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snippet: Quantifies the potential fire intensity by orders of magnitude.
summary: Quantifies the potential fire intensity by orders of magnitude.
accessInformation: Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Project 2012
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description: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Fire Intensity Scale (FIS) specifically identifies areas where significant fuel hazards and associated dangerous fire behavior potential exist. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P /><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, Fire Intensity Scale (FIS) provides a standard scale to measure potential wildfire intensity. FIS consist of five (5) classes where the order of magnitude between classes is ten-fold. The minimum class, Class 1, represents very low wildfire intensities and the maximum class, Class 5, represents very high wildfire intensities. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>1. Class 1, Lowest Intensity: </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Very small, discontinuous flames, usually less than 1 foot in length; very low rate of spread; no spotting. Fires are typically easy to suppress by firefighters with basic training and non-specialized equipment. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>2. Class 2, Low-Moderate: </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Small flames, usually less than two feet long; small amount of very short range spotting possible. Fires are easy to suppress by trained firefighters with protective equipment and specialized tools. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>3. Class 3, Moderate: </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Flames up to 8 feet in length; short-range spotting is possible. Trained firefighters will find these fires difficult to suppress without support from aircraft or engines, but dozer and plows are generally effective. Increasing potential for harm or damage to life and property. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>4. Class 4, Moderate-High: </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Large Flames, up to 30 feet in length; short-range spotting common; medium range spotting possible. Direct attack by trained firefighters, engines, and dozers is generally ineffective, indirect attack may be effective. Significant potential for harm or damage to life and property. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>5. Class 5, Highest Intensity: </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Very large flames up to 150 feet in length; profuse short-range spotting, frequent long-range spotting; strong fire-induced winds. Indirect attack marginally effective at the head of the fire. Great potential for harm or damage to life and property. </SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN>The Fire Intensity Scale does not incorporate historical fire occurrence information. It evaluates the potential fire behavior for an area, regardless if any fires have occurred there in the past. This information allows mitigation planners to quickly identify areas where dangerous fire behavior potential exists in relationship to nearby homes or other valued assets. </SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN>Since all areas in Colorado have fire intensity scale calculated consistently, it allows for comparison and ordination of areas across the entire state. For example, a high fire intensity area in Eastern Colorado is equivalent to a high fire intensity area in Western Colorado. </SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN>Fire intensity scale is a fire behavior output, which is influenced by three environmental factors - fuels, weather, and topography. Weather is by far the most dynamic variable as it changes frequently. To account for this variability, four percentile weather categories were created from historical weather observations to represent low, moderate, high, and extreme weather days for each weather influence zone in Colorado. A weather influence zone is an area where, for analysis purposes, the weather on any given day is considered uniform. There are 11 weather influence zones in Colorado. The FIS represents the weighted average for all four weather percentiles. </SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 48;"><SPAN /><SPAN /></P><P STYLE="margin:14 0 14 0;"><SPAN>The fire intensity scale map is derived at a 30-meter resolution. This scale of data was chosen to be consistent with the accuracy of the primary surface fuels dataset used in the assessment. While not appropriate for site specific analysis, it is appropriate for regional, county or local planning efforts.</SPAN></P><P><SPAN /></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
licenseInfo: <DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>The information contained herein is provided as a public service and is for NONCOMMERCIAL PURPOSES ONLY, with the understanding that the Colorado State Forest Service and Colorado State University make no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information. Nor does the Colorado State Forest Service or Colorado State University warrant that the use of this information is free of any claims of copyright infringement. THE INFORMATION IS BEING PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>Users also should note that property boundaries included in any product do not represent an on-the-ground survey suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. They represent only the approximate relative locations.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>By accessing this website and/or data contained within the databases, you hereby release the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System, Colorado State University and the Colorado Sta</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>te Forest Service, their employees, agents, contractors, and suppliers (collectively, “CSFS”</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><SPAN>) from any and all responsibility and liability associated with its use. In no event shall CSFS be liable for any damages arising in any way out of the use of the website, or use of the information contained in the databases herein including, but not limited to the Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment products.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P STYLE="margin:0 0 0 0;"><SPAN><SPAN>The user assumes the entire risk related to their use of this information, including but not limited to the Colorado State Wildfire Risk Assessment and either the published or derived products from these data. IN NO EVENT WILL CSFS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES OR LOST PROFIT RESULTING FROM ANY USE OR MISUSE OF THESE DATA, EVEN IF THE USER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.</SPAN></SPAN></P><P><SPAN /></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
catalogPath:
title: Fire Intensity Scale
type:
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tags: ["fire intensity scale","fire behavior","Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment","CO-WRAP"]
culture: en-US
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