locate, count, and list dates of specified 

weather events that occur on a single day or over consecutive strings of days. 

As a fire manager, and with the help of local expertise, you must decide what 

kind of weather will stop fire spread.

An event is a single or combination of weather and NFDRS parameters that 

meet your specified conditions. You can define these conditions as those that 

occur on a single day, or that occur over a string of consecutive days.

For example, the Event Locator allows you to:

• determine dry spells, such as periods of time when there was no rainfall

• inspect the database for suspect data, such as listing the days when the 

wind exceeded 50 miles per hour

• list five-day periods where .2 inches or more of rain fell, thus causing a 

fire-ending event.

The Event Locator allows you to use the following categories to identify 

particular values:

• Avg. The average of the variable for the period.

• Sum. The summed, or total, of the variable.

• Min. The minimum value in the string.

• Max. The maximum value in the string.

• Daily. The daily value in the string.

To search for erroneous data - an example

This example explains how to search for precipitation amounts greater than or 

equal to 5 inches per day.

1 On the File menu, click Open, and then select the Active Working Set 

Definition of your choice.

2 On the Weather menu, click Event Locator.

3 In the Period Length (Days) box, type 1 and then press TAB twice.

4 In the Variable box, select Precipitation Amount, and then press TAB.
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July 1, 2000 3.36

5 In the Category box, select Min, and then press TAB.

6 In the Operator box, select >=, and then press TAB.

7 In the Value box, type 5.0 and then press TAB.

8 In the Value Type box, select Value, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Event Locator dialog box for searching for 

daily precipitation amounts greater than 5 inches.

The following diagram shows the resulting FireFamily Plus Event Locator 

Report Listing of Selected Events for weather station “050505.”

To search for a fire-ending event - an example

This example explains how to search for five-day periods with precipitation 

amounts greater or equal to .2 inches. The fire is assumed to start on August 

5th on the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest, in an area that is well 

represented by the Redfeather weather station, “050505.”

1 On the File menu, click Open, and then select the Active Working Set 

Definition of your choice.

2 In the beginning Month and Day boxes, select August 6.

3 On the Weather menu, click Event Locator.
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3.37 July 1, 2000

4 In the Period Length (Days) box, type 5 and then press TAB twice.

5 In the Variable box, select Precipitation Amount, and then press TAB.

6 In the Category box, select Sum, and then press TAB.

7 In the Operator box, select >=, and then press TAB.

8 In the Value box, type .20 and then press TAB.

9 In the Value Type box, select Value, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Event Locator dialog box for determining 

five-day periods of precipitation amounts greater or equal to .2 inches.

The following diagram shows the resulting Event Locator Report 

The rain may have fallen all on the first day, all on the last day, or somewhere 

in between. Note that several season-ending events have occurred within a 

single year.
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July 1, 2000 3.38

Be certain of your active working set. If it defines only a subset of your data, 

the computed percentile may not reflect what you really want. 

To use the Event Locator on a data subset and a percentile-related value as 

your threshold criteria, generate a statistical table to determine that threshold, 

then enter it in the Value box in the Event Locator dialog box. For more 

information, see “Reviewing weather data and generating reports,” earlier in 

this chapter.

To perform a more complex query - an example

In this example, you will add ERC as a variable to check the season ending 

date, given the maximum ERC during that five-day period with rain remains 

below the 67th percentile.

For the Redfeather weather station, the 90th percentile for ERC in fuel model 

G is about 59. Looking at fire business, fire activity appears to accumulate at 

or above an ERC of about 44, or roughly at the 67th percentile.

1 On the Weather menu, click Event Locator.

2 In the Period Length (Days) box, type 5 and then press TAB.

3 Press ↓ (down arrow) to add a new line.

To add a new row, press ↓ (down arrow) or INSERT. To delete a row, press 

DELETE.

4 Click the Operator arrow, select AND, and then press TAB.

5 In the Variable box, select Energy Release Component, and then press 

TAB.

6 In the Category box, select Max, and then press TAB.

7 In the Operator box, select <, and then press TAB.

8 In the Value box, type 44 and then press TAB.

9 In the Value Type box, select Value, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the completed Event Locator dialog box that 

allows you to determine 5-day periods when ERC is no more than 44 and 

precipitation is .2 inches or more. 
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3.39 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the resulting Event Locator Report Listing of 

Selected Events for weather station “050505.” Notice that this combination 

extends some of the season ending dates further into autumn. In 1982 and 

1985 there are no season ending dates.

If you are unsure whether the date represents the end of season or which 

date to use, generate an ERC graph and create an overlay of the year of your 

choice. If the ERC remains low, you have found the season ending date.

For more information about determining the ERC and weather percentile for 

the previous example, see Chapter 4, “Working with fire analysis tools,” later 

in this guide.
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July 1, 2000 3.40

Using the NFDRS Calculator

The NFDRS calculator is a tool that allows you to calculate NFDRS indexes 

based on the information you enter. Although you must have FireFamily Plus 

version 2.0 installed on your personal computer, you can use the NFDRS 

calculator by itself or in conjunction with other fire analysis software 

applications. The NFDRS calculator allows you to:

• perform NFDRS sensitivity analysis

• compare outputs between fuel models, such as comparing fuel model “A” 

against “B” or ‘78 against ‘88

• calculate KBDI

• review and compare parameters among fuel models.

To use the NFDRS calculator

1 Click NFDRS Calculator on the FireFamily Plus toolbar.

You can also click NFDRS Calculator on the Weather menu.

2 Select the Fuel Model and Slope Class of your choice.

3 Select the Use 88 Model check box if appropriate.

4 Type the Temperature, 20’ Wind and SOW text boxes as appropriate.

Remember that Temperature and SOW (State of the Weather) affect 

Ignition Component, while 20’ Wind affects Spread Component and 

Burning Index.

5 Complete the Fuel Moistures text boxes as appropriate for the selected 

fuel model.

Moisture classes that are unavailable for the selected fuel model appear 

dimmed.

6 Complete the 88 Model Inputs if appropriate.

7 Click Calculate.

The following diagram shows the NFDRS Calculator.
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3.41 July 1, 2000

To calculate the Keetch-Byram Drought Index for 88 Models

• Click KBDI calculator.

The following diagram shows the KBDI Calculator as it first appears on your 

screen.

To compare parameters among fuel models

1 Click Fuel Model Parameters.

2 Select the Fuel Model of your choice, click Use 88 Model if appropriate, 

and then click Add To Table.

3 Add additional Fuel Model(s) of your choice, then click Add To Table.

To delete a Fuel Model from the table, click the row of your choice, and 

then press DELETE.

The following diagram shows the View NFDRS Fuel Model Parameters table.

The following units are standard: 

• loads are measured in T/Ac

• surface area to volume ratios are measured in 1/ft

• heat content is measured in btu/lb

• depth is measured in feet

• moisture of extinction is measured in percent.
July 1, 2000 4.1

Chapter 4. Working with fire analysis tools

This chapter explains how to view and interpret combined weather and fire 

occurrence data using the fire analysis and decision point tools of FireFamily 

Plus. These tools help you perform a variety of fire analysis functions, 

including:

• Interpret danger indexes. You can relate danger indexes to fire activity 

based on a percentage or probability basis.

• Choose appropriate fuel model and index. FireFamily Plus tools offer an 

objective way to evaluate the many indexes and fuel models.

• Evaluate representative weather stations. By comparing fire activity in a 

management area to indexes that are based on weather data from several 

area stations, you can determine which stations are most representative of 

fire business.

• Set better decision thresholds. Historically, critical levels for an index 

have been defined from percentile levels without regard to fire activity. 

By integrating weather and fire activity, you can better determine 

percentile levels to suit a variety of fire management needs.

Topics in this chapter include:

• Performing cumulative and probability fire analysis

• Setting decision points.

The following diagram shows the active working set used for the examples in 

this chapter.
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July 1, 2000 4.2

Performing cumulative and probability fire analysis

This section explains how to generate graphs using ERC, which reflects a 

good fire business indicator for the sample data set. Due to the speed and ease 

of generating graphs, use several fuel models and indexes when performing 

fire analysis on your own databases.

The Cumulative Fires Analysis window displays frequency distributions of 

four groups of weather days in two ways. The left panel shows frequencies as 

histograms, while the right panel shows cumulative distributions. The 

following four weather groups are identified in these graphs:

• all weather days regardless of fire activity - black 

• only weather days with a reported fire - blue

• only weather days with large fires - purple

• only weather days with multiple fires - red.

