Across the country in 2017, wildfires and prescribed fires burned 16.4 million acres. During incidents, multi-faceted and nuanced messaging about fire science be difficult to convey to the public as considerations frequently are on a spectrum; from homes burning and/or potential for loss of life, to remote locations such as wilderness with minimal development.
The challenge: what is the ecological message and when is the best time to communicate it? Ecologists ask the question, “Why?” The public asks the question, “Why should I care?” It is the melding of these questions that allows fire communicators to bridge this gap through intellectual and emotional connections.
During any fire incident, there are real life consequences with socio-economic considerations, as people and politics complicate the equation. We know we need to learn to live with fire since it’s an integral process in most ecosystems, but putting that into practice is difficult without support from both internal and external audiences.
Through relationships with ecologists, fire communicators learn about different fire regimes, fire effects, ecosystem needs, and how climate change may affect these. Each element influences the fire response, and ecologists’ research supports articulating the “why” for specific actions and fire response(s).
Results/Conclusions
Using techniques from the field of interpretation, such as the Interpretive Equation and Audience-Centered Experiences, we bring case studies on ways to communicate the correct message at the correct time. These showcase examples from before, during, and after fires, ways that ecologists and fire communicators can work together, thereby helping fire managers with public interaction.
Opportunities include interviews, web articles, career highlights, and even impromptu interpretation. By providing research-backed subject-matter-expertise, ecologists provide the voice of science, leading to more in-depth understanding by the public on how fire managers use science.
Ecologists provide more comprehensive insights and authenticity than the broad overview an information officer provides. Strategizing together targets the medium that works for both the ecologist and the message.
The approach is to develop opportunities to share science with the world. Fire communicators spotlight years of research and add in the “so what?” to make it relevant to a broader audience.
There is a mutually supportive relationship between ecologists and fire communicators. These important conversations and critical sharing of work must be ongoing; before, during, and after fires. Ecologists and communicators must work together if we want to succeed. In the end, the audience, as well as the ecosystem, benefits.