Can you please describe your work as Assistant Chief in the Amador El Dorado Unit and as a fire behavior analyst? I am an Assistant Chief with CAL FIRE in the Amador El Dorado Unit, responsible for our units East Division. The East Division includes the Lake Tahoe Basin and Alpine County. My role is to coordinate all aspects for our department in those areas, including emergency responses, fuel reduction efforts, managing agreements amongst cooperating agencies, public education, and assisting in resource/ environmental management. I am also trained as a fire behavior analyst, one of nine for our department. A fire behavior analyst's job is to assess the fire environment; the weather, the topography, the fuels (vegetation available to burn); and to develop a fire behavior forecast for fire personnel. This forecast includes rates and direction of spread for the fire, flame lengths, potential for spot fires and the distance they may occur from the main fire, and the potential for a crown fire to develop. These outputs are critical elements for fire personnel to develop strategy and tactics for fighting the fire. How did you get involved in the work of predicting fire behavior?
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