Once you get the feel for what you are looking for, you may find that the best 

way to “screen” indexes is to perform the Cumulative Analysis first, and then 

perform the Probability Analysis on your best indexes.

To review the Working Set for FS fire occurrence data

1 On the FireFamily Plus toolbar, click Fire Summary Working Set.

2 To verify that only the desired fire associations are selected, click View 

Selections.

3 To review the fire occurrence data, click View Fires.

4 To review the fire occurrence summary graphs, click OK.

The following diagram shows the selections for the Redfeather weather 

station.
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4.3 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Fire Summary for the Redfeather weather 

station. The Size Class graph located on the lower left allows you to 

determine what constitutes a larger fire in this analysis area. The Fires/F-Day 

graph located on the lower right allows you to determine the number of fires 

per fire-day that tax the suppression resources. Here, a Class C or larger fire 

defines a large fire-day and 5 fires per day defines the threshold for a multiple 

fire-day. 

Your weather and fire occurrence data may or may not provide the same 

levels of success. For a brief narrative of this Fire Summary, see “To review 

the working set fire occurrence data by generating summary graphs,” in 

Chapter 3, “Working with FireFamily Plus.”

To narrow or exclude FS fire occurrence data for your analysis

• Change the Data Years fields of your working set to match the desired 

years of fire data coverage. 

To perform Cumulative and Probability fire analysis using ERC

1 On the FireFamily Plus toolbar, click Fire Analysis.

2 Select the appropriate Fire Cause and Analysis Type option buttons.

3 Complete the Fire Definitions fields.

Use your local experience and/or results from your fire occurrence graph.

4 In the Analysis Variable list, select Energy Release Component, and 

then click OK.
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July 1, 2000 4.4

The following example shows the Set Fire Analysis Options dialog box. 

Evaluating Cumulative Fires Analysis graphs

Use the following principles to evaluate the frequency distributions of the 

four groups of weather days:

• When lines are horizontal, there are no weather days happening in that 

ERC range.

• When lines approach vertical, there are many days in that ERC group.

• If lines are drawn on top of each other, which denotes no difference in the 

four weather distributions, the particular index you are using contains no 

relevant information about fire business. 

• If the lines are nicely spread out, which denotes a difference in the 

weather distributions, the fires and large fires occur on higher “danger” 

days.
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4.5 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Cumulative Fires Analysis graphs for 

ERC.

The left panel shows you that fire-days tend to occur on higher ERC days and 

multiple fire-days begin to occur when ERC is around 44.

The right panel shows that fire-days (blue line) start occurring slowly at ERC 

values from 8 to 22. The rate of occurrence picks up between 22 and about 

34. Above 34 to just over 55, they occur at a steady rate.

Large fire-days are shown by the purple line. There were no large fires when 

the ERC was below 22 or 23. This is where the purple line comes off of the 

ERC X-axis. Large fire-days occur at a fairly steady rate from ERC values of 

about 45 or so. The point where ERC equals about 45, where the large fireday line changes slope (the slope becomes steeper), is an important point on 

this graph, especially since the slopes of the all-day and fire-day lines do not 

change slopes through this point. You can interpret that while the rate of fire 

days was consistent through ERC of 45, the rate of large fire-days increase 

above that threshold level.

Multiple fire-days is shown by the red line. The jerkiness of this line indicates 

there were only a few multiple fire-days at our defined threshold of 5 fires per 

day. An ERC of 40 was the minimum ERC that a multiple fire-day occurred. 

From ERC of 40 to 60, there were probably 2 multiple fire-days, one at 52 and 

one and 53 or 54, and then the rest occurred at ERC values between 63 and 65 

or so (where the line goes nearly vertical).
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July 1, 2000 4.6

To determine the percentile value, you can cross-reference any of these 

threshold points we’ve identified to the percentile axis. An ERC of 50, for 

example, represents about the 75th percentile of all days, but only the 35th 

percentile of large fire-days.

Evaluating Fires Probability Analysis graphs

Based on your fire associations, Fires Probability Analysis takes every 

historical weather day, including date and index value, and assigns each day 

as a:

• fire-day (yes/no)

• large fire-day (yes/no)

• multiple fire-day (yes/no).

Logistic regression is performed for each fire-day type, producing charts and 

goodness of fit statistics.

Logistic regression is ideal for “yes/no” types of data.

The following diagram shows the Fires Probability Analysis graphs for ERC.
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4.7 July 1, 2000

When you review the Cumulative Fires Analysis graphs, remember that firedays started picking up above an ERC value of 22. The logistic model 

reinforces this interpretation.

The final goal here is to discern a good index from a bad one in terms of its 

ability to describe fire business. To do this, we look at two qualities:

• Range of probabilities over the range of the predictor variable

- 10 percent at the low end to 90 percent on the high end is very good. 

- 10 percent at the low end to 15 percent on the high end doesn’t tell us 

much.

• Distribution of predictor variables

- A wider range (0 - 100) allows more flexibility in setting levels.

- A narrow range (12 - 22) may make setting levels harder.

- Avoid 90 percent of observations in one/two classes.

When you’ve screened out all the bad indexes, use goodness-of-fit statistics to 

determine your best index. 

There are two statistics to test goodness-of-fit:

• Chi Square, where a lower value is better

• R-Squared, where a higher value is better.

For a complete discussion of the analysis of indexes, refer to:

Andrews, Patricia L. and Larry S. Bradshaw. “FIRES: Fire Information 

Retrieval and Evaluation System - a Program for Fire Danger Rating Analysis” 

at

http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/int_gtr367/index.html.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 4. Working with fire analysis tools

July 1, 2000 4.8

Setting decision points

This section explains how to set action or danger class limits based on both 

fire weather and fire business in the your danger rating area. Before you 

begin, be sure that your working set is correctly configured, including years, 

dates, and fire associations. 

The Decision Points button on the FireFamily Plus toolbar is only available 

when displaying a Fires Probability Analysis graph.

The Set Class Lower Limits dialog box displays the initial breakpoints that 

divide the data into five classes. These initial breakpoints are set using 

roughly the same logic as setting the Adjective Classes in WIMS.

To set decision points

1 On the Fires menu, click Fire Analysis.

2 To generate the Fires Probability Analysis graphs, click Probability 

Analysis, select the Analysis Variable of your choice, and then click 

OK.

3 Click Decision Points.

Class Lower limit

1 Zero

2 1⁄4 of the index’s 90th percentile value

3 1⁄2 of the index’s 90th percentile value

4 The index’s 90th percentile value

5 The index’s 97th percentile value
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4.9 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Set Fire Analysis Options dialog box. 

Energy Release Component is selected as the Analysis Variable.

The following diagram shows the Fire Probability Analysis graph. 
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July 1, 2000 4.10

The following diagram shows the Set Class Lower Limits dialog box and the 

initial breakpoint values for each class.

The following diagram shows the Decision Points graphs for ERC. To 

expand the graph of your choice, click, hold, and slide the bars accordingly.
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4.11 July 1, 2000

Reviewing the Decision Points graphs

The following diagram shows the Percentile and Probability graphs for ERC 

that are located on the lower left portion of the Decision Points window. The 

vertical lines show you where the class boundaries fall along the curves.

The following diagram shows the Decision Points table that is located on the 

upper left portion of the Decision Points window. You can modify this table 

and the Percentile and Probability graphs by applying new decision points. 
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July 1, 2000 4.12

The following diagram shows the Classes and Percent Days Based on ERC 

bar chart that is located on the lower right portion of the Decision Points 

window. The chart shows the relative frequency of the four weather type 

days: All Days, Fire-Days, Large Fire-Days, and Multi Fire-Days. The bar 

chart on the top shows all day-types combined.

When reviewing the Decision Points graphs, consider the following:

• Differentiate each class from the class above or below it for different fire 

business.

• Ensure that each class has a significant increase of risk, perhaps even 

twice the risk.

• Obtain the minimum number of classes you need to support decisions 

and actions.
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4.13 July 1, 2000

Changing decision points to reflect fire business

Now that you have reviewed the Decision Points graphs, you can change the 

values in the Set Class Lower Limits dialog box to adequately reflect fire 

business. The following list outlines how your bar charts should look like and 

why:

• As fire danger moves from Class 1 to Class 5, you should see a steady 

increase in the risk of large and multiple fire days.

• As fire danger moves from Class 1 to Class 5, the ratio of days to large 

fire days should decrease.

