Workshop Organizer and Instructor Guide

The following sections outline how to set up an IFTDSS workshop in your own unit or region.

• Pre-Course and Room Logistics

• Course Materials

  • Course Announcement

  • Example Schedule

  • Workshop Day 1

  • Workshop Day 2

• Course Close-Out

• Virtual Offerings

Pre-Course and Room Logistics

Facilities and Hotels

Facility Access

• Make sure students have a way to gain access to the facility (i.e. gate code) and know how to gain access to the building where the training is held. Identify the building if part of a larger complex, as well as best entrance to use.

• Distance to available hotels will help to inform you of your scheduled daily start time for the workshop.

Microphone and Speaker Use

• If training is held in a larger room, instructors may need to use a microphone with a speaker system. Student tables may also need microphones for speaking out into the Teams environment if there are students attending virtually. Headsets in place of a microphone can be a useful option for instructors.

Hotel Space

• Check to ensure adequate hotel rooms are available for the intended dates. Are there any major events planned in the area during that timeframe?

Internet Speed and Improvement Options

• The internet connection and speed are critical for this workshop given that IFTDSS is web-based and requires a significant amount of data processing. Use the guidance below to ensure you have sufficient internet capabilities to support this workshop.

• Stress-test the network capabilities prior to the class (preferably on a weekday while others are also using the same network). Inquire with the hosting unit as to whether that facility’s network has supported similar demands in the past.

• Determine whether “hard-lining” into the network is an option and identify how many students will be supported by that, keeping in mind that only those employees of the supporting agency may be able to utilize this option. This helps take the strain off the Wi-Fi network if that is a concern.

• Encourage participants to bring their Wi-Fi hotspots or phone hotspots if available.

• Ensure the classroom has good cell coverage for multiple carriers.

• Creating landscapes beforehand can help avoid bogging down the system with requests. Alternatively copies of landscapes and shapefiles can be given to participants ahead of time and they can upload those to their IFTDSS account. Instructors may want to have those already on flash drives prior to class.

• Check the availability of Starlink as an addition or as a backup option if the network is lost.

Workspace and Class Size

Outlet Capacity

• Ensure 2 outlets per student and cadre member. Provide extra power strips and extension cords as necessary.

Table space

• Students are encouraged to bring an extra monitor with them to class. Keep this in mind when considering table space as more than usual space will be required if all students bring an extra monitor.

Whiteboards

• Whiteboards can be beneficial for students to write their remaining questions (“Bin Items”) on, or for instructors to provide key information to the class. If no whiteboards are available, arrange for at least a few easels for this purpose.

Number of students

• Consider your maximum class size based on the size of the space available, but also the processing time and capacity of IFTDSS model runs. The maximum class size at time of writing was about 25 students, which placed a strain on the ability to process numerous IFTDSS runs simultaneously. This can be partially mitigated by planning to have students rotate their runs in stages so that not everyone processes at the same time.

Number of coaches –

• The ideal coach/student ratio is 4:1 but consider the experience and knowledge level of those coaches. It may not be adequate to have only 1 coach for 4 students if that coach is relatively new to IFTDSS.

• It is best to also have at least one coach designated to monitor the Teams channel if any students are working remotely. Consider having this person(s) monitor from a separate room so they’re solely focused on helping virtual students.

Technology

Service Interruptions

• When planning a date for the class, check the IFTDSS maintenance schedule to make sure there is no scheduled outage or maintenance that will take place during the class.

• If there is a planned outage on dates you will have difficulty planning around, open an IFTDSS help desk ticket and discuss this with the team.

Printing and Printers

• Have enough print copies available for both students and cadre/coaches.

  • Exercises

  • Flow charts – Print at least one for each table.

  • IFTDSS Basics Workshop – Stinson Creek Introduction from the online IFTDSS Basics Workshop .

• Printers – Students are not required to have printer access for this course, but it could be helpful. Check the facility and determine printer availability and means of access.

Workshop Facilitators and Teams Meetings

• Setting up a Teams meeting for Workshop Facilitators. Ideally there are 2 Teams meetings set up for the class, one for coaches/cadre and one for all participants (students and cadre). Identify which Team will be most suitable for Workshop Facilitators to be available on.

  Important! Test out Projector/TV/Speakers through Teams prior to the day of the class, and with the computer that will be used for the course, if possible.

• For Instructors and Workshop Facilitators:

  • Determine availability of Workshop Facilitators prior to the class. Will they be monitoring the chat, or do you need to find another way to notify them of an issue if an immediate need arises?

• For Students:

  • A video conferencing camera or something comparable will be needed to support the Teams environment if there are any students attending virtually.

  • It is also advised to use one computer that is designated to run the Teams meeting, PowerPoints, etc., and solely for that purpose for the duration of the class. It has caused issues in the past for instructors to use their assigned computer for this purpose if they need to use it for other things during the class. This computer should also be “hard-wired” in case there is a need for quick downloading.

