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Prescribed fire

What's the name of your burn unit?

Draft a prescribed fire plan in NWCG element order: prescription, go/no-go, holding, contingency and smoke. Free to read; your burn boss signs.

  • Free to read
  • No sign-up until the draft
  • Every fact cites its source

ePlan fills in

  • Fuel model
  • Slope and aspect
  • Fire weather
  • Smoke-sensitive places
  • Roads and control lines

How it works

Prescribed fire plan, from one answer

  1. Name the unitOne answer starts the project. ePlan names it and looks up the place.
  2. Answer three questions3 more questions, each with a "not sure yet" way out.
  3. Read the plan free; your burn boss signsThe draft marks what to check (amber), what to pick (blue) and what to fill in (violet).

What you get

Prescribed fire plan and 3 more documents

The first draft is free to read. Each document after it is drafted from the same confirmed facts.

The first draft

Prescribed fire plan (NWCG elements)

  1. 1 Signature page
  2. 2A Agency administrator ignition authorization
  3. 2B Go/no-go checklist
  4. 3 Complexity analysis
  5. 4 Description of the prescribed fire area
  6. 5 Objectives

Modeled on: NWCG PMS 484-1 prescribed fire plan template (Dec 2021)

Next · 2

Smoke management plan

  1. Smoke-sensitive receptors
  2. Transport and mixing height limits
  3. Air district permit and notifications
  4. Contingency for smoke intrusion
Next · 3

Go/no-go checklist

  1. Prescription in range
  2. Spot forecast
  3. Crews and equipment on site
  4. Notifications made
  5. Contingency resources available
Next · 4

Contingency map notes

  1. Control lines
  2. Trigger points
  3. Contingency lines
  4. Escape routes and safety zones

From public data

What ePlan fills in, and from where

21

elements in the NWCG prescribed fire plan, from the signature page to post-burn activities.
Source: NWCG PMS 484-1 template

Questions

Prescribed burn plan: what people ask

What goes in a prescribed fire plan?

NWCG's template has 21 elements, including the agency administrator's ignition authorization, the go/no-go checklist, a complexity analysis, the prescription, ignition, holding and contingency plans, smoke management, monitoring and post-burn activities.

Source: nwcg.gov

Does a private burn in California need a burn boss?

Not always, but Civil Code 3333.8 protects private burners from fire-suppression cost liability only if a burn boss approved a written prescription with risk mitigation, the burn followed it, it was authorized and permitted, and it met air-quality permits. Gross negligence is never covered.

Source: california.public.law

What is the go/no-go checklist?

Element 2B of the NWCG plan. Right before ignition, the burn boss confirms the prescription, weather, crews, equipment, notifications and contingency resources are in place. Any 'no' means the burn does not go ahead.

Source: nwcg.gov

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Prescribed burn plan: start with one answer

Answer it and the project exists. Three more questions, then the draft.