The International Association of Wildland Fire is accepting nominations for its Wildland Fire Safety Award to be presented at IAWF’s “The Fires of ’88: Yellowstone and Beyond” conference in Jackson, Wyoming, September 22-27, 2008.

The IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Award is given to someone in the international wildland firefighting community who has made a significant contribution to wildland firefighter safety, either directly on the fireline; or indirectly through management, cultural changes, or through wildland fire research. Their contribution is frequently beyond their normal everyday job expectations - sometimes at the potential risk to their own career, and their example can encourage others to act in a similar manner.

To nominate an individual, please send an essay (no more than 800 words) on why the nominated person should receive the award, a list of three or more individuals (with contact information) who may be contacted to affirm the importance of the nominated individual’s contributions.

Please email nominations to Chuck Bushey at the address below by August 1, 2008.

The Award was inaugurated in 1997 at the IAWF’s first Wildland Fire Safety Summit held in Rossland, British Columbia. Since that time it has been awarded to seven individuals.

Chuck Bushey, President

International Association of Wildland Fire

president@iawfonline.org

(originally posted March, 2007)

The International Association of Wildland Fire is pleased to present its 2nd annual Ember Award to Dr. James K. Brown. The purpose of the Ember Award is to recognize sustained excellence in wildland fire research and to encourage innovation, exploration, application, and dissemination of important research results. The name “Ember Award” reflects the fact that research and science often move slowly, and their benefits or impacts may not be apparent for years. The award recognizes sustained and excellent research contributions to wildland fire science, innovative solutions to important wildland fire challenges, and effective and appropriate communication of wildland fire science and research results.

Jim received his bachelors degree from the University of Minnesota in 1960, his masters from Yale University in 1961, and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1968, all in Forestry. From 1961 to 1965 he did research on field measurements of fuel properties and fire-danger rating systems while with the U.S. Forest Service Lake States Forest Experiment Station in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1965, he transferred to the Intermountain Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, Montana where he conducted research on the physical properties, inventory and prediction of fuels. From 1979 through 1995 he was leader of a prescribed fire and fire effects research unit of 25 employees.

His research was focused on fuel consumption, fuel hazard appraisal, fire ecology of western forests, and development of computer information systems for fuel prediction and application of prescribed fire. He has authored over 100 technical journal articles and reports. In 1992 he received the Forest Services Superior Science Award for his research on fuels and contributions to fire management. During Jims distinguished Forest Service career, his seminal research in fire effects, fuels, and fire behavior set the standard for many in the field.

At the start of his career, fire effects science was in its infancy. Jim had the foresight to observe that fire effects are intimately linked to fire behavior so he dedicated much of his career to ensuring that the two fields of behavior and effects were closely integrated in all of his studies. Many of his findings are integrated into the complex fire behavior and effects computer models used today. A careful scholar, a thoughtful ecologist, and an advocate for wise use of scientific information, Jim exemplifies the qualities honored by this award.

Photo, left to right: Chuck Bushey (IAWF President), Dr. James K. Brown, Elizabeth Reinhardt.

(originally posted in March, 2006)

During the 1st Fire Behavior and Fuels conference in Portland in March, 2006, the IAWF presented the first Ember Award for excellence in wildland fire science posthumously to Dr. Frank Albini, who was a fire behavior scientist at the Missoula Fire Sciences Lab. The purpose of the Ember Award is to acknowledge sustained achievement in wildland fire science.

The name “ember” was chosen to reflect the fact that research and science often move slowly, and their benefits or impacts may not be apparent for years or more.

Dr. Pat Andrews accepts the award for Dr. Frank Albini from Dr. Bret Butler.

(originally posted in April, 2005)

IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Award and the Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award were presented to Dr. Ted Putnam at the IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Summit; “The Human Factors Workshop 10 - Years Later” held in Missoula, Montana (April 26-28, 2005).

