Pioneering wildfire alert system tested during Texas Panhandle fires [Video]

Thousands of people across the Texas Panhandle received wireless emergency alerts Feb. 26-27, warning of an eminent, dangerous wildfire on the landscape with the potential to expand.

These notifications from the Texas A&M Forest Service utilized a first-of-its-kind process, benefiting from major advancements in fire and weather prediction technology and a foundation in strong inter-agency relationships.

This new fire prediction system allowed local, state and federal fire agencies to notify the public and other fire-fighting partners nine times faster than average.

The announcements, requested by local emergency management officials and the Texas A&M Forest Service and issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service, are among the first multi-notification processes that have been used for a large-scale wildfire in Texas.

Warning process

Built on the expertise of fire behavior and prediction knowledge, the Integrated Team Fire Warning Paradigm Process was initially demonstrated in Oklahoma in 2022 and 2023, after …