Informing the network: Improving communication with interface communities during wildland fire

An interagency research team studied fire communica-tions that took place during different stages of two wildfires in southern California: one small fire of short duration and one large fire of long duration. This “quick-response ” re-search showed that pre-fire communication planning was particularly effective for smaller fire events and parts of that planning proved invaluable for the large fire event as well. Information seeking by the affected public relied on locally convenient sources during the small fire. During the large fire, widespread evacuations disrupted many of the local in-formal communication networks. Residents ’ needs were for “real-time, ” place-specific information: precise location, severity, size, and direction of spread of the fires. Fire man-agement agencies must contribute real-time, place-specific fire information when it is most needed by the affected pub-lic, as they try to make sense out of the chaos of a wildland fire. Disseminating fire information as broadly as possible through multiple pathways will maximize the probability of the public finding the information they need