• As fire danger moves from Class 3 to Class 4 and to Class 5, the 

percentage of large fire days and multiple fire days should not decline. 

Ideally, these fire days would increase.

The following diagram shows dotted lines above each bar chart to 

demonstrate the ideal trends. 

By comparing the dotted lines to each bar chart, you know that:

• The proportion of fire days in Class 3, at over 70 percent, is too high.

• The Large Fire-Days and Multi Fire-Days bar charts do not show an 

upward trend from low to high.

To determine how to change these class limits, you must review the 

Probability vs. ERC graph.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 4. Working with fire analysis tools

July 1, 2000 4.14

The following diagram shows the Probability vs. ERC graph. The arrow 

points to where the Fire Day curve begins to rise more steeply, indicating that 

the probability of a fire occurring increases faster as ERC rises. This is a good 

choice for changing the Class 3 lower limit. 

Notice that the Large Fire and Multi Fire curves just begin to show an upward 

trend. You may decide to include more Large Fire-Days and Multi Fire-Days 

in Classes 4 and 5.
Chapter 4. Working with fire analysis tools FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

4.15 July 1, 2000

To change the Class lower limits

• On the Set Class Lower Limits dialog box, type or select the Value for 

each Class, and then click Apply.

The following diagram shows the new values for the Set Class Lower Limits 

dialog box. To reduce the lower limits, or decision points, the value of Class 3 

was changed to “31,” the value of Class 4 was changed to “48,” and the value 

of Class 5 was changed to “56.” 

The following diagram shows the new Classes and Percent Days Based on 

ERC bar charts. Notice that these new bar charts have a more reasonable 

distribution of Fire-Days, Large Fire-Days, and Multi Fire-Days.

You can apply some other class values and review the changes in the bar 

charts. Add or delete classes using the New and Delete buttons on the Set 

Class Lower Limits dialog box. You can perform some interesting analysis 

using only two classes. Return to the section, “Performing cumulative and 

probability fire analysis,” choose other analysis variables, and then perform 

additional analysis.
July 1, 2000 5.1

Chapter 5. Generating a pocket card

A pocket card is a safety tool that identifies key information about a specific 

fire danger area. And with Fire Family Plus, you can generate a pocket card 

at any time to increase firefighter awareness of the current local conditions. 

Identifying the years of interest, fires, and index values

Use the climatology reports and fires analysis information generated in 

Chapter 3, “Working with FireFamily Plus,” to determine and define which 

two years of interest, indices, and thresholds you need to create a meaningful 

pocket card.

Based on prior examination of seasonal trends of various indexes and fires 

analysis, use the following information for the pocket card:

• ERC is selected as the NFDRS index value.

• Fuel model G is the primary fuel model for the Redfeather weather 

station.

BI is often used for staffing.

To determine the years of interest for comparison

1 Start FireFamily Plus.

2 On the File menu, click Open, then double-click ARF.mbd.

3 Edit the Data Years to include all available years of data, 1975 through 

1998.

4 Edit the Annual Filter to include the entire fire season, May 1 through 

October 31.

5 On the FireFamily Plus toolbar, click Fire Summary Working Set.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 5. Generating a pocket card

July 1, 2000 5.2

The following diagram shows the Fire Summary for the Redfeather weather 

station, “050505.”

Based on the Fire Summary graph, 1988 and 1989 have significant burned 

acres and are therefore selected at the “Years to Remember” for the pocket 

card.

Generating the pocket card

After completing the background analysis you can generate a meaningful 

pocket card to highlight local conditions.

To generate a pocket card

1 On the FireFamily Plus toolbar, click Pocket Card.

2 Type or select Fire Danger Rating Area, Fire Danger Index, and Years 

to Remember.

If your working set does not include the current year, but there is current 

year data in the database, you can select the Year to Date check box to 

enable a third overlay.

If you have a bitmap graphic that shows the area location, click Browse to 

locate the file.

3 To select a fire for comparison, click Search in the appropriate Fires list, 

and then double-click the fire of your choice on the Select a Fire listing.

You can select up to three fires for comparison, but they must have 

occurred during the Years to Remember.

4 Type or select the Area Locator Bullets and Local Thresholds.
Chapter 5. Generating a pocket card FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

5.3 July 1, 2000

5 Type Past Experience Text. Include information specific to this area as 

well as any general and key points to remember.

6 When finished, click OK.

The following diagram shows a sample Generate Pocket Card screen.

The following diagram shows the “Grace Creek” fire selected on the Select a 

Fire listing.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 5. Generating a pocket card

July 1, 2000 5.4

The following diagram shows the generated pocket card.

To print a pocket card

1 On the File menu, click Print.

2 In the Name list, click the color printer of your choice.

3 To change the page orientation, click Properties, click Landscape, and 

then click OK.

To change the background pattern of your pocket card graphs

This option allows you to change the visual appearance of your graph. Look 

carefully at the readability of the lines in your graph and what these 

background colors denote. For example, don’t use red to denote the lower 

portion of your graph where the index value is low or moderate. 

FireFamily Plus will invert the colors for humidity and fuel moisture graphs 

where low is a higher fire danger.

1 On the Generate Pocket Card screen, click Graph Background.

2 Change the Vertical Percent fields as desired, and then click OK.
Chapter 5. Generating a pocket card FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

5.5 July 1, 2000

The following Set Graph Background shows the background settings that 

were used to create the sample pocket card.

To save a pocket card

You can save the pocket card in bitmap, GIF, JPEG, and TIFF. Select the file 

format that suits your needs.

1 On the File menu, click Save As.

2 In the File name text box, type the file name of your choice, select the file 

format of your choice, and then click OK.
July 1, 2000 6.1

Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections

This chapter explains how to generate medium range fire danger projections 

based on current year-to-date weather. It also outlines several techniques for 

developing fire weather scenarios. 

You can create projected observations using one the following:

• blank fire weather observations

• persistence of the last year-to-date fire weather observation in the 

working set

• fire weather observations generated from climatological percentiles from 

your active working set, which includes stations, years, and annual filters.

To successfully create projected observations, you must have year-to-date 

observations in your active working set for the stations of interest. The 

current year must be part of your active working set. You can edit your 

projected observations, although these are not saved as part of your 

database.

Topics in this chapter include:

• Understanding generated fire weather records

• Reviewing the active working set

• Generating fire danger projections

• Generating reports and graphs.

Understanding generated fire weather records from 

climatological percentiles

Generated fire weather records use historical, individual daily percentiles of 

temperature, humidity, and wind speed. This differs from the percentile for 

the entire working set. For example, if your period length is one day there is 

one observation for each year in the working set. Therefore, a working set 

that contains 20 years of data contains 20 observations for each day from 

which to select the percentile. As compared to the overall critical percentile, 

this value is the same as plotting the seasonal values of critical percentiles on 

a statistical graph.

To generate projected observations from the 60th percentile of temperature for 

July 1 to July 15, FireFamily Plus examines the working set for the 60th 

percentile for the observed dry bulb, maximum and minimum temperatures 

for each of the 15 days. By selecting the 10th percentile of humidity, 
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections

July 1, 2000 6.2

FireFamily Plus examines the working set for the driest 10th percentile of 

observed, maximum, and minimum relative humidities for each day. 

Similarly, by selecting 50th percentile winds, FireFamily Plus will calculate 

the median value of wind for each of those 15 days. 

You can project hot dry conditions by selecting high percentile values for 

temperature and low percentile values for humidity.

Projected observations from percentile weather have precipitation amount, 

duration, and state of the weather initialized to “no precipitation” and “mostly 

sunny skies,” where state of the weather equals “1.” It is up to you to create 

precipitation events, if desired, for your medium range projections.

Reviewing the active working set

The following diagram shows the active working set used for the examples in 

this chapter. Notice that observation data for the current year 2000 is 

available and selected in the working set. Since there are no observations for 

year 2000 during the projections period, the projected observations you 

generate from historical percentiles will be based on daily observation data 

from 1990 through 1999. The analysis period length is one day.

You can project fire danger indexes for other analysis period lengths and for 

Special Interest Groups.
Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

6.3 July 1, 2000

Generating fire danger projections

This section explains how to generate NFDRS indexes from your projected 

observations. You can also generate projections from climatology and obtain 

the percentile values for temperature, humidity, and wind.

To start the fire danger projection module

• On the FireFamily Plus toolbar, click Fire Danger Projections.

Just as when you generate a statistical table or graph, FireFamily Plus 

automatically synchronizes your active working set when you click Fire 

Danger Projections.

