SFE Webinar: The Great Pivot - How the Integrated Research Management Team Turned a Fire Science Crisis into a Success Story
October 7, 2026, 9:30am PT/12:30pm ET
A free one hour webinar from the Ember Alliance, NASA, US Forest Service, Southern Fire Exchange, Tall Timbers, and the University of Florida IFAS.
Presenters: James Furman, USDA Forest Service; Jen Fowler, NASA FireSense; Linda Chappell, IRMT Plans Section, The Ember Alliance; Nick Seanor, Department of War, Fort Stewart; Marcus Williams, USDA Forest Service; Jennifer Mueller, The Ember Alliance
Webinar Description: Building on SFE’s May webinar introducing the Integrated Research Management Team (IRMT), join a diverse panel of researchers, fire managers, and operational partners as they unpack the remarkable story of the 2025 Fort Stewart research campaign.
Designed to bridge the gap between fire science and wildland fire management, the IRMT was put to the test when drought conditions and elevated fire danger halted planned prescribed burns at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida. Faced with the potential loss of a major field campaign, the IRMT coordinated an extraordinary response: within just two weeks, the entire multi-partner research effort was relocated to Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Dubbed “The Great Pivot,” this rapid transition required seamless coordination among more than 70 participants while balancing research priorities, safety requirements, and prescribed fire operational objectives. In this webinar, panelists will share lessons learned from the relocation, discuss the partnerships and decision-making that made it possible, and explore how the IRMT framework can help increase resilience and adaptability in future fire science and management collaborations.
Webinar Recording: If you can't make the webinar, look for the recording to be posted on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Webinar Archive.
Questions? Contactus@southernfireexchange.org
