Fire Behavior Normals

Head Fire Intensity (HFI) is the predicted intensity, or energy output, of the fire at the front or head of the fire. It has become one of the standard gauges by which fire managers estimate the difficulty of controlling a fire and select appropriate suppression methods. It is measured in kilowatts per metre of fire front and is based on the Rate of Spread and the Total Fuel Consumption.

More information about the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System is available in the Background Information.

Fire Behavior Normals represent the average value of a fire behavior element over the 30-year period from 1981 to 2010.