The following diagram shows the Fire Danger Projections dialog box. Notice 

the starting date in this example is June 15th, 2000, which tells you that your 

active working set has data for Plains through the 14th of June, 2000.

To select the fire danger projection options

1 Click Options >>>.

2 Based on the indexes you selected for your projection, select the Output 

Columns of your choice.

3 Modify the Graph Options as desired.

Graph Options allows you to distinguish the format of the projection line 

from the year-to-date and other overlays on the statistical season graph. 

You can also modify the projection line once you create the statistical 

season graph by clicking the Fire Danger Projections tab on the Graph 

Options dialog box.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections

July 1, 2000 6.4

The following diagram shows the Projection options dialog box. 

The New Day WX Values option allows you to select the method for creating 

the observations, either “Same as Previous Day,” “Blank,” or “Use Historic 

Daily Percentiles.” Although you can select only one New Day WX Values 

option at a time, you can create several days of persistence, and then switch to 

a climatology sequence before clicking the Calculate button.

In this example, you will generate the following projections:

• temperature based on the 60th percentile, which is slightly above the 

median

• humidity at the 40th percentile, which is slightly below the median

• wind speed based on the 75th percentile.

For this example, if you selected the Same as Previous Day option, every new 

record would be the same as June 14th, 2000.

To add days of projected weather data

• Click Add Day for each day of projected weather data.
Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

6.5 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Fire Danger Projections beginning June 15, 

2000. Notice that the daily observations vary slightly, there is no 

precipitation, and the State-of-the-Weather (SOW) are all set to “1.”

You can add days up to the end of the Annual Filter as defined in your working 

set.

State of the Weather codes include:

0 clear (0.0 - 0.1) 5 drizzling

1 scattered clouds (0.2 - 0.5) 6 raining

2 broken clouds (0.6 - 0.9) 7 snow/sleet

3 overcast (100% obscured) 8 showering

4 foggy 9 thunderstorms in progress.

To remove a record from your list of Fire Danger Projections

• Highlight the record of your choice and then click Remove Day.

To modify the weather for a specific date

1 Highlight the record of your choice, and then modify the appropriate 

fields as desired.

2 When satisfied with your projection strings, click Calculate.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections

July 1, 2000 6.6

The following diagram shows cloudiness (SOW=2) for June 16th through 

18th, and three hours of rain (0.05 inches) for June 21st.

The following diagram shows the calculated outputs for your fire danger 

projections. 

From here, you can change, delete, or add the projected observations and 

recalculate as desired. You can also change the projections options.
Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

6.7 July 1, 2000

Generating reports and graphs

This section explains how to generate reports and graphs from your 

projections.

To generate reports and graphs from your projections

1 Click Reports & Graphs.

2 In the Available column, highlight the variable of your choice, and then 

click >>>> to move that variable to the Selected column. To generate a 

graph for every available variable, click Select All.

3 To generate a text file of the projected weather and indexes, click 

Generate Report.

4 To generate the reports and graphs, click OK.

The following diagram shows the Select Outputs to Generate dialog box. 

After generating the reports and graphs, you can return to the Fire Danger 

Projections dialog box and edit your projection strings.

If you select the Close Forecast Window check box, FireFamily Plus will end 

your current projection session and return to your active working set after you 

generate the reports and graphs. To continue to edit your projection strings 

without starting all over again, be sure to clear this check box.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections

July 1, 2000 6.8

The following diagram shows the Fire Danger Projections window as it first 

appears after clicking OK. FireFamily Plus reprocesses the working set to 

obtain any potential overlay years and then displays a window for each graph 

object you selected. These windows appear behind the Fire Danger 

Projections window. 

The following diagram shows the ERC graph window. Here, the heavy 

dashed line represents the projected ERCs based on your generated projection 

strings.
Chapter 6. Working with fire danger projections FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

6.9 July 1, 2000

To create an overlay on your statistical projections graph

1 On the Options menu, click Overlays.

2 Click New, then select the Year, Line Style, and Color for the overlay.

3 To review the appearance of the overlay, click Apply.

4 When finished adding new overlays, click OK.
July 1, 2000 7.1

Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis

This chapter explains how to work with hourly weather data. Topics include:

• Generating hourly listings

• Generating diurnal graphs

• Exporting hourly weather data to FarSite

• Viewing hourly observations.

You can only import files from NIFMID that are in the standard FW9 format. 

The FW9 file format has several observation types, including:

• O type. A 1300 hour NFDRS record with State of the Weather.

• R type. An hourly weather observation record without State of the 

Weather.

If a station in your active working set contains “R” type observations, you will 

be able to choose from the Hourly Data Analysis options on the Weather 

menu. If no stations contain “R” type observations, these options appear 

dimmed.

FireFamily Plus version 2.0 does not import hourly RAWS data archived at the 

Western Region Climate Center due to the following:

• the data is not available on the web

• the data is not in standard format

• the NFDRS station id is not associated with the weather observations, 

and is tracked by NESDIS ID.

A future release of FireFamily Plus will accommodate this type of data and 

improve its diurnal graphing and data analysis capabilities.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis

July 1, 2000 7.2

Generating hourly listings

Like everywhere else in FireFamily Plus, your hourly data analysis results are 

controlled by how you configure your active working set. 

To generate an hourly listing

1 On the Weather menu, point to Hourly Data Analysis, then click 

Hourly Listings.

2 Select the General formatting, Data Format, and Time Format options 

of your choice.

3 In the Available Variables column, highlight the variable of your choice, 

and then click >>>> to move that variable to the Selected Variables 

column. To generate an hourly listing for every available variable, click 

Select All.

4 To generate the hourly listing, click OK.

The following diagram shows the Select Output Variables for Hourly Listing 

dialog box.

To change the order of your Selected Variables, highlight the Selected 

Variable of your choice and then click the up and down arrows to move it up or 

down.
Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

7.3 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the resulting hourly listing for Dry Bulb 

Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Wind Speed.

Generating diurnal graphs

The Diurnal Graphs option allows you to determine the hourly average value 

for all days in your active working set. It also allows you to generate a 

companion report of the average value for each hour for each day of the year, 

not for each day of each year. 

Each variable you select will produce one graph. FireFamily Plus version 2.0 

does not support multiple variables on a single graph.

There are no overlays or graphic configuration options for diurnal graphs.

The following diagram shows the active working set used for the examples in 

this chapter.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis

July 1, 2000 7.4

To generate an diurnal graph

1 On the Weather menu, point to Hourly Data Analysis, then click 

Diurnal Graphs.

2 In the Available Variables column, highlight the variable of your choice, 

and then click >>>> to move that variable to the Selected Variables 

column. To generate diurnal graphs for every available variable, click 

Select All.

3 To generate the diurnal graphs, click OK.

The following diagram shows the Generate Diurnal Graphs dialog box.

The following diagram shows the resulting Wind Speed Diurnal Analysis 

graphs.

The report on the left displays the average value for each day in the working 

set. For example, on May 1st the average 0300 wind speed is 3 miles/hour for 

the years 1995 through 2000.
Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

7.5 July 1, 2000

The graph on the right displays the “0000” through “2300” hourly averages 

for all days in the working set, which is essentially the average of each 

column in the report. For the years 1995 through 2000 for all days, May 1st 

through June 21st, the 0300 mean wind speed is about 2 miles/hour and rises 

to about 4 miles/hour at 1300.

The graph may not always display the precise average of each column in the 

report. The report does not display the number of observations for each day/

hour, which may vary from cell to cell. 

The following diagram shows the resulting mode wind direction graph. 

Instead of a numerical average, the mode direction identifies the most often 

occurring direction.

Wind directions are classified to the eight standard wind directions in a fire 

weather observation, where 0 = Calm, 1 = NE, 2 = E and so on. In this 

example, the daytime prevailing wind direction is from the West or 

Southwest, while the night prevailing wind direction has an easterly 

component with a few hours of calm between 0600 and 0800.

Remember, this summary is based on your active working set.

To save your diurnal reports and graphs

1 On the File menu, point to Save, and then click Report or Graph.

2 Type a name of your choice and then click Save. Reports are saved using 

the .txt file extension. Graphs can be saved in a variety of file formats.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis

July 1, 2000 7.6

Exporting hourly weather data to FarSite

The FarSite Exports option allows you to automatically create FarSite export 

files from your active working set, one file for each day. These files are 

compatible to FarSite version 3 and version 4, which is due for release in the 

fall of 2000.