Flash Drives

• It is beneficial to have the course shapefiles and the initial landscape file available on a few flash drives as a backup plan. Any videos played during the class should also be on a flash drive in case there is difficulty playing them from their sources.

Online Pre-Courses

• Online courses are a useful way of making sure everyone has the same basic information on using IFTDSS so that time in-person can be focused on discussing more complex issues.

• See the IFTDSS online course page for a brief description of the courses currently offered through the Wildland Fire Learning Portal.

Course Materials

Course Announcement

• Start an email list for all students and cadre. This list can also be used to bulk enroll students into the workshop if desired.

• When, Where, Who

  • What days and times will the class be held (consider travel time to training site from likely hotel locations)?

  • Where is the training location (Name of facility and street address). Where is the building for the training, if part of a larger complex?

  • Who is the course coordinator, and who will be the lead instructor(s) for the class?

  • Who is the target audience of the class? (i.e. Fuels Technicians, RXB’s, NEPA Planners, etc.)

  • Discuss appropriate attire. Certain offices may have different standards of dress.

• This is a “hybrid” class having both online and classroom components. Be sure to place extra emphasis that the online component is part of the course, NOT pre-work and students must take the online portion seriously to do well in the classroom. Students must do the “Fundamentals for IFTDSS ” Online Course to learn system set up and navigation and basic functions.

  • To make students take the self-study portion more seriously, add to the announcement that they will be quizzed on their understanding of this material on day one. This doesn’t have to be a formal quiz; rather a brief Q&A session about the online portion as part of the course introduction.

  • Give students an approximate completion time of 4 hours so they can plan it into their schedules. Note that the online work does not have to be completed all at once and may be broken up over time.

• Student needs for the course – Types of skills or knowledge and equipment (laptop/extra screen).

  • S290 is not a prerequisite but highly recommended.

  • S390 will also be helpful.

  • GIS skills are not a prerequisite but are a plus.

• Consider setting up virtual office hours for any students that want additional help with the online portion of the class.

• Possible Agendas (The Standard for This Workshop is 2 Days)

Example Schedule

Day 1: 0800- Introductions/Housekeeping

• 0900- Stinson Creek Exercise

• 1200- Lunch

• 1300- Stinson Creek Exercise

• 1630- Closeout and Questions

• 1700- Participants can leave. If coaches are available and the building allows, any participants that are behind can stay to work on catching up.

Day 2: 0800- Housekeeping/Questions from Yesterday

• 0830- Some students will work on finishing Stinson Creek; others will work on building a home unit project. By the end of the day all students should have a start on their home unit project.

• 1200- Lunch

• 1300- Home unit work

• 1630- Closeout and Questions (Be sure to allow time for course feedback).

• 1700- Participants can leave. If coaches are available and the building allows, participants that are behind can stay to work on catching up.

This is a general schedule and does not need to be strictly followed. Some students will take longer than others to get through all exercises and home unit projects.

Workshop Day 1

• Logistics – Facility information, emergency procedures, lunch options, etc.

  • Have coaches exchange their numbers with their group in case of closure, student illness, etc.

• Introduce students, cadre and IFTDSS Workshop Facilitators.

  • Name, Agency, Position, Previous IFTDSS Experience, Planned Use of IFTDSS.

• Course Expectations: This workshop has a flexible agenda and there is no final test.

• IFTDSS Introduction and Background Review of Self Study Materials

  • There is a 19-minute IFTDSS Introduction Video available that can be played if an IFTDSS team representative is unavailable to give a brief introduction on the first morning of the class. This was the recording from the Ashley NF workshop in January 2024.

    • Lead Instructors can also provide a similar introduction themselves if they feel comfortable in doing so.

  • Have a brief, informal “quiz” so students are held accountable that they did the online fundamentals lesson. This is also a great way to review.

• Information that should be reviewed from the online portion of the course:

  • Fuel Model Selection – Four Step Process

  • Spatial Data and Shapefiles

  • LANDFIRE Data

  • Consider rewatching the GIS and LANDFIRE videos from the “Fundamentals for IFTDSS” online portion, they’re both less than 4 minutes. Intro to Fire Behavior Modeling and Model Assumptions.

• IFTDSS Tips and Tricks

  • File folder structure, organization, and file naming conventions.

  • Map Bookmarks

  • Discuss system limitations – staggering model runs etc.

  • Remind students why we’re using LF version 2014. Default editing rules are currently being developed for other LF years with a target date of summer of 2024.

  • It is highly important that students understand that the fuel models generated from LANDFIRE are just a starting point. It is imperative that these fuel models be refined and adjusted accordingly based on treatments, onsite inspections of fuels parameters/conditions, etc.

    • Incorporate a demonstration of the fuel models fire behavior spreadsheet to highlight this point.

    • Another key point here is that we need to make sure students are aware that other key information related to canopy characteristics such as CBH and CBD do not change automatically when changing fuel models. These must be changed manually.

