The Western Fire Chiefs Association Introduces It’s Wildland Fire Map to Communities and News Sources, Protecting Lives and Land

July 11, 2022 (Wilsonville, OR) - As the country prepares for a summer of excessive heat and drought, the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) introduces its Fire Map (https://fire-map.wfca.com) to provide near real-time information about active wildfires.

“The current climate situation is incredibly scary,” said Chief Mark Niemeyer, Board President of the WFCA and Fire Chief of the Boise Fire Department. “The WFCA is providing public access to definitive information around the paths of wildfires so that communities can quickly take action,” said Niemeyer.

The WFCA Fire Map pulls data from the US Forest Service via the National Interagency Fire Center IRWIN feed, and 911 Dispatch data via PulsePoint to track the location of the wildfire as they start and while they’re burning. The WFCA Fire Map is the first map of its kind to pull such data from 911 Dispatch in relevant areas.

“We are excited to offer the opportunity for PulsePoint-connected agencies to seamlessly display fire incidents within the WFCA Fire Map,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “By leveraging widely-deployed PulsePoint 911 interfaces, the fire service is able to scale this critical public resource very quickly.”

“The WFCA is committed to providing an even deeper level of intelligence around wildfires as they happen,” said Chief Niemeyer. As the WFCA looks to the future, it is creating a development path in the next year which will include 3D and predictive mapping models, air quality and weather data, as well as text message notifications. “The addition of text notifications will be a game-changer.” Richard Price, Founder PulsePoint.

The WFCA Fire Map would not be possible without the working partnership between WFCA, PulsePoint Foundation, the US Forest Service, and Mapbox.

About the WFCA
The Western Fire Chiefs Association represents fire-related emergency service organizations throughout the west coast and Western Pacific Islands. The WFCA is dedicated to protecting people and the environment from the occurrence and outcomes of fires and other natural, technological and human-behavior-caused emergencies.

Source: Western Fire Chiefs Association