Q1:      What is the 2014 Quadrennial Fire Review (QFR)?

A:        The Quadrennial Fire Review (QFR) is a strategic risk assessment that has been conducted every four years since 2005. The QFR evaluates current wildland fire mission strategies and capabilities against best estimates of the future environment to explore potential risks, threats, challenges, and opportunities.

A defining aspect of the QFR process is identifying future impacts to the wildland fire community – specifically those that have either not yet been identified or are known but may have changed since the last QFR (2009).

It is a joint effort of the U.S. Forest Service, the four Federal  fire management bureaus of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)—the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service—as well as other state, local, tribal, and nongovernmental partners.

Q2:      What is the QFR Crowdsourcing site?

A:        Crowdsourcing is a transparent and interactive way for a community to engage to discuss specific topics that is available at any time of day. The QFR Crowdsourcing site facilitates idea sharing among wildland fire stakeholders to help identify key considerations, potential recommendations, and prospective solutions to incorporate in the 2014 QFR.

The QFR Crowdsourcing site is not a place for individuals to solicit general feedback. Contributions to the site should be specifically focused on the topics listed. Ideas should be strategic and forward-thinking; issues and problems identified should be accompanied by suggested solutions to assist in problem-solving and help meet strategic challenges in wildland fire management in the topic areas addressed. The QFR Crowdsourcing site is not a place for expressing general frustration; ideas and comments should be positive and action-oriented.

Q3:      What is the difference between the 2014 QFR and the QFR Crowdsourcing site?

A:        The 2014 QFR is the assessment that examines the current environment and plans for upcoming challenges and anticipated risks, threats, and opportunities. The QFR Crowdsourcing site is the platform (website) to solicit stakeholder input on specified QFR topics.

Q4:      What are the benefits of doing crowdsourcing for the QFR?

A:        The QFR Crowdsourcing site allows stakeholders with a variety of perspectives to share ideas and engage in dialogue to contribute to the 2014 QFR. Use of this technology provides a means to bring together and gain essential input from diverse stakeholders, without the logistical complexities, travel expenses, etc., that would otherwise be required.

Q5:      Why should I participate in the QFR Crowdsourcing site?

A:        As you share your ideas, you will help senior wildland fire leadership identify and prepare to meet critical program challenges of the future.  Your perspective is very important to successfully achieving this.  Sharing an idea within a crowdsourcing environment also allows others to comment and strengthen an original idea.

The world is rapidly changing around us, and we need to be ready for what’s next. Help shape the future of wildland fire management, so we can plan for what is to come.

Q6:      What is the purpose of the QFR Crowdsourcing site?

A:        The purpose of the QFR Crowdsourcing site is to promote and enable stakeholder participation in idea sharing and collaboration to help address wildland fire management strategic priorities. The QFR Crowdsourcing team is seeking input from a broad set of stakeholders to obtain both a comprehensive understanding of issues and new insights related to those priorities.

Q7:      Who can submit an idea to the 2014 QFR?

A:        Long-standing, traditional stakeholders, as well as those who haven’t typically been engaged but are impacted by wildland fire management decisions and actions, are invited to participate in the QFR Crowdsourcing effort. Entries may be submitted by individuals or small groups. There is no limit on the number of entries an individual or group may submit.

Q8:      How do I know if my idea is right for the 2014 QFR?

A:        If you have an idea that addresses one of the QFR topics, please share it! Even if you don’t know all of the details to implement an idea, sharing it will allow dialogue among other stakeholders to help refine it. Your perspective and inputs are welcome and appreciated, so please share your ideas in as much detail as you have today.

Q9:      What are the dates for submitting, voting, and commenting on ideas?

A:        The QFR Crowdsourcing effort will include at least two weeks for stakeholders to submit ideas, with two weeks allowed for voting and comments. Specifically, the site will be launched on March 17^th, and will be available for the submission of ideas through April 11. Please mark your calendars and plan to participate!

How Crowdsourcing Works

Q1:      How does the QFR Crowdsourcing site work?

