WEBVTT 00:02.240 --> 00:06.880 The Wildfire Prevention Spatial Assessment and Planning Strategies or WPSAPS. 00:07.440 --> 00:12.000 This wildfire prevention modeling software is being developed by an interagency work group. 00:12.000 --> 00:16.880 It has been specifically developed for fire prevention program personnel. The objective of 00:16.880 --> 00:21.760 this video will be to provide a brief overview of the software's capabilities and promote its use. 00:26.560 --> 00:30.000 Wildfire prevention is all about preventing unwanted 00:30.000 --> 00:32.960 human-caused wildfire ignitions from starting. 00:34.000 --> 00:37.360 Nationally nine out of ten wildfires are caused by humans, 00:37.360 --> 00:41.360 so that means nationally humans can do something about that statistic. 00:43.520 --> 00:48.480 For wildfire prevention to be successful you need to have a plan, and that plan 00:48.480 --> 00:54.320 needs to address education, engineering, enforcement, and administrative strategies. 00:55.600 --> 01:00.720 A well-designed plan facilitates organization, incorporates the budget, and staff needs required, 01:00.720 --> 01:05.760 to implement cost-effective programs. And it documents that your program is well thought out. 01:06.480 --> 01:08.160 Currently there are no tools available that 01:08.160 --> 01:11.680 provide prevention programs with ignition risk modeling. 01:11.680 --> 01:15.360 A new approach for wildfire prevention planning is needed one that allows 01:15.360 --> 01:20.000 multiple users to develop and collaborate on plans through a web-based application. 01:20.640 --> 01:26.720 An application that utilizes the power of spatial analysis with a map interface and one that uses 01:26.720 --> 01:31.120 national data sets and incorporates wildfire prevention research findings. 01:31.120 --> 01:35.280 Web-based applications must be agile, configurable, scalable, and flexible. 01:35.840 --> 01:40.320 And utilize state-of-the-art cloud-enabled software technologies which allow users to 01:40.320 --> 01:44.400 get away from applications that have too many issues with updates and versions. 01:45.280 --> 01:49.200 Wildfire prevention spatial assessment and planning strategies or WPSAPS 01:49.200 --> 01:53.680 allows the prioritization of actions to enable a more cost effective plans. 01:53.680 --> 01:58.160 These plans can be communicated through a multiple user web-based platform. 02:01.200 --> 02:07.120 WPSAPS is a software program that enables people to make plans based 02:07.120 --> 02:11.680 on the types of fires they have in their area, and the frequency of those fires. 02:12.640 --> 02:16.400 It enables them to select strategies based on 02:16.960 --> 02:22.320 education engineering enforcement and administration the three e's and the a's. 02:23.040 --> 02:29.120 The user can adjust how they're going to implement their program based on the personnel they have, 02:29.120 --> 02:33.040 or on the dollars they have, or on the types of fires that they're having. 02:35.440 --> 02:39.200 Probably the most important points from the research that we conducted on 02:39.840 --> 02:43.440 the effects and effectiveness of wildfire prevention education 02:43.440 --> 02:50.080 has been that for every dollar invested in wildfire prevention you save an average of 02:50.080 --> 02:58.240 about 35 dollars in losses and costs averted from carrying out that prevention education activity. 03:00.160 --> 03:04.800 Our research into the effects of law enforcement on human caused fires has 03:04.800 --> 03:09.840 shown that law enforcement efforts by and large are highly effective at reducing the numbers of 03:10.400 --> 03:13.680 intentionally as well as unintentionally ignited fires. 03:13.680 --> 03:18.240 Those law enforcement efforts have smaller effects than certain other kinds of human-caused fires 03:18.240 --> 03:23.040 but the overall impact is largest for arson and other intentionally ignited fires. 03:24.560 --> 03:27.760 WPSAPS provides an analysis of ignition risk, fire occurrence, 03:28.400 --> 03:32.800 fuel hazards, and the values present then it provides a recommendation of 03:32.800 --> 03:38.080 wildfire prevention actions that have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing human-caused wildfires. 03:38.640 --> 03:42.240 We also know from research that organized intentional programs 03:42.240 --> 03:45.840 are much more effective than unintentional programs. 03:48.000 --> 03:54.800 WPSAPS is more than just a prevention tool. It also provides different programs 03:55.600 --> 03:59.680 opportunity to go in and see what are the hard facts. 03:59.680 --> 04:02.640 What is the data showing us for a certain area? 04:02.640 --> 04:07.040 For example the fuels program came to me and asked, 04:07.040 --> 04:11.360 "Anna how many human starts have we had in this area?" 04:11.360 --> 04:16.640 So I got into WPSAPS and it was a quick calculation of how many humans starts? 04:17.519 --> 04:19.119 What type of human starts? 04:20.000 --> 04:27.840 And how that would benefit if we got in and did a fuels reduction in that area? 04:28.800 --> 04:33.360 WPSAPS allows you to enter where your time and effort is spent 04:33.920 --> 04:40.640 and it can track those hours and it will provide areas that you excelled in 04:40.640 --> 04:46.400 and then it also shows you areas where more effort is possibly needed 04:46.400 --> 04:49.120 to make a well-balanced prevention program. 04:51.840 --> 04:57.280 The importance of having a software program like this will help us demonstrate our successes. 04:58.720 --> 05:03.280 We can show by implementing certain activities that we can reduce 05:03.280 --> 05:05.280 wildfires that are caused by humans. 05:06.400 --> 05:10.560 The research that we did has been incorporated into the software 05:11.120 --> 05:15.600 providing wildfire mitigation specialists and other agency leaders 05:15.600 --> 05:20.160 with an overall way to allocate resources across landscapes. 05:20.160 --> 05:23.120 That is in fact as a research scientist myself 05:23.680 --> 05:28.560 probably the highest the highest honor of any research is to get it applied 05:28.560 --> 05:32.960 and used in the field to make a difference in reducing overall costs and losses from fires. 05:34.160 --> 05:36.080 Humans have the tendency to ignite 05:36.080 --> 05:40.080 unwanted wildfires across landscapes for reasons known and unknown. 05:40.080 --> 05:44.160 Humans also have the ingenuity to reduce the overall costs and losses from those 05:44.160 --> 05:48.880 fires when they occur. This software provides prevention staff with the 05:48.880 --> 06:05.840 tools they need to effectively plan activities to do this.