The Bintel Team has a proven process that has been successful across a range of programs, now applied to CWPP projects, for both government and industry. We focus on adding value in each phase of a project with a personal approach, striving to build resilience in our clients' communities.
While following our methodology ensures positive outcomes, we know that excellence is assured when the members of our team are the best in their field.
We focus on adding value in each area of a project with a personal, affordable approach, striving to leave behind a solid foundation to build on.
Run by a dedicated project manager, our internal processes and procedures are designed to ensure compliance with state requirements for an approved plan delivered on time.
Our methodology follows the nationally recognized framework for preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, structured into four phases that take communities from kickoff through an approved, actionable plan. The following steps are consistent with standard project requirements and transparent execution.
Bintel assists in the formation of a Core Working Group (“CWG”) and a larger Stakeholder Group (“SG”), made up of representatives from the county office of emergency management, local communities, fire authorities, and state and federal agencies responsible for forest management. Bintel facilitates a collaborative strategy between multiple agencies that speeds progress and increases success.
After a virtual session post award, we convene an in-person kickoff with both the CWG and stakeholders. This also initiates community engagement. The CWG meets virtually every other week and the SG monthly for the duration of the project.
Beginning immediately, our technology, fire and forestry experts work with community members and stakeholders to establish base maps that define the entire project, confirm the project boundary and define regions.
A broad-area base map and layers are created to store and organize data as approved measures proceed. From this map, specific Wildland-Urban-Interface (WUI) Communities are defined for detailed assessment.
The priorities for mitigation and evacuation recommendations rely heavily on the input of CWG members and are tailored to each community. Mitigation projects are designed to support suppression response safety and modify a fire’s behavior to protect the communities and critical infrastructure. Recommendations are presented in a table with GIS layers.
To support priority decision-making, we provide comprehensive hazard ratings for the communities via an on-the-ground assessment of structural ignitability and conditions in the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ). This includes the area within 100 feet of structures and is performed by our field operations team experienced using our Interface/Intermix Community Hazard Rating tool (ICHR).
Results of the ICHR analysis are combined with a weighted contextual hazard index to generate community hazard ratings of Extreme, Very High, High, Moderate or Low. The resulting Community Hazard Rating serves to quantify the severity of undesirable wildfire effects on life safety and man-made development in the WUI.
Three months prior to the project deadline, the we begin delivery of draft plan sections to the CWG for comments prior to release for stakeholder review. We typically plan a two-week stakeholder review followed by a revision and second stakeholder review. On approval of the third revision, the plans are posted for public comment three to six weeks before the documents are ready for approval. During this period, we post a public comment survey to capture feedback. Concurrently, we host public engagement sessions supporting the CWG in presenting the plan to residents and officials.
As we near the end of plan development, we prepare the CWG for the next steps including mitigation planning and tracking, grant writing, operational fire behavior simulations and communications.
Bintel assists our client in the formation of a Core Working Group (“CWG”) and if needed, a larger Stakeholder Group (“SG”), made up of representatives from the office of emergency management, local communities, local fire authorities, and state agencies responsible for forest management. We facilitate a collaborative strategy between the multiple agencies to speed progress and increase success. After organizing a virtual session post award, we will convene an in-person kickoff with both the CWG and the project's larger set of stakeholders. This will also kickoff community engagement. The CWG meets virtually every other week for the duration of the project.
In cooperation with the CWG, we engage with additional state, tribal and federal land use agencies and any military installations inside or adjacent to the project Area of Interest (AOI). We work together to acquire data, gain feedback, and incorporate recommendations. After the Kickoff Meeting, Bintel hosts a monthly stakeholder meeting. This ensures collaboration and alignment of expertise to specific plan elements resulting in a more efficient use of CWG and SG resources.
This step involves initial site visits, meetings, collecting and assembling history and current conditions. Included here are the meetings during the kickoff visit by our project team followed by a multi-day visit to all communities by our field team of forestry and fire experts. All the data and feedback from their visit is reviewed with the rest of the team and as collected, the GIS information is displayed in the client account on cwpp.us. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Plans and/or other reports will be analyzed to ensure plan alignment and note the status of previously completed recommendations. This research, including requests, plans, recommendations, gaps and objectives will serve to guide the development of the CWPP. The CWPP Area of Interest (AOI) must be fixed at this time.
Ensuring total transparency, reports, drafts, GIS files and findings will be available on the Bintel Project SharePoint site for the CWG. In addition to maps, the site on our cwpp.us may be used for public access to information regarding fire awareness, the community’s preparedness, slash-pile collection events, community meetings, and more. All GIS files are delivered to our client and can be downloaded at anytime.
We recommend at least one community survey and meeting be conducted during the first phase of the project. We conduct surveys of fire departments and stakeholders during this step.
