IAWF Welcomes Two New Board Members

On January 1, 2017, the IAWF welcomed two new members to our Board of Directors.

Michele Steinberg is the Wildfire Division Manager at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), leading a team dedicated to wildfire safety outreach. NFPA is a global nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards.

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Michele Steinberg

Ms. Steinberg has worked in the areas of natural hazards, land use planning, and disaster safety outreach for state and federal government agencies and nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years. She holds a BA in English and American Literature from Brandeis University and a Master of Urban Affairs from Boston University.

Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulos is an associate researcher specializing in forest fires at the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter.” He holds a B.Sc., degree in Forestry from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Forestry with specialization in Forest Fires from the University of Montana, U.S.A. He has been active in European forest fire research for more than 25 years, with a parallel involvement in many aspects of operational fire management, post-graduate teaching and forest fire management training.

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Gavrill Xanthopoulos

Dr. Xanthopoulos has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Wildland Fire (2005-2010) and as an associate editor for the International Journal of Wildland Fire. His research interests include forest fire policy, fire prevention, fire danger rating, fire behavior, fuel management, firefighting, post-fire rehabilitation, forest fires and climate change, and new technologies in fire management. His publications cover a broad spectrum and reflect his involvement with both research and operational applications.is an Associate Researcher at the Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter” Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems in Athens, Greece. The research interests of Dr. Xanthopoulos include forest fire behavior modeling, fire danger rating, forest firefighting and firefighter safety, fire prevention, forest fuel management and modern technologies application in forest fire management. His long track record in forest fire research in combination with his involvement with operational fire management have allowed him to build an in-depth understanding and balanced views on fire management policy issues. His emphasis is on work that can directly benefit the operational world of forest fire management, with which he maintains good links.

We would also like to thank our two outgoing Board Members, Adam Gossell, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Dan Neary, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station from Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. Thank you for your service on the Board of Directors over the past 6 years.

Fire Work in Congo Earns US Forest Service Chief’s Award

Terry Severson (R9), Marlene DePietro (R4), and Ron Steffens (Grand Teton National Park) received a 2016 Chief’s Award for “Applying Knowledge Globally” for work supporting fire management capacity building in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The work was funded by the United States Agency for International Development and coordinated through International Programs. The team conducted trainings for land managers and community members in the Lake Tumba region of DRC in land use planning, fire suppression, and prescribed burning. The fire-dependent ecosystems of the area include vast savannahs interlaced with gallery forests, and contain globally significant biodiversity, including bonobos, a type of chimpanzee.

Ron Steffens is a former IAWF Board of Directors as well as the Managing Editor or Wildfire Magazine.

ISS2 Virtual Conference

If you missed the 2nd International Smoke Symposium which was held in Long Beach, CA on November 14-17, 2016 you can still participate in the Virtual Conference. The entire Symposium was professionally video-taped and still available for viewing. The purpose of this symposium was to convene air quality, fire, and smoke specialists from the research community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local/state/federal government agencies and tribes to discuss the state-of-the-science and state-of-the-applied-science for smoke management and addressing the air quality impacts of wildland fire smoke.

We are offering access to the Virtual Conference at a deeply discounted rate of $90 for individuals and $40 for students. This offer will be offered through February 14, 2017.

You can register for the Virtual Conference by visiting the ISS2 webpage. http://www.iawfonline.org/2016SmokeSymposium/

Spark Award: Best Student Presentation at the ISS2

At the ISS2 we had some stellar student presentations included on the program schedule. We had a wonderful group of professionals who volunteered to attend each of the presentations, evaluate and compile their results.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the Spark Award: Best Student Presentation!

  • First Place: Joshua Horsley, University of Sydney, Australia

Forecasting fire smoke exposure and health impacts in Australia

  • Second Place: Scott Kelleher, Colorado State University

Low-cost wildfire smoke monitoring and detection

  • Third Place: Steven Brey, Colorado State University

There’s the smoke, where’s the fire? A regional analysis of which fires impact U.S. air quality based on a decade of HMS smoke data

Congratulations to each of these students. They were awarded with an IAWF membership, as well as a cash prize.

IAWF Partner Conferences

International Congress on Prescribed Fires (ICOPFIRES)

Aerial Firefighting Europe 2017

The Essential Firefighting Aerospace Forum

The International Association of Wildland Fire is pleased to consider partnering or sponsoring other organizations’ conferences. Visit http://www.iawfonline.org/Partnership_Levels.php for more information.