Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA)

The Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA) is required when the documentation of suppression decisions needs to occur – because one the following conditions have taken place (check your respective agency policy for additional details):

1. Wildland fire escapes initial actions or is expected to exceed initial action.
2. A wildland fire being managed for resource benefits exceeds prescription parameters in the fire management plan.
3. A prescribed fire exceeds its prescription and is declared a wildland fire.

A WFSA is not a software program or a computer model. There is no agency directive that requires the use of the existing software. A good paper document that covers the items required by each agency can suffice. WFSA is a decision analysis process.

The WFSA software (WFSA Plus 03) can be a valuable tool to work through the documentation of the suppression decisions made by the Agency Administrator. Hence it can be used as a decision support tool – it does not provide answers – only those responsible for land management at and near the incident can make decisions related to strategic objectives on the management of an unfolding emergency. It allows the comparison of different alternatives and how well they meet your established objectives. Preseason work on the needed elements for a good WFSA is important – waiting “until the glow is in the sky” may be too late to get the information to help move through the preparation. Acquiring historical large fire costs is one such item that can really be helpful. These costs “estimates” may need adjustment to fit your current wildland fire situation.

If you choose to use the software – and there are good reasons for doing so – don’t even turn on your computer until you have spent time assessing your fire and the surrounding landscape:

1. Seasonal severity
2. Current and predicted weather
3. Resource availability
4. Local, regional, national priorities for resource allocation
5. Located the fire on a map
6. Look well beyond the current fire – think out a number of days – where could the perimeter be then, and what opportunities or challenges do you see.
7. Land Management Plan direction in the area of the fire
8. Values at risk – and costs to protect
9. Local issues
10. Probabilities of success
11. Consequences of failure

The purpose for completing a WFSA is to convey to an Incident Management Team (IMT) the critical objectives and priorities as defined by an Agency Administrator for a given incident. An IMT needs sufficient information to get an implementable incident action plan (IAP) formulated and order the needed resources to support it. This requires clear and measurable objectives that consider all the current and potential issues of wildland fire suppression.

It also can serve as a tool to share with the public and cooperators the approved strategy related to the fire. It is intended to be a dynamic process – it likely will require updates and modifications throughout the management of an incident.

As the complexity of a wildland fire escalates so to should the WFSA documentation and the underlying analysis that supports the decision. Additional help may be required.