How meteorologists are helping firefighters fight wildfires in Arizona

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – As the number of wildfires in Arizona continues to rise, we get a closer look at the work of an IMET (incident meteorologist), whose job it is to forecast the weather from the fire lines and help fire crews make the best decisions.

There are currently no IMETs for the Arizona wildfires, but they can be called at any time.

There are 88 iMETs across the country.

There are four of them in Arizona. When they are called to a fire, they look for factors such as temperature, wind direction and relative humidity – all factors that could contribute to the spread of a wildfire.

They help firefighters on the ground and in the air decide where and how to fight the flames.

Robert Rickey is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff. He works in this office every day until his help is needed on the fire fronts.

“We have to make very, very accurate predictions, and that can be a big challenge,” he said. “You really have to be ready at any time. I always have my bags packed.”

IMETs are called out across the country when a wildfire grows in size or is close to homes and buildings. They typically work 16 hours a day and can be on site for two weeks, sometimes longer or shorter.

“In the morning, I meet the crews before they leave for the day. I brief them on the weather forecast and also give them an overview of the weather forecast for the next few days,” Rickey said.

He says having an iMET on site means they have a better understanding of the issues firefighters are facing.

“It gives me the opportunity to be on site, to look at the terrain and the fire activity. This helps me to create a forecast tailored to the fire itself,” he said.

Larry Van Bussum works for the National Weather Service in Boise, Idaho, where he manages the IMET program.

“We put them through 225 hours of special training on fire weather, where they learned how to predict fire weather and fire behavior,” said Van Bussum.

He says there are currently no iMETs deployed to the fires in Arizona, but an Arizona IMET is currently helping fight a fire in New Mexico.

“Sometimes we get so busy that we send people from Hawaii to the West Coast of the United States to fight fires,” Rickey said.

Last year, paramedics were called to fires including the Grapevine Fire near Prescott Valley and the Diamond Fire north of Scottsdale. Both fires forced people to evacuate. Rickey says it’s an important job that also comes with challenges.

“That’s a lot of baggage for a meteorologist or pretty much anyone who works with wildfires to carry. Knowing that they’re dealing with fire, and fire can take a significant toll on human life,” Rickey said.

Similar to the response teams on these fires, the IMETs typically sleep in tents or in their cars, as they are usually located in rural areas where hotels are not an option. They also work with tankers to plan the safest flight times with the best visibility for firefighting.

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