Generally, select a period from a specific year from your climatology analysis 

period of weather for your Farsite simulations. 

To create a FarSite export file

1 On the Weather menu, point to Hourly Data Analysis, then click 

FarSite Exports.

2 Select the FarSite File Types check boxes of your choice, click >>>> to 

browse the folder location of your choice, and then type the File Name of 

each export file.

The following diagram shows the Generate FarSite Data Files dialog box.

You can save these export files in any folder you choose. 
Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

7.7 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the layout of the export weather file for FarSite 

version 3. This weather file has one summary record per day. The fields are 

month, day, precipitation amount, time of minimum temperature, time of 

maximum temperature, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, 

maximum relative humidity, minimum relative humidity, and station 

elevation.

The following diagram shows the wind export file. It contains an hourly 

listing for each day in the working set range and identifies month, day, hour/

minute, wind speed, direction (azimuth), and cloud cover. 

Cloud cover is “0” unless rain occurred during the hour. If rain occurred, it is 

set to “100.” In this example, no rain occurred.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis

July 1, 2000 7.8

Viewing hourly observations

The View Observations option on the Weather menu allows you to view either 

daily observations (1300 NFDRS type “O” observations) or all observations 

in your active working set.

To view all observations in your working set

• On the Weather menu, point to View Observations, and then click All.

The following diagram shows all observations in your working set. Notice 

the buttons available on the toolbar.

To save (export) observation records to your personal computer

• Click Export Data, select the file format of your choice, and the save the 

file in a folder of your choice.
Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

7.9 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Export Weather Data to a Text File dialog 

box. From here, you can export weather data and save it in a variety of 

formats.

To delete a range of observations from your active working set

1 Select the record of your choice, and then click Delete Records.

2 In the Start Record box, type or select the first record of your choice.

3 In the End Record box, type or select the last record of your choice, and 

then click OK.

4 To confirm the delete, click OK.

The following diagram shows the Enter Range of Records to Delete dialog 

box.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis

July 1, 2000 7.10

The following diagram shows the warning message for deleting weather 

observations from your active working set.

To sort the weather observations

• Right-click on the column of your choice, and then select either 

Sort Ascending or Sort Descending.

The following diagram shows the View Weather Data listing as it appears 

when you right-click on the ObsDate column.

To increase a column width

• Position the pointer in the column heading of your choice, and then drag 

to the right or to the left to increase or decrease the column width.

You can also increase or decrease the height of any row using this same 

method.
Chapter 7. Performing hourly data analysis FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

7.11 July 1, 2000

To print the weather observations in your working set

• Click Print Table, select the Options and Available fields of your 

choice, and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Select Fields to Print dialog box.

Since you are dealing with hourly data, printing these files may require vast 

quantities of paper! Be sure that is what you want to do!
July 1, 2000 A.1

Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST

This chapter explains how to use the Kansas City Fire Access Software 

(KCFAST) to download information into FireFamily Plus. KCFAST allows 

you to extract weather and fire occurrence data and station catalog 

information from the National Interagency Fire Management Integrated 

Database (NIFMID). Topics include:

• Accessing KCFAST

• Retrieving weather, fire occurrence, and station catalog data

• Downloading files from the ftp site to your personal computer.

Accessing KCFAST

KCFAST is available on the Fire and Aviation Management web page

http://famweb.usda.gov. 

You must have a valid WIMS/NIFMID logon ID and password to retrieve data 

from NIFMID. For more information, send your request to fire?@fs.fed.us.

To access KCFAST from the Internet

1 Start your Internet browser. 

2 In the address box, type http://famweb.usda.gov then press ENTER.

3 Click KCFAST.

After accessing this web page, you can save time later by adding this address 

to your browser as a bookmark.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST

July 1, 2000 A.2

To setup your WIMS/NIFMID logon ID for KCFAST retrievals

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Setup.

2 Type your Username and Password, and then click OK.

Your Username is in the format:

ops$[WIMS/NIFMID logon id]

For example, “ops$fs1234” is a valid Username.

3 Type your Email address, and then click Submit.

The following User Profile Information screen shows a sample Email 

address.

Retrieving weather, fire occurrence, and station 

catalog data

There are three basic types of data that you can retrieve from NIFMID:

• Historical fire weather data identifies data collected from specific weather 

stations.

• Fire occurrence data identifies data collected from the U.S. Forest 

Service.

• Station catalogs identify key weather station information.

Be sure to select “Send file to ftp site” when retrieving weather data from 

KCFAST. Currently, FireFamily Plus does not reliably import raw file 

occurrence files retrieved with a browser.
Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

A.3 July 1, 2000

To retrieve historical fire weather data

Although historical fire weather data is either saved in “72” format or “98” 

format, you will request most of your retrievals in the “72” format. For more 

information about these formats, see Appendix A, “WIMS file formats.”

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Weather.

2 Click Data Extract, and then click Historical.

3 Type the Station ID, and then Begin and End Date Range.

4 Click Raw Datafile - 1972 Data Format.

5 Select the email notification option of your choice, and then click 

Submit.

The following Historical Fire Weather Data Extract screen shows a 

retrieval for station 101221 and spanning the month of July, 1995.

The following screen shows a sample FTP REQUEST CONFIRMATION 

message for station ID “050505.”

6 Write down the file name so that you can locate this file when you access 

the site ftp.fs.fed.us.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST

July 1, 2000 A.4

To retrieve U.S. Forest Service fire occurrence data

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Fire.

2 Click Standard Extract.

3 Type the two digit Region and two digit Forest numbers.

4 Type the Begin Year and End Year Date Range.

5 Click NFMAS - PCHA (PC Historical Analysis).

6 Click Raw Datafile.

For more information about RAW and FPL data layouts, click Datafile 

Definition.

7 Select the email notification option of your choice, and then click 

Submit.

The following Fire Occurrence Data Extraction screen shows a retrieval 

for Region 02, Forest 10 and spanning the years 1975 through 1999.

The following screen shows a FTP REQUEST CONFIRMATION 

message.
Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

A.5 July 1, 2000

8 Write down the file name so that you can locate this file when you access 

the site ftp.fs.fed.us.

To retrieve station catalog information for a single station

1 From the KCFAST Main Menu, click Weather.

2 Click Station Catalog, and then click Station Information.

3 Click BY SINGLE STATION, and then type the desired Station ID.

4 Click Send file to FTP site.

5 Select the email notification option of your choice, and then click 

Submit.

The following Weather Station Information screen shows a station 

information retrieval for station “050505.”

6 Write down the file name so that you can locate this file when you access 

the site ftp.fs.fed.us.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix A. Retrieving NIFMID data using KCFAST

July 1, 2000 A.6

Downloading files from the ftp site to your personal 

computer

In KCFAST, retrievals are named so that you can easily identify each file and 

its contents. For example, you can identify a KCFAST weather observation 

retrieval as follows:

If you choose, you can rename KCFAST retrievals when you download the 

file. Use the following list as a guideline:

For record layouts of RAW and FPL files, follow the procedure outlined on 

page 2.4, “To retrieve U.S. Forest Service fire occurrence data.” For step 6, 

click Datafile Definition.

Before downloading fire weather, fire occurrence, and station catalog files, 

you can better organize your retrievals by storing them in separate folders. 

For example, to store weather observation files, create the folder “fsapps/fam/

FireFamily Plus/FWX files.” To store fire occurrence files, create the folder 

“fsapps/fam/FireFamily Plus/RAW files.” To store a working set database, 

create the folder “fsapps/fam/FireFamily Plus/MDB files.”

To download a file from ftp.fs.fed.us

1 Start your Internet browser. 

2 In the address box, type ftp://ftp.fs.fed.us/incoming/wo_fam then press 

ENTER.

3 Right-click the file name of your choice, click Copy to folder, then 

double-click the folder of your choice.

• [forestname].fpl for fire occurrence files at the forest level, minus the 

fire name

• wx[stationID].fwx for weather observation files in the 72 format

• wx[stationID].fw9 for weather observation files in the 98 format

• [forestname].raw for fire occurrence files at the district level, including 

fire name, in the full FS5100-29 report format

• [name].txt for text files to be imported into FireFamily Plus.
July 1, 2000 B.1

Appendix B. Using FireFamily Plus with RERAP

The Percentile Weather report allows you to select a variable and select a 

wind direction for preparing a Rare Event Risk Assessment Program 

(RERAP) report.

For example, given an ignition in an area approved for wildland fire use for 

resource benefits, you can use historical weather records, fuels, and weather 

conditions to calculate the probability of the fire being pushed to a particular 

point of concern.

