Guidelines of fire analyst competencies and skills

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5. Conclusions FAA is a discipline that uses information collection and retains it as knowledge to provide guidance and direction to assist decision-makers on strategical, tactical and operational fire management. This discipline is exercised in organisations, by increasing skills of its members or by specific profiles in the structure, depending on the specific challenges faced. In front of large vegetation fires out of capacity of extinction, fire analysts in planning and coordination are key to focus efforts on anticipated opportunities. In front of fast changing scenarios, fire analysts in the ground are needed to bridge the gap between changes and decisions, monitor indicators of change, and quickly adapt decisions to new realities. As the fire scenarios become more unpredictable and uncertain, fire analysts are key to provide robustness in the decision-making. All that implies being part of the decision-making and assuming responsibilities in it. In order to achieve it, Fire Analyst must be a person (or a team of Fire Analysts) who accumulates a large experience analysing vegetation fires, participates in the response phase of the emergency management, who is involved in decision-making process all-year around and assumes responsibilities, and who is continuously monitoring the fire season. A Fire Analyst can also advice and participate in prevention, preparedness and post-fire phases. The definition of vegetation fire analysts included in this guide is based on the observation of currently existing cases. There is a network of analysts at European level and only a few specific cases that have been involved in remote support for forest fire analysis. It is therefore important to enhance the value of this network and build on the accumulated expertise to create a common framework at European level. Fire analysis involves responsibility. The contributions of Fire Analysts influence and condition the decision making. Fire Analysis and Assessment not only focuses on managing information, understanding, processing and drawing conclusions but it also involves expert judgement, know-how and specific knowledge coming from different areas. Once a Fire Analyst has done a proposal, the Fire Analysis and Assessment will become part of what has been considered or discarded during decision-making, hence it will condition the operational response. Therefore, Fire Analysis and Assessment has an impact on decision-making and its consequences. Vegetation fire analysis is linked to the decision-making. The Fire Analyst plans a scenario of resolution, but the implementation of this plan must interact and adjust to reality. Monitoring this changes from the field is key for decision making. Therefore, the analysis is fed by the results obtained, it detects and adjust changes and anticipates them thanks to direct monitoring. It requires a direct link with the situation in situ to have all the key elements that intervene and modify the scenario.

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