    • Point out that fuel models must be changed individually; you cannot change more than one at a time.

• Stinson Creek Exercise – Use the introductory PPT to set the stage for the project.

  • After the introductory PowerPoint, walk the students through the process of downloading the exercise data from WFLP, extracting the data, and file management. Students have struggled with navigating this themselves in the past.

  • The IFTDSS Basics Workshop exercise - Stinson Creek is designed to give participants an opportunity to walk through creating IFTDSS reports with help from coaches and other participants. The exercises will spur questions and discussions around the use of IFTDSS.

  • View Google earth, get the lay of the land etc- discuss burn plan objectives, fuel types, etc.

  • There will be a 10–15-minute period while most, if not all students will be waiting for their first landscape to build. Use this time to do a demonstration (i.e. using the symbology functionality, creating and editing shapes, etc).

    • You can also use this time to have students explore the help center or use the scavenger hunt for the help center once fully developed.

    • You may also consider having students create the initial landscape before starting the Stinson Creek PowerPoint, so the runs are completed by the end of the presentation. This will take additional planning on your part.

  • Facilitate the exercise and discuss the embedded questions so the “Why” of the different steps is covered.

  • Expect to get through the Intro – Part 1 and Part 2A of the Stinson Creek Exercise by the end of day 1.

  • Part 2B can be completed on day 1 if students get there, otherwise they can finish 2B on the morning of day 2.

  • Part 3 – Optional MTT, can also be completed on day 1 or 2 as needed.

    • Having a line production rate chart and a Hauling chart available to compare MTT outputs with necessary resources is useful in explaining the relationship between MTT and the organization, contingency, and holding plan portions of the burn plan.

  • Table coaches should be prepared to provide a brief introduction explaining some of the “why” questions at the beginning of parts 2A and 2B. Describe what the exercise entails and most importantly, why they’re doing it.

  • Consider providing a “compare weather” demonstration until it is included in the exercises for this class. This will only take 10-15 minutes and is well worth the time.

• A great addition for day one is to show examples of burn plans that use IFTDSS products within the plan. Examples are available from the IFTDSS team. This may be something worth doing early in the day so students can get a better idea of how valuable that can be.

Workshop Day 2

• Consider showing the first 40 minutes of the “Using IFTDSS for Burn Plans and Treatment Alternatives” video from the Ashley NF delivery before students start their projects. This video helps tie together the Stinson Creek exercise and provides essential information regarding the link between IFTDSS and the chiefs 2022 RX Fire Review. Ask the IFTDSS Team for this video.

• Each student or group works on a local project – the intent is to practice what was learned in workshop day 1 on a project that doesn’t have step by step instructions.

  • If students have not brought a home unit project with them, they can work with another student who has, or they can work through one of the optional exercises located at the bottom of the course page in the WFLP. The processes for these optional exercises are similar to what they have already done but will help to commit this to memory for them.

  • Students should understand that it is not a reasonable expectation to complete a burn plan from start to finish on one day of the workshop. That is not the intent here, rather it is to demonstrate how various IFTDSS products may be used to augment an existing plan, or one that is still being developed.

• Divide class up into skill level – practice the basics versus practice with a local project.

• For students who complete their home unit projects quickly, consider having them run through multiple alternatives for their project for repetition/knowledge retention.

• If time allows, have a more advanced participant or a coach present their project in front of the class so it can be discussed in real time.

Course Closeout

• Feedback/AAR - it is extremely important to get as much feedback as possible for future improvements. Make sure there is a means to capture this feedback in some way. The recommended process for this is to have a brief discussion at the end of each day to determine what went well and what can be improved upon.

• Office Forms Survey - The Microsoft Office Forms survey should also be provided to students to give additional feedback that they might otherwise not feel comfortable sharing with the larger group.

• Provide students with additional information sources and learning opportunities (i.e. other WFLP courses) as many will want to build off what they’ve learned.

 

Virtual Deliveries

Use the following as guidance when delivering virtual workshops:

• Consider assigning coaches to each student just as you would in the classroom setting.

• Have breakout rooms for the students to work in within their groups.

  • Additional 1 on 1 breakout rooms can be helpful to work with students who need help. This avoids distracting the other students in the group.

• Encourage students to turn on their cameras, at least when working in their groups. This has been shown to enhance the learning experience in virtual deliveries.

• Have an introduction slide on the screen for people to follow along with their personal introductions.

• Pre-load the students with information on how to make the most of this training. Being remote, students tend to multitask with home-unit projects while also learning the materials in the workshop. Students should be encouraged to focus on the workshop and nothing else if they want to maximize their learning experience.

• Need to pre-identify who our LANDFIRE/IFTDSS tech contacts will be in case of processing time issues. This would ideally be someone who is available for the duration of the class.

• If you’re going to use a student's home unit project as an example/demonstration, it might be helpful to identify who that student is ahead of time to allow them to prepare and at least create their landscape to save on time.