NIFC update: FEMS 3.5.2 to add mesonets, automated gap‑filling; user edits restricted
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Summary
At a National Interagency Fire Center meeting, staff outlined the FEMS 3.5.2 release that will add mesonet stations and a new period-of-record (through Oct. 31, 2025), describe an automated 1–3 day QC/gap‑fill cadence using DRI data, and said users will not have editorial rights to edit input data.
Scott (Presenter) provided a progress update on the Fire and Emergency Management System (FEMS), saying the next release, FEMS 3.5.2, will add mesonet stations to user filters and include a new period‑of‑record for many stations.
"DRI just completed a new gap filled and QC data check for us, and they performed that from 2023 and 10/31/2025," Scott said, and added the team plans to deploy an automated process to identify missing or erroneous station inputs and pull corrected values on a recurring cadence. "We're working on an autocorrect ... every 1 to 3 days," he said.
The update matters because the changes affect the NFDRS outputs that many local units use for fire‑danger assessments. Scott said the automation will flag and replace missing or anomalous inputs, then recalculate NFDRS values for affected time frames so users have more complete, near‑real‑time station records.
Scott reiterated that the system will not allow direct user edits to input data. "We are not allowing edits in FEMS for ... any of the input information," he said, explaining the decision is intended to preserve quality control and a consistent scientific process agreed with meteorological partners.
On reporting and analysis, Dan asked about Power BI support and national outputs. Scott said FEMS will expose NFDRS outputs and universal metrics such as station‑level climatological percentiles and station health indicators that units can use to build visualizations in Power BI. "If you have visualizations that you would like to see...bring those up to me and share those with me," he said.
Scott also described tooling in development: an integrated Fire Family Plus calculator to run NFDRS simulations from station inputs is being built into FEMS and is expected in a later release (targeted around May). He warned that the current contract runs through June and that a vendor change afterward could slow production timelines for the rest of the year.
Participants raised station‑specific issues during the call. Crow Creek (station ID 55522246) was discussed as an example of a station whose historical data did not initially appear; Scott said staff would investigate whether the omission happened in the DRI processing or ingestion and follow up with the reporter. Attendees also discussed apparent "flatlining" in some KBDI series after recent storms and asked staff to run spot checks on KBDI and other indices.
Next steps: Scott said the release was scheduled to begin Thursday around midday with a banner on FEMS, the automated QC cadence aims for late March to April for broader deployment, the Fire Family Plus calculator is planned for a May release, and the program will have more clarity on contract status by May. The group confirmed a follow‑up call next week.
The meeting closed after scheduling and brief station‑validation confirmations.