Beginning immediately, our technology and forestry experts will work with community members and stakeholders to establish base maps that define the entire project, confirm the AOI boundary and define any regional differences. A broad-area base map and layers will be created to store and organize data as approved measures proceed. From this map, specific WUI Communities are defined for detailed assessment work. This step includes the following:
Our CWPP application (https://cwpp.us) is used to capture data and generate maps for the project. A subscription is included for all Core Working Group members to access the private data and map creator features. This serves to facilitate the production and distribution of maps by key personnel.
Our team conducts physical assessments and uses wildfire risk tools to validate the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), Wildland Intermix (WI) and pure wildland areas in the AOI. Metrics used for the analysis will showcase characteristics such as fuel type, the orientation of fuel in relation to structures and essential infrastructure, fuel loading, fire-response capabilities, and travel routes. These metrics define problem areas that require the engagement and input of local government, landowners, and Fire Protection Districts. Assessments are conducted for each community within the AOI. Recommendations are catered to the needs and priorities based on that engagement and approved by the Core Working Group.
Homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure threatened by wildfire are analyzed within code and compliance parameters enforced by local fire officials. A study of structure ignitability will include an analysis of any changes in building code and new state requirements. A discussion of fire severity, fire frequency and spread rate through the separate areas will be supported by USFS LANDFIRE and fire modeling enhanced with data collected directly from the field. For the purpose of analyzing the threat wildfire presents, the most heavily populated WUI and WI residential areas are divided into communities. These communities are not based on political or traditional neighborhood boundaries, not limited to, density, structural flammability, fuels, topography, and suppression resources. Our Assessment visit (usually accompanied by the fire chief) results in WUI Community descriptions that are an overview of the general characteristics of each area. This report is a deliverable to the Core Working Group. A wildfire hazard analysis of the communities in the study area is performed using our ICHR methodology. We then compare that analysis with the federal and state wildfire risk maps to identify variances which may impact recommendations. Our fire behavior analysis is done using the USFS industry-standard, fire-behavior modeling package called IFTDSS which includes FlamMap. It uses the LANDFIRE data of fuel characteristics and topography, along with information about past weather from RAWS to predict what would happen in the event of a wildfire. The Bintel Team will analyze Flame Length, Rate of Spread, Crown Fire and Spotting outputs from the models.
The priorities of our mitigation and evacuation recommendations rely heavily on the input of Core Working Group members and are tailored individually to each community. These mitigation projects will be designed to support suppression response safety, modify the fire’s behavior to protect homes and critical infrastructure. They will be presented in a table and with GIS layers. To support priority decision-making, we use comprehensive hazard ratings for the communities of the study area via an on-the-ground assessment of structural ignitability and conditions in the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ). This includes the area within 100 feet of structures and is performed by our field operations team experienced using this Interface/Intermix Community Hazard Rating tool (ICHR). Results of the ICHR analysis are combined with a weighted contextual hazard index to generate an overall community hazard rating of Extreme, Very High, High, Moderate or Low.
Bintel designs and submits recommendations for landscape scale mitigation projects. As part of the CWPP, previously recommended projects will be evaluated for progress and continued relevance. New hazard mitigation actions will be proposed and reviewed with the relevant stakeholders for each area. In the event funding is available for projects, a specific action plan may be created at the Core Working Groups’s request. In the event such funding is dependent on grant or other sources to be acquired after the plan is complete, the report will list our recommendations with a priority. If included in the Request for Proposal, research and planning to incorporate smoke, watershed, vulnerable communities and evacuation issues will be completed.
During this step, community engagement events and educational programs and materials will be developed with the Core Working Group and local partners to facilitate the spread of knowledge and build community support to harden the landscape to wildfire. This effort supports surveys, focus groups and community meeting events designed to educate and gain support for mitigation efforts, post CWPP. The final deliverables includes Word and PDF versions, the full IFTDSS fire behavior report and GIS files, and the full contact list for the Core Working Group, Stakeholder Group and other agencies involved in the project. This final deliverable may also include options.
The standard elements of a CWPP are well understood, and we have no issues completing plans on time and on budget. The primary challenges in any CWPP project are delays in securing information and participation from critical state and federal agencies.
These are overcome through stakeholder group participation, surveys, and persistence during regular team meetings. Complications from fires, weather, and holidays are managed proactively. That said, we have always delivered on time.
A dedicated project manager ensures every milestone is hit and state compliance requirements are met.
Our proprietary platform serves as the live GIS repository, CWG collaboration hub, and public-facing community engagement site throughout the project.
Fire simulations, weather analysis, mitigation implementation planning, and grant writing are available if scope and funding allow.
