3rd Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference
Spokane, WA
United States
More than 400 firefighters, scientists, fire professionals and specialists, and others interested in wildland fire will take part in the International Association of Wildland Fire’s 3rd Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference, October 25-29, at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park.
The International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) is a non-profit, professional association representing members of the global wildland fire community. The purpose of the association is to facilitate communication and provide leadership for the wildland fire community.
The conference, titled “Beyond Behavior and Fuels: Learning from the Past to Help Guide Us in the Future,” comes on the 100th anniversary of the 1910 fires in the Northern Rocky Mountains and will use that precedent-setting event to launch discussions on lessons learned from past wildland fires and ways to approach the future.
Representing a variety of national and international regions, seven featured speakers will present during the five-day conference. On October 25 at 6:30 p.m., Dr. Stephen J. Pyne, author and Regents Professor at Arizona State University, will offer the opening keynote address, “The Big Blowup,” which will focus on the 1910 fires and their significance in wildland firefighting today.
Plenary keynote speaker Dr. Karen A. Cerulo, a professor and Department Chair at Rutgers University in New Jersey, will present “We Never Saw It Coming” on October 26. The following day, Johnny Stowe, South Carolina Heritage Preserve Manager, will present “Fire in the Southland: The Natural and Cultural Heritage of Prescribed Burning in the Southeastern United States,” and Dr. James Agee, Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington, will present “A Cultural History of Fire Across the Wild West.”
The week continues with Mike Dietrich, City of La Verne Fire Department Deputy Chief – Emergency Operations, who will present “Historical Overview of Fire in Southern California” and Roger Underwood, Chairman of the Bush Fire Front in Australia, who will present “Bushfire Management in Australia: Seeking New Gatekeepers” on October 28.
Jim Steele, Fire Management Officer for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, will offer the closing keynote address, “A Practitioner’s View of the Past, Present, and Future” on October 28 as well.
In addition to a diverse array of speakers and keynote topics, the conference will offer participants a unique variety of activities in which to participate. Stan Cohen, author of The Big Burn: The Northwest’s Great Forest Fire of 1910, will be signing his book and talking with participants on Monday, October 25. Tuesday’s program will feature a panel discussion on the topic “Can History Help Guide Our Fire Management Futures?” and the first of dozens of exhibitors and presentations, as well as a film festival that night.
Wednesday morning at 7:00 a.m., the Spokane Fire Department and the IAWF will co-sponsor a 5k and 1 mile Fun Run/Walk for conference participants in order to raise money for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
The conference will close on Friday with a unique opportunity for participants to tour fire-related sites in and around Spokane, including a tour of the Spokane Fire Department and many of their high-tech, multi-functional fire training buildings; a tour of White’s Boots Factory; a self-guided bicycle tour of the Spokane River Centennial Trail and the Northern Idaho Centennial Trail; and a self-guided tour of historic sites of the Great 1910 Fire.
Throughout the conference, a staging area will be available for media to film, interview, and speak with conference participants, sponsors, and IAWF personnel. For additional information about the IAWF and this conference, including a detailed program listing the times for all presentations, speakers, and exhibitors, please visit http://www.iawfonline.org/spokane2010/.
