Modernizing Technology and Research
Includes better utilization of science and technology across all phases of wildfire (mitigation, response, and recovery), as well as prioritization and support for research.
The technology and research available to support the wildfire system continues to evolve at an incredible speed, yet the systems in place to acquire, mobilize, distribute, and use this technology and research continue to lag behind. The Commission identified a significant need to create effective and efficient pathways to modernize wildfire-related science, research, and technology. The Commission made a number of recommendations focused on supporting on-the-ground decisions (R104-R107), including the recommendation for the creation of a centralized joint office to support assessment and prediction of fire (R104). The Commission also made recommendations related to science and research in the built environment (R108-R109) as well as recommendations related to prioritizing (R110-R115) and operationalizing (R116) research more generally. Recommendations also included a focus on accelerating the adoption of technology (R117-R119).
“Climate change and rapidly changing ecosystems represent fundamental shifts in conditions that current fire behavior models, and indeed the current fire management system, are not designed to meet. …as society grapples with the complex and interdisciplinary nature of wildfire, which includes the built environment, human health, ecology, and economics, we must do more to unite research and data-driven decision-making in this space.” p. 192