To generate a Percentile Weather report

1 On the Weather menu, click Season Reports, and then click Percentile 

Weather.

2 In the Analysis Variable list, select the desired variable, and then click 

OK.

3 Click the desired Wind Direction(s) that would head the fire toward the 

point of concern.

4 To calculate fuel moisture and wind speeds associated with the ERC 

values, click Calculate (1).

5 To calculate an ERC and SC from the fuel moisture and wind speed 

values, click Calculate (2).

6 To obtain a table and a printable report, click Done (3).
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix B. Using FireFamily Plus with RERAP

July 1, 2000 B.2

The following diagram shows Energy Release Component selected as the 

percentile weather analysis variable.

The resulting diagram combines many RERAP calculations into one screen.
Appendix B. Using FireFamily Plus with RERAP FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

B.3 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the Percentile Weather for RERAP report.

For more information about RERAP, refer to “RERAP-Rare Event Risk 

Assessment Process User’s Guide.”
July 1, 2000 C.1

Appendix C. Importing data from other agencies

This appendix explains how to create and save a custom agency within the 

active database and then import fire occurrence data from that custom agency. 

Like the agency definitions, you can define a one, two, or three tier hierarchy. 

Topics include:

• Defining a custom agency

• Importing data from your custom agency.

Defining a custom agency

A custom agency allows you to associate fires with a SIG or station. When 

you create a custom agency, you must know the following:

• the name of the units

• the codes of the units as found in the import files.

The following diagram shows the tree-like structure of an agency. 

If your import files do not contain codes for regions, units, or subunits, assign 

a “dummy code” that allows you to select the region, unit, and/or subunit as 

the default for the entire file.

This section explains how to create a two-tier custom agency, including a 

region and unit. You must define a region as the first tier. However, you must 

only define unit and subunit tiers if these are required for your agency.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix C. Importing data from other agencies

July 1, 2000 C.2

To create a custom agency

1 On the Data menu, click Agencies.

2 Click New, type the new agency name in the Agency Name box, and then 

click OK.

The following diagram shows the new agency name, “Nature Cons.” 

The following diagram shows the new agency displayed on the Create/Edit/

Delete Agencies dialog box.

To define a region for your custom agency

1 Click the custom agency of your choice, and then click Regions.

2 Type the Code and Name of the region and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Edit Region dialog box.
Appendix C. Importing data from other agencies FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

C.3 July 1, 2000

The following diagram shows the new SouthWest District 1 region.

To define a unit for your custom agency

1 Click the region of your choice, and then click Units.

2 Type the Code and Name of the unit and then click OK.

The following diagram shows the Edit Units dialog box.

The following diagram shows the new Shreveport Highlands unit. 
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix C. Importing data from other agencies

July 1, 2000 C.4

To define a subunit for your custom agency

1 Click the unit of your choice, and then click Subunits.

2 Type the Code and Name of the subunit and then click OK.

Subunits are created in the same manner as regions and units. The example 

in this appendix does not have any subunits defined for the custom agency.

To review the new custom agency structure

1 On the Fires menu, click Associations.

2 Click the custom agency tab of your choice.

The following diagram shows the new custom agency and hierarchy.

Importing data from your custom agency

This section explains how to define the import file format for your custom 

agency. Before you can define the import file format, you must first review 

the record layout of the data.

You may want to print out a copy of the import file, then use a ruler to delimit 

the columns.

To define the import file format for your custom agency

1 Review the record layout of the import file and determine the column 

number of the following fields

Region Fire Number

Unit Acres

Subunit, if any Cause

Year, Month, and Day Fire Name.

2 On the Data menu, click Import.
Appendix C. Importing data from other agencies FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

C.5 July 1, 2000

3 Select the Agency of your choice, then click Fpl Files.

Unless importing USFS files, which can be in either “fpl” or “raw” format, 

you can only select the Fpl Files button as the import file type.

4 On the Define Import File Format dialog box, click the Duplicate 

Checking option of your choice.

5 Using the record layout from step 1, complete the Record Layout boxes.

Type 0 (zero) for any field not defined in the import file.

6 When finished defining the record layout, click OK, then Open the 

import file of your choice.

The following diagram shows the record layout and sample records for the 

file “NARTC2.fpl.”

The following diagram shows the drop-down list box of available agencies.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix C. Importing data from other agencies

July 1, 2000 C.6

The following diagram shows the Define Import File Format dialog box.
July 1, 2000 D.1

Appendix D. Adding missing subunits

This appendix explains how to add missing subunits to your FireFamily Plus 

template database. Once you complete this task, every subsequent database 

that you create will display these subunits.

Using a generic region/unit/subunit internal structure, FireFamily Plus blends 

fire data based on the different organizational structures of each agency. 

Since many Forest Service Districts have been consolidated over the years 

that is systematically impossible to track, you may find that you need to add 

missing subunits to your FireFamily Plus template database.

The tasks in this appendix explain how to use Microsoft Access 2000® to edit 

a FireFamily Plus template database previously created in Microsoft Access 

97®. Exit FireFamily Plus before proceeding.

To open the template database

1 On the Start menu, point to Programs, and then click Access.

2 On the Microsoft Access dialog box, click Open an existing file, and 

then double-click More Files.

3 Open the FireFamily Plus folder.

This folder is usually located in the “c:/fsapps/fam” folder.

4 In the Files of type box, select All Files, and then double-click 

fireplus.ffp.

5 In the Convert/Open Database dialog box, click Open Database, and 

then click OK.

6 Double-click FireSubunits.

The following diagram shows the Microsoft Access dialog box.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix D. Adding missing subunits

July 1, 2000 D.2

The following diagram shows the location of the template database 

“fireplus.ffp.”

The following diagram shows the MS Access 2000 Convert/Open Database 

dialog box.

This dialog box does not display if you use MS Access 97 to update your 

template database.

The following diagram shows the “FireSubunits” table selected.
Appendix D. Adding missing subunits FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

D.3 July 1, 2000

To add a subunit to the FireSubunits table - an example

This task explains how to add the missing subunit “38,” district “07 Woodsey 

RD” to the last row “642” on the FireSubunits table.

1 Scroll down until you display the appropriate districts for your area, then 

review the FireSubunits table and determine if there are any missing 

subunits. Write down the Unit ID that pertains to any missing subunits.

2 Scroll down to the last entry in the FireSubunits table.

3 In the * (asterisk) row, click in the SubunitID column, and then type the 

next sequential number in the table. 

Watch for zeroes (0) that may be inadvertently inserted in the table! For 

example, be sure to type “642,” not “6420.”

4 In the UnitID column, type the unit identifier.

5 In the Name column, type the name of the missing subunit.

6 To save and exit the FireSubunits table, click Exit on the File menu.

The following diagram shows the FireSubunits table. Notice the missing 

subunit on the Boise National Forest.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Appendix D. Adding missing subunits

July 1, 2000 D.4

The following diagram shows the new subunit added to the end of the 

FireSubunits table.

This example shows you how to change the template database. To import 

new fire occurrence data, you must create a new database from the modified 

template database.

You can also modify an existing working database in the same manner, but 

you must re-import the fire occurrence data again to update the fires in the 

existing database. More than likely, these fires were rejected during the 

previous import process due to invalid subunits.
July 1, 2000 DRAFT i

Glossary of fire terms

A

ambient. Surrounding, enveloping conditions. As it pertains 

to weather at the earth’s surface, the conditions measured in 

the instrument shelter are considered ambient.

annual. A plant that lives for one growing season, starting 

from a seed each year.

aspect. Represents the aspect at the weather station site. 

Used in NFDRS calculations. Valid values are 1 - 8:

1 - N 5 - S

2 - NE 6 - SW

3 - E 7 - W

4 - SE 8 - NW

average precipitaiton. The historic average annual 

precipitation for the weather station. Used in NFDRS 

calculations.

average relative humidity. The arithmetic average of the 

maximum and minimum relative humidities measured at a 

fire-danger station from one basic observation time to the next.

B, C

base fuel model. The fuel model that best represents the 

fuels on the base area.

basic observation time. The time established to take the 

fire-dander observation. It should be at that time of day when 

the fire danger is normally the highest.

boundary conditions. The EMC commensurate with the 

temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation events of the 

preceding 24 hours.

brush. Scrub vegetation and stands of tree species that do not 

produce merchantable timber. Not a synonym for slash.

