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The Alaska Reference Database originated as the standalone Alaska Fire Effects Reference Database, a ProCite reference database maintained by former BLM-Alaska Fire Service Fire Ecologist Randi Jandt. It was expanded under a Joint Fire Science Program grant for the FIREHouse project (The Northwest and Alaska Fire Research Clearinghouse). It is now maintained by the Alaska Fire Science Consortium and FRAMES, and is hosted through the FRAMES Resource Catalog. The database provides a listing of fire research publications relevant to Alaska and a venue for sharing unpublished agency reports and works in progress that are not normally found in the published literature.

Displaying 1 - 25 of 69

Alexander, Thorburn
As an acronym, LACES stands for Lookout(s) - Anchor point(s) - Communication(s) - Escape routes - Safety zone(s) and has gradually become a guideline for wildland firefighter safety in various regions of Canada over the past 15 years or so. LACES constitutes a slight…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Gaughan, Piacitelli, Chen, Law, Virji, Edwards, Enright, Schwegler-Berry, Leonard, Wagner, Kobzik, Kales, Hughes, Christiani, Siegel, Cox-Ganser, Hoover
Respiratory problems are common among wildland firefighters. However, there are few studies directly linking occupational exposures to respiratory effects in this population. Our objective was to characterize wildland fire fighting occupational exposures and assess their…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Waldron, Schary, Cardinal
The aims of this research were to develop and test a scale used to measure leadership in wildland firefighting using two samples of USA wildland firefighters. The first collection of data occurred in the spring and early summer and consisted of an online survey. The second set…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: TTRS

McGee
From the text...'A group of valiant men known as the Triple Nickles, the first African-American smokerjumpers, paved the way for so many in the smokejumping cadre...'
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: TTRS

Hedrick
From the text ... 'Although range fires can and do burn ferociously, they are generally much shorter in duration than large forest fires. While a major forest fire may burn for weeks or even months, large range fires typically burn for only a few days. They don't have the…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: TTRS

Barnett
From the text ... 'The key to successfully avoiding accidents is the development of equal parts confidence and caution.'
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: TTRS

Barnett
From the text ... 'Forest Service manuals and handbooks are full of binding standards intended to protect and guide employees. Training, tools, and information bolster safe operational objectives. Everyone from the Chief of the Forest service to forest resource experts provide…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: TTRS

Butry, Prestemon, Thomas
The number of smoking-caused wildfires has been falling nationwide. In national forests in 2011, smoking-caused wildfires represented only 10% of their 1980 level. No other cause of wildfire has experienced this level of decline. For 12 states, we evaluate the rate of smoking-…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES, TTRS

Butler
Current wildland firefighter safety zone guidelines are based on studies that assume flat terrain, radiant heating, finite flame width, constant flame temperature and high flame emissivity. Firefighter entrapments and injuries occur across a broad range of vegetation, terrain…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES, TTRS

Stein, Menakis, Carr, Comas, Stewart, Cleveland, Bramwell, Radeloff
From the text ... 'Fire historically has played a fundamental ecological role in many of America's wildland areas. However, the increasing number of homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), associated impacts on lives and property from wildfire, and escalating costs of…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: TTRS

Voulgarakis, Field
Fires impact atmospheric composition through their emissions, which range from long-lived gases to short-lived gases and aerosols. Effects are typically larger in the tropics and boreal regions but can also be substantial in highly populated areas in the northern mid-latitudes.…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Rappold
A recent study of simulated forecast-based interventions as a tool to reduce the health and economic burden during smoke episodes. The study illustrated a large health burden associated with these events and the potential benefit an adaptation of current forecasting technologies…
Year: 2015
Type: Media
Source: FRAMES

Andrews
The BehavePlus Fire Modeling System is among the most widely used systems for wildland fire prediction. It is designed for use in a range of tasks including wildfire behaviour prediction, prescribed fire planning, fire investigation, fuel hazard assessment, fire model…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES, TTRS

Middlemis-Brown
Recent research by Twidwell and colleagues evaluated the risks of various land management tools used in the private sector, with a focus on the relative risks of prescribed fire. The authors concluded that prescribed fire carried less fatality risk than other land management…
Year: 2015
Type: Document

This issue spotlights the key question: Do More Incident Reports Mean More Learning? The issue’s underlying theme: How do we advance from a “Reporting Culture” to a “Learning Culture”? McCall Smokejumper Ramona Beyuka provides her insights on what learning looks like.
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Twidwell, Wonkka, Sindelar, Weir
Fire is widely recognized as a critical ecological and evolutionary driver that needs to be at the forefront of land management actions if conservation targets are to be met. However, the prevailing view is that prescribed fire is riskier than other land management techniques.…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Loveless, Hernandez
The tragic fatality events of the mid-1990s and subsequent studies led to a concentrated effort to increase safety in the US federal wildland firefighter community beginning in 2000. Addressing human factors (HF) as a causal agent in accidents was a major focal point for this…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Butler, Parsons, Mell
Designation of safety zones is a primary duty of all wildland firefighters. Unfortunately, information regarding what constitutes an adequate safety zone is inadequately defined. Measurements of energy release from wildland fires have been used to develop an empirically based…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

[from the text] For years, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has been creating fuelbreaks by managing vegetation along its boundaries. Planning by the Refuge, the State, and private landowners led to construction of fuelbreaks designed to protect homes from the next wildfire,…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Youssouf, Liousse, Roblou, Assamoi, Salonen, Maesano, Banerjee, Annesi-Maesano
Wildfires take a heavy toll on human health worldwide. Climate change may increase the risk of wildfire frequency. Therefore, in view of adapted preventive actions, there is an urgent need to further understand the health effects and public awareness of wildfires. We conducted a…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES, TTRS

The International Smoke Symposium was held in Hyattsville, Maryland at the University of Maryland University College, USA, October 21-24, 2013. The objective of this symposium was to bring together air quality, fire, and smoke specialists from the research community, non-…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Wildfires are an ongoing concern where there is dry, hot weather. During a wildfire, people throughout the surrounding area may suffer the effects of forest fire smoke. If you have respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis or a chronic heart disease, we urge…
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Sullivan, Cruz
Understanding the potential behavior of a wildfire is critical to ensuring the safety of those people in its path, either fighting it or fleeing from it. This is especially critical when unexpected behavior occurs that can entrap firefighters in a life-threatening situation.
Year: 2015
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Butler, Hardy
The term safety zone was first introduced into the official literature in 1957 in the aftermath of the Inaja fire that killed 11 firefighters. Since then identification of safety zones has been an integral task for all wildland firefighters. The work that resulted in the current…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES

Barnett
Forest Service manuals and handbooks are full of binding standards intended to protect and guide employees. Training, tools, and information bolster safe operational objectives. Everyone from the Chief of the Forest Service to forest resource experts provide input and oversight…
Year: 2014
Type: Document
Source: FRAMES