A:        The QFR Crowdsourcing site will include space (known as a “campaign”) for each of the four areas of concern, as well as a fifth area for your ideas that don’t fit in the four identified areas. Each of these areas will be available to all of our stakeholders for the submission of ideas, voting and comments throughout March and the beginning of April. During that time, participants can submit entries (solutions to the areas of concern) and/or agree with and comment on other entries. Specific criteria have been established as guiding principles to evaluate an idea.

Q2:      How can I participate in the QFR Crowdsourcing site?

A:        The site will be publicly available so all of U. S. Forest Service and DOI stakeholders can participate. Identified stakeholders will also receive communications with the site address and additional guidance for participation.

Q3:      What is a “campaign”?

A:        A campaign is the space available for one 2014 QFR topic area. In this space, users of the crowdsourcing site are posed a question and they respond by submitting their ideas or voting and/or commenting to other ideas that have been submitted.  For the 2014 QFR Crowdsourcing site, each “campaign” is one of the four areas of concern, plus a fifth “Wild Card” area for ideas that don’t fit in one of the campaigns.

Q4:      What if someone else already shared my idea?

A:        If your idea is already listed, we invite you to comment on the idea and agree with the idea! If you see an idea that is similar but not exactly the same, please feel free to submit a separate idea, and include the detail so it is clear how it is unique. The QFR Crowdsourcing site moderators will actively review ideas in the site and link those that are similar.

Q5:      How do I submit an idea?

A:        To share an idea, click on one of the four areas of concern or the “wild card” slot, select “Submit an Idea” and submit your entry in the form that pops up.

Q6:      How do I submit a comment on an existing idea?

A:        To make a comment, click on the idea, and select the “Comment” button directly below the idea. Once you enter your text, click on “Complete”. You will see your comment immediately.

Q7:      How do I agree with an idea?

A:        Go to the idea you wish to agree with for and click on the “I Agree” button. To retract your vote, simply click on the “I Agree” button again. There is not a limit to the number of ideas you can agree with.

Q8:      How do I see what other people agreed with?

A:        The number of people who agree for a particular idea is found to the left of the idea title and below the “I disagree” button. To see the most popular ideas click on the “Popular” tab and it will collect all the most highly rated ideas. To see the newest ideas and conversation, select the “Recent” tab.  Note that you will not be able to see who agreed with for each idea, simply the total number of people who agreed with an idea.

Campaign Questions

Q1:      What is a “campaign”?

A:        A campaign is the space available for one 2014 QFR topic area. In this space, users of the crowdsourcing site are posed a question and they respond by submitting their ideas or voting and/or commenting to other ideas that have been submitted.

Q2:      What are the four areas of concern for this QFR and how is it related to a campaign?

A:        As mentioned in the question above, each campaign is based on a topic area. There are four areas of concern and one “wild card” slot:

·         Changing Climatic Conditions and Effects on Landscape

·         Evolving Risk in Public and Fire Fighter Safety

·         Water Quality and Quantity

·         Technology and Program Infrastructure

·         Wild Card: What aren’t we seeing?

Q3:      Why are these four areas the focus of the QFR?

A:        These are the most critical issues right now. The Forest Service and DOI subject matter experts identified these areas, based on a review of issues that were addressed during previous years and changes in the environment.

Q4:      Can I submit the same idea for multiple areas of concern?

A:        Yes, as long as your entry addresses the specific area of concern. Each area of concern will go through its own review and selection process. Be sure to read the entry tips to make sure your entry is written in a way that clearly shows how it will address the specific challenge area.

Q5:      What is the fifth priority for the “Wild Card”?

A:        While the four areas are quite comprehensive, we recognize that you may have additional insights regarding the current environment that may not be addressed within these four areas. We hope that you will share ideas within the four areas identified, but the fifth “Wild Card” priority is space for those items that are still a priority, but may not fit into those four that are listed.

Contact Information

Q:        How do I contact the QFR Crowdsourcing site team?

A:        For technical assistance or questions regarding QFR Crowdsourcing effort, please contact the project sponsors:

·         Sandra Burnett, United States Forest Service, Fire and Aviation Management: sandralburnett@fs.fed.us

·         Russ Johnson, United States Department of the Interior, Office of Wildland Fire: russell_johnson@ios.doi.gov