Burning Index (BI). A number related to the contribution of 

fire behavior to the effort of containing a fire.

climate class. Defines the drying and wetting rates for 

annuals, perennials, and woody plants.

D

dead fuels. Naturally occurring fuels whose moisture 

content is governed by relative humidity and precipitation.

deciduous. When checked, this flag signifies that trees at 

the weather station site are primarily deciduous. When 

unchecked, this flag signifies primarily coniferous trees at the 

weather station site. Used in NFDRS calculations.

dew point. The temperature at which a parcel of air being 

cooled reaches saturation (100 percent relative humidity).

diurnal. Pertains to daily cycles of temperature, relative 

humidity, and wind.

drought. A period characterized by a serious moisture 

deficiency, extensive in area and time.

dry bulb temperature. The temperature of the air.

duff. The partially decomposed organic material of the forest 

floor that lies beneath the freshly fallen twigs, needles, and 

leaves.

E

elevation. The elevation, in feet, of the weather station. 

Used in NFDRS calculations. 

Energy Release Component (ERC). A number related to 

the available energy (Btu) per unit area (square foot) within the 

flaming front at the head of a fire.

Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC). The moisture 

content that a fuel particle will attain if exposed for an infinite 

period in an environment of specified constant temperature 

and humidity. When a fuel particle has reached its EMC, the 

net exchange of moisture between it and its environment is 

zero.

escaped fire. A fire that has exceeded or is anticipated to 

exceed preplanned initial action capabilities, fire management 

direction, or selected appropriate suppression response.

extinction moisture content. The fuel moisture content, 

weighted over all the fuel classes, at which the fire will not 

spread.
Glossary of fire terms FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

ii DRAFT July 1, 2000

F

fine fuels. The complex of living and dead herbaceous plants 

and dead woody plant materials less than one-fourth inch in 

diameter.

Fine Fuel Moisture (FFM). An adjustment to the 1-h TL 

FM that compensates for the presence of living plant material 

and the moisture content of that material. The FFM is used in 

the manual calculation of fire-danger ratings. It replaces the 1-

h TL FM and the herbaceous fuel moisture.

firebrand. Any source of heat, natural or human-made, that 

is capable of igniting natural fuels.

fire-danger rating area. A geographical area within which 

the fire danger can be assumed to be uniform. It is relatively 

homogenous in climate, fuels, and topography.

fireline intensity. The rate of heat release per unit length of 

fire front. The most commonly used units in current fire 

literature are Btu/sec/ft.

fire management direction. Fire management standards, 

guidelines, and practices based upon land and resource 

management objectives. Fire management direction defines 

the kind, level, and timing of fire protection and use activities, 

including the appropriate suppression strategies that efficiently 

meet management objectives for each management area for the 

range of expected fire behavior conditions.

flaming front. That zone of a moving fire where the 

combustion is primarily flaming. Behind the flaming front the 

combustion is primarily glowing or involves the burning out of 

larger fuels (greater than about three inches in diameter.)

FM1 = FM10. When checked, this flag signifies that the 1-

hour fuel moisture is equal to the 10-hour fuel moisture. Used 

in NFDRS calculations.

forecast area. The geographical area for which a fire 

weather forecast is specified.

freeze day of year. The day of the year (1 to 365) 

considered to be the historic average day for the first killing 

frost. Used in NFDRS calculations.

fuel class. A group of fuels possessing common 

characteristics. In NFDRS, dead fuels are grouped according 

to their timelag (1-, 10-, 100-, and 1000-hr TL). Living fuels 

are grouped by whether they are herbaceous (annual or 

perennial) or woody.

fuel model. A simulated fuel complex for which all the fuel 

descriptors required by the mathematical fire spread model 

have been specified.

fuel moisture analog. A device that emulates the moisture 

response of specific classes of dead fuels. Examples are 

basswood slats that represent the 1-h TL fuels and half-inch 

ponderosa pine dowels that represent the 10-h TL fuels. An 

analog may also be constructed of inorganic materials.

Fuel Moisture Content (also Fuel Moisture) (FM). The 

water content of a fuel particle expressed as a percent of the 

ovendry weight of the fuel particle.

fuel proportion. That length of the traverse distance on a 

segment, divided by the total length of the assessment line.

G, H

greenup. The beginning of a new cycle of plant growth. The 

greenup date may occur at different dates for different fuel 

models.

herb. A plant that does not develop woody, persistent tissue 

but is relatively soft or succulent and sprouts from the base 

(perennials) or develops from seed (annuals) each year. 

Included are grasses, forbs, and ferns.

herbaceous fuels. Undecomposed material, living or dead, 

derived from herbaceous plants.

herbaceous vegetation moisture content. The water 

content of a live herbaceous plant expressed as a percent of the 

ovendry weight of the plant.

holdover fires (also sleeper fires). Fires set by lightning 

but not discovered during the first burning period. In the 

NFDRS it is assumed that 25 percent of the fires are not 

discovered until succeeding burning periods.

Human-caused Fire Occurrence Index (HCOI). A 

value derived from the Human-caused Risk (HCR) sources in 

a rating area and the Ignition Component (IC). HCOI is 

interpretable in terms of expected numbers of fires on the 

rating area.

Human-Caused Risk (HCR). A number related to the 

expected number of human-produced firebrands capable of 

starting fires that a rating area will be exposed to during the 

rating period.

human-caused risk scaling factor. A number relating 

human-caused fire incidence to the Ignition Component (IC) 

on a rating area. The factor is a statistic based on three to five 

years of fire occurrence and fire weather data that adjusts the 

prediction of the basic human-caused fire occurrence model to 

fit local experience.

humidity. A measure of the water-vapor content of the air.
FireFamily Plus User’s Guide Glossary of fire terms

July 1, 2000 DRAFT iii

I

Ignition Component (IC). A rating of the probability that a 

firebrand will cause a fire requiring suppression action.

initial action. The prompt, preplanned response to a 

wildfire.

initiating fire. A fire that has recently started and is not 

crowning or spotting.

insolation. Solar radiation received at the earth’s surface.

instrument shelter (also thermoscreen). A naturally or 

artificially ventilated structure used to shield temperaturemeasuring instruments from direct sunshine and precipitation.

K, L

KCFAST, KCFAST/PC. A menu-based computer 

application that automatically builds and submits customized 

jobs from your personal computer to the IBM mainframe 

computer at the USDA National Information Technology 

Center in Kansas City.

lesser live fuels. Grasses and forbs; low nonwoody plants, 

annual and perennial.

Lightning Activity Level (LAL). A numerical rating of 

one to six, keyed to the start of thunderstorms and the 

frequency and character of cloud-to-ground lightning, 

forecasted or observed on a rating area during the rating 

period.

Lightning Fire Occurrence Index (LOI). A numerical 

rating of the potential occurrence of lightning-caused fires.

Lightning Risk (LR). A number related to the expected 

number of cloud-to-ground lightning discharges capable of 

staring fires that a rating area will be exposed to during the 

rating period.

lightning risk scaling factor. A factor derived from local 

thunderstorm and lightning-caused fire records that adjusts the 

predictions of the basic lightning fire occurrence model to 

local experience. It accounts for factors not addressed directly 

by the model such as susceptibility of local fuels to ignition by 

lightning, fuel continuity, topography, and regional 

characteristics of thunderstorms.

litter. The top layer of the forest floor, typically composed of 

loose debris such as branches, twigs, and recently fallen leaves 

or needles; little altered in structure by decomposition.

live fuels. Naturally occurring fuels whose moisture content 

is controlled by physiological processes within the living 

plant. The NFDRS considers only herbaceous plants and 

woody plant material small enough (leaves and needles, and 

twigs) to be consumed in the flaming front of a fire.

M

mobilization. Documented procedures in the National 

Interagency Mobilization Guide that defines two categories for 

equipment and supplies. E (equipment) requests include 

major firefighting items such as rolling stock, radios, 

telecommunications equipment, national caterers, national 

showers, cache vans ATMUs, and speciality items. S (supply) 

requests include most NFES cache items.

N, O

National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). A 

uniform fire-danger rating system that focuses on the 

environmental factors that control the moisture content of 

fuels.

1-hour timelag fuels. Fuels consisting of dead herbaceous 

plants and roundwood less than one-fourth inch in diameter. 

Also included is the uppermost layer of litter on the forest 

floor.

1-hour Timelag Fuel Moisture. The moisture content of 

the 1-hour timelag fuels.

100-hour timelag fuels. Dead fuels consisting of 

roundwood one to three inches in diameter, and, very roughly, 

the forest floor from three-fourths inch to four inches below 

the surface.

