The training was part of a broader push by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) to improve Remote Automated Weather Station maintenance efficiency throughout the country.
The outdoors practical exercise set up for the RAWS course. Photo by Agustin Urioste, BLM AFS 
(Left to right) Sarah Hayes, Taylor Bracher and Jason Tweedy get queried on their work. Photo by Agustin Urioste, BLM AFS 
(Left to right) Jack Liesch, Eli Barry-Garland and Doug Stringfellow inspect their work closely. Photo by Agustin Urioste, BLM AFS 
Bryan Boatman (left) and George Tonkin (right) work on their IRAWS 
(Left to right) Taylor Bracher, Sarah Hayes and Jason Tweedy assemble their station
Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) are a crucial aid in wildfire suppression, helping to monitor the weather and compile data about air quality and fire danger ratings.
There are close to 2,700 of these stations located across the United States, 188 of them situated in Alaska. The secluded nature of the state makes access to RAWS, their components, and qualified technicians a crucial component of wildfire suppression and prevention efforts. As such, supervisors contend with many challenges in maintaining them. They range from damage incurred by wildlife, to the stations’ innately isolated locations which make sensor and hardware upgrades an expeditionary effort best delegated to local personnel trained on the machines’ specifications.
Two weeks ago, BLM Remote Sensing and Fire Weather Support Depot Supervisor Justin Dopp headed the three-day course along with RAWS technicians Kip Watson and Brian Fuller. All three are based out of NIFC in Boise, and made the trip to BLM Alaska Fire Service facilities at Fort Wainwright, Alaska to conduct the training. The crash course was attended by firefighters, communication specialists and members of a broad range of other specializations within BLM AFS, National Park Service and the U.S. Army from various western states.
The curriculum consisted of both classroom and hands-on instruction relating to weather data distribution, radio voice transmitters, and fire danger rating standards, as well as the assembly, dismantling and general maintenance of portable stations, or Incident RAWS. The final day of the course provided trainees with a valuable opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge through a final exam, along with a question-and-answer session, shortly after a practical challenge assembling the IRAWS.
This essential training was part of a broader interagency venture to ensure that Alaska and other states in the country have the tools and resources needed to monitor key meteorological factors that lead to wildfires. Subsequently, these efforts contribute to ensuring that wildfire monitoring and awareness remains a key topic on the broader national conversation about public safety.
Contact BLM AFS Public Affairs Intern Agustin Urioste at aurioste@blm.gov for more information.
Categories: AK Fire Info, BLM Alaska Fire Service, Fire Weather, Training
Alaska Wildland Fire Information 