What is wildfire?

-An unplanned, unwanted fire burning in a natural area. [from fema.gov]

- Between 2001-2010, 85% of fires in the United States were caused by humans. [from nifc.gov]

​We will be exploring this and many other reaction types in April.

The Combustion Reaction

Fuel + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water

​What happens at the initial detection of a wildfire?

Career Connection:
Becoming a firefigher in PA

Today, we will explore the variables which impact wildfires in a simulation

In the simulation, you can change the wind direction, wind intensity, drought level, and vegetation for three different terrain zones.

The bottom menu bar of the simulation allows you to add an initial spark and other options

The black color around the spark us burned terrain. The active fire will be yellow, orange, or red.

To see a graph showing acres burned relative to time, have this part of the simulation open

​Press Start to start the simulation. Sometimes you may have to press it again if you clicked elsewhere on the screen.

Press Restart to play it again while keeping your settings.

Press Reload to reset the entire simulation.

Your first investigation will be to see how terrain impacts a wildfire.

This means keeping all other variables (vegetation type, drought level) the same.

Next: Open Investigation

Explore one other variable investigation (wind, drought level, vegetation). Prepare to share your results in the next slide.

​Fighting Wildfires
On the simulation, you have two options:
fire lines and helitack

​To add a fire line, click on the , then click on your terrain and drag it to form a line.



To add a helitack, click on the and click on your terrain where you want it applied.

In The News: Wildfires In California

Lesson Summary

What we learned today:

- the definition of a wildfire and how it relates to thermal energy
- the variables which impact the intensity and spread of a wildfire
- resources available to becoming a firefighter in Pennsylvania
- ways of surpressing a wildfire
- an example of a wildfire and its impact in current news