100-hour Timelag Fuel Moisture. The moisture content 

of the 100-hour timelag fuels.

1000-hour timelag fuels. Dead fuels consisting of 

roundwood three to eight inches in diameter or the layer of the 

forest floor more than about four inches below the surface or 

both.

1000-hour Timelag Fuel Moisture. The moisture content 

of the 1000-hour timelag fuels.

P

perennial. A plant that lives for more than two growing 

seasons. For fire-danger rating purposes, biennial plants are 

classed with perennials.
Glossary of fire terms FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

iv DRAFT July 1, 2000

precipitation. Any or all the forms of atmospheric water, 

liquid, or solid that reach the ground. Usually measured to the 

nearest one-hundredth of an inch.

precipitation duration. The time, in hours and fraction of 

hours, that a precipitation event lasts. More precisely, for firedanger rating purposes, it is the length of time that fuels are 

subjected to liquid water during the day.

R

Relative Humidity. The ratio of the actual amount of water 

vapor in the air to the amount necessary to saturate the air at 

that temperature and pressure. It is expressed as a percentage.

Remote Automatic Weather System (RAWS). A 

WIMS satellite station that automatically tracks and stores 

weather information.

residence time. 1. The time required for the flaming zone 

of a fire to pass a stationary point. 2. The width of the flaming 

zone divided by the rate of spread of the fire.

roundwood. Boles, stems, or limbs of woody material; that 

portion of the dead wildland fuels that are roughly cylindrical 

in shape.

S

shrub. A woody perennial plant differing from a perennial 

herb by its persistent and woody stem; and from a tree by its 

low stature and habitat of branching from the base.

slash. Branches, bark, tops, cull logs, uprooted stumps, and 

broken or uprooted trees left on the ground after logging; also 

debris resulting from thinnings or wind.

slope. Rise or fall (in feet) per 100 feet of horizontal 

measurement, expressed as a percentage.

Spread Component (SC). A rating of the forward rate of 

spread of a head fire.

standard drying day. A day producing the same net drying 

as a 24-hour period where the dry bulb temperature is 

maintained at 80° F and the relative humidity at 20 percent.

Staffing Index. A code that identifies the fuel model and 

forms the basis for fire-danger rating decisions.

statistical wildfire. A wildfire that burns uncontrolled in 

vegetative or associated flammable material and either 

requires suppression action to protect natural resources or 

values associated with natural resources, or is destructive to 

natural resources.

surface area-to-volume ratio. The ratio of the area of the 

surface of a fuel particle (square feet) to its volume (cubic 

feet). The higher the ratio, the finer the particle; for example, 

for grasses this ratio ranges above 2,000; for a half-inch fuel 

moisture stick it is 109.

T

10-hour timelag fuels. Dead fuels consisting of 

roundwood one-fourth to one inch in diameter and, very 

roughly, the layer of litter extending from just below the 

surface to three-fourths inch below the surface.

10-hour Timelag Fuel Moisture. The moisture content of 

the 10-hour timelag fuels.

U, V

unplanned ignition. A fire started at random by either 

natural or human causes, or a deliberate incendiary fire.

volatiles. Readily vaporized organic materials which, when 

mixed with oxygen, are easily ignited.

W

Weather Information Management System (WIMS). A 

comprehensive system that manages fire-weather information.

wildfire. An unwanted wildland fire not designated and 

managed as a prescribed fire and that requires appropriate 

suppression action.

windspeed. Wind, in miles per hour, measured at 20 feet 

above the ground or the average height of the vegetative cover, 

and averaged over at least a ten minute period.
July 1, 2000 DRAFT i

References

Refer to the following technical documentation for related fire and weather 

information, NFDRS topics, and FIREFAMILY Plus background material.

Andrews, Patricia L., Larry S. Bradshaw, David L. Bunnell, and Gary M. Curcio. 1998. Fire Danger 

Pocket Card for Firefighter Safety. In. Proceedings from 2nd Symposium on Fire and Forest 

Meteorology, January 11-16, 1998. Phoenix, AZ. American Meteorological Society. Boston, 

MA.

Andrews, Patricia L. and Larry S. Bradshaw. 1997. FIRES: Fire Information Retrieval and Evaluation 

System - a Program for Fire Danger Rating Analysis. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Report INTGTR-367, 64 p. Intermountain Forest & Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.

Bradshaw, Larry S. and William C. Fischer, compilers. 1984. Computer Programs for Summarizing 

Climatic Data Stored in the National Fire Weather Data Library. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. 

Report INT-164, 39 p. Intermountain Forest & Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.

Bradshaw, Larry S., John E. Deeming, Robert E. Burgan, and Jack D. Cohen, compilers. 1983. The 1978 

National Fire-Danger Rating System: Technical Documentation. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. 

Report INT-169, 144 p. Intermountain Forest & Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.

Burgan, Robert E. 1979. Estimating Live Fuel Moisture for the 1978 National Fire Danger Rating System. 

USDA For. Serv. Res. Paper INT-226, 16 p. Intermountain Forest & Range Experiment Station, 

Ogden, UT.

Burgan, Robert E. 1988. 1988 Revisions to the 1978 National Fire-Danger Rating System. USDA For. 

Serv. Res. Paper SE-273, 39 p. Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Asheville, NC.

Cohen, Erin, Rob Nostrant, Kelly Hawk, and Wayne Mitchell. 1994. pcFIRDAT/pcSEASON User Guide: 

FireFamily for personal computers. 46 p. Calif. Dept.of Forestry and Fire Prot., Sacramento, CA.

Deeming, John E., Robert E. Burgan, and Jack D. Cohen. The National Fire-Danger Rating System - 

1978. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Report INT-39, 63 p. Intermountain Forest & Range 

Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.

Main, William A., Donna M. Paananen, and Robert E. Burgan. 1990. FIREFAMILY 1988. USDA For. 

Serv. Gen. Tech. Report NC-138, 35 p. North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN.

Main, William A., Robert J. Straub, and Donna M. Paananenn. 1982. FIREFAMILY: Fire planning with 

historic weather data. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Report NC-73, 31 p. North Central Forest 

Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN.

Rothermel, Richard C. 1972. A Mathematical Model for Predicting Fire Spread in Wildland Fuels. USDA 

For. Serv. Res. Paper INT-115, 40 p. Intermountain Forest & Range Experiment Station, Ogden, 

UT.

USDA For. Serv. 1998. RERAP - Rare Event Risk Assessment Process User’s Guide. February 12, 1998. 

218 p. Washington, D.C.
References FireFamily Plus User’s Guide

ii DRAFT July 1, 2000

USDA For. Serv. 1995. WIMS - Weather Information Management System User’s Guide. December 1, 

1997. 394 p. Washington, D.C.

USDA For. Serv. 1993. National Interagency Fire Management Integrated Database (NIFMID) Reference 

Manual. USDA For. Serv., Fire and Aviation Management, Washington, D.C.

USDA For. Serv. 1982. Fire Management Analysis and Planning Handbook. USDA For. Serv. Handbook 

5109.19, Washington, D.C.

Wittala, M. R., and Don W. Carlton. 1993 Assessing long-term fire movement risk in wilderness fire 

management. In. Proceedings from 12th Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology, October, 

1993. Jekyll Island, GA. Society of American Foresters. Bethesda, MD.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION

RMRS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its

programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion,

age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not

all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require

alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print,

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice

and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,

Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington,

DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and employer.

The Rocky Mountain Research Station develops scientific information

and technology to improve management, protection, and use of the

forests and rangelands. Research is designed to meet the needs of

National Forest managers, Federal and State agencies, public and

private organizations, academic institutions, industry, and individuals.

Studies accelerate solutions to problems involving ecosystems,

range, forests, water, recreation, fire, resource inventory, land reclamation, community sustainability, forest engineering technology, multiple

use economics, wildlife and fish habitat, and forest insects and diseases. Studies are conducted cooperatively, and applications may be

found worldwide.

Research Locations

Flagstaff, Arizona Reno, Nevada

Fort Collins, Colorado* Albuquerque, New Mexico

Boise, Idaho Rapid City, South Dakota

Moscow, Idaho Logan, Utah

Bozeman, Montana Ogden, Utah

Missoula, Montana Provo, Utah

Lincoln, Nebraska Laramie, Wyoming

*Station Headquarters, Natural Resources Research Center,

2150 Centre Avenue, Building A, Fort Collins, CO 80526