5/6/2016 – The Wildfires Near Me (WFNM) web app, designed to provide near real time information on new and emerging wildfires, is now available in communities served by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. This new tool, located on the web at http://www.wildfiresnearme.wfmrda.com/ will provide users with official information about new fires as quickly as resources are dispatched. Unlike any other app for wildfire information, WFNM also allows users to enter their location and ask for notifications if fires start near them.
WFNM is currently being tested in a number of communities across the U.S. to measure the need for a tool like it. Kris Eriksen, a Public Information Officer with the National Incident Management Organization, and Ben Butler with Wildland Fire Management Research and Development, created Wildfires Near Me. “I had seen a similar tool in Australia in 2014,” Eriksen says, “and realized that while we have new fire information in our dispatch system, we don’t make it public as do the Australians. While information on ongoing large fires can be easier to find, it’s still hard to find information within the first 24 hours of a new fire, but that can be important information if that fire is in your neighborhood. So we built a tool to fill that gap.”
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests have chosen to be part of today’s roll out and testing of this new tool. “We’re excited to be able to bring this to the people of White Mountains,” said Steve Best, Forest Supervisor. “We encourage everyone to give it a try and let the developers know if you are getting the information you need about new starts. Being able to keep your home and family safe from fire by being more aware about starts nearby, is invaluable. It’s our hope that this will alleviate some of the public concern about whether someone is responding and result in decreased calls to our dispatchers and 911.”
Butler says it’s important for users to understand the limitations of the tool, which is still a beta prototype. “We built this to help people be more informed about fires near them or near other places they value. There are many apps and web tools for watching big fires, and ours will do that too. But our focus is providing information to inform people about fires that are near them. WFNM draws emerging incident information directly from dispatch databases, giving the public access to that information. While most areas of the US do provide the dispatch data we are using,” Butler warns, “some do not and, unfortunately, those areas will not be able to see new fires on WFNM.”
Users will be asked to fill out a profile with an email, phone number and the phone’s service provider to get alerts about fires. They will also get Firewise tips with each notification. “In the next iteration of this tool,” Butler says, “we hope users who are notified of a fire within 4 miles of a specified location, will also get shelter information.” Another feature is the ability to add a specific fire to “My Fires,” enabling progressive notifications about any fire the user would like to watch.
WFNM is also the only tool bringing public discussion onto the same map as official information by leveraging social media. Users will be asked to link WFNM with their Twitter, Facebook and Google+ accounts allowing them to tweet and post to FB right from within the app. The app will NOT post to social sites for them.
We want to hear from you!
If you choose to utilize Wildfires Near Me, we want your feedback. How did the tool work for you? Do you like what you see so far? Do you think this will be a useful tool for others? Reach out to us and let us know what you think. You can use the feedback button from within the app or find us on Twitter @WildfiresNearMe. We’ll also take suggestions from our Facebook page. Our YouTube channel has a short video about how to get email and text notifications. Search for WFNM Notification to watch.