The International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) inaugurated the IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Award in 1997 at the first Wildland Fire Safety Summit in Rossland, British Columbia. The IAWF presents this award to a deserving individual selected from nominees submitted from the country hosting the annual conference which has rotated between Canada, Australia, Europe and the United States. The nominees are reviewed and voted upon by a committee comprised of previous IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Award recipients and a member of the IAWF board who chairs the committee. The award is given to someone in the wildland firefighting community who has made a significant contribution to wildland firefighter safety, either directly on the fireline; or indirectly through management, cultural changes, or through wildland fire research. IAWF received a record number of well-deserving nominees this year, with a strong diversity of fire backgrounds.

This years Wildland Fire Safety Award recipient cuts across all of those lines. He has been previously described as a that has been able to view wildland fire safety from the aspect of several different disciplines bringing a unique point of view not always readily seen or accepted by others. The International Association of Wildland Fire presented this years Wildland Fire Safety Award to Dr. Ted Putnam at the conference banquet.

The previous day at the Safety Summit Dr. Putnam also received the Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award. This award was created by the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Committee under the National Wildfire Coordinating Group in honor of Paul Gleason, a wildland firefighter whose career spanned several decades before his death from cancer in 2003. This award was developed to recognize individuals who lead by example and for demonstrating leadership traits during or in support of wildland fire operations.

Paul Gleason was also the 2nd recipient of the IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Award in 1998. Dr. Putnam has demonstrated a long-term passion for wildland firefighter safety. Ted started learning about fire protection initially with structural firefighting training in the military and then later gained a background in both wildland fire operations and research while with the US Forest Service. He started his wildland fire career with 3 years as a district crew firefighter on the Clearwater National Forest (Idaho) in Region 1.

This was followed by 11 seasons as a smokejumper, 3 of which were as a Supervisory Smokejumper. Ted earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Montana, and combined this with his wildland fire experience began working for the fire technology and development wing of the US Forest Service at the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC). Over a period of 25 years in US Forest Service R&D Ted made a number of significant contributions to personal protective equipment for wildland firefighters, publishing widely including articles in Wildfire magazine and the International Journal of Wildland Fire.

During the 1980s and 1990s he was actively involved in many wildland firefighter fatality investigations including the 1990 Dude Fire in Arizona and the 1994 South Canyon Fire in Colorado. Ted retired from the US Forest Service in 1998. Ted is known as a person who could think outside the box when it came to wildland firefighter safety. His personal beliefs and convictions have influenced our appreciation for the importance of human factors in wildland firefighter safety and he was instrumental in organizing the original Wildland Firefighters Human Factors Workshop in June 1995. Although now retired, he still remains active in speaking and writing about wildland firefighter safety. The IAWF congratulates Dr. Putnam for receiving both of these significant awards for leadership in the wildland fire community.

IAWF Wildland Fire Safety Award recipients include:

• 1997 Chuck Hartley, Battalion Chief: Mt. Baldy District, Angles National Forest, United States Forest Service (retired); presented in Rossland, British Columbia, Canada
• 1998Paul A. Gleason, USFS, Hazardous Fuels Program Manager, Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, Redfeather Ranger District, United States Forest Service; presented in Winthrop, Washington, USA
• 1999 R. H. (Harry) Luke, Pioneering Australian Bushfire Researcher and co-author of ìBushfires in Australia;î presented in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• 2000 Alan Beaver, Planning and Science Supervisor, Yukon Fire Management, Whitehorse, Yukon; presented in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2001 Dick Rothermel, Project Leader, Fire Behavior Research Work Unit, Intermountain Fire Sciences Laboratory, United States Forest Service (retired); presented in Missoula, Montana, USA
• 2003Martin (Marty) E. Alexander, Senior Fire Behavior Research Officer, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Northern Forestry Centre; presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2005 Ted Putnam, Fire Equipment Specialist, Missoula Technology and Development Center, United States Forest Service (retired); presented in Missoula, Montana, USA.