Fire Management Networking on Facebook
I don’t think we realize the degree to which we can empower ourselves using the social media. Not only are their tens of thousands of firefighters and fire managers in the firefighting groups, there are much larger numbers in the conservation and ecological reconstruction groups. There is great potential within these groups to shape public land management fire policy at the highest levels that has yet to be realized. I see considerable frustration among group members that see issues that need to be addressed, but don’t see a way forward to having their voices heard by top level policymakers and policy implementers.
Some people will be members of several groups to share information between groups and comment and discuss that information. In this way everybody raises their level of awareness of the issues and ways to resolve problems in fire management. There are also even more people that monitor posts and discussions, but only participate by using the like button. However, there seem to be very few people who become members of many different diverse groups to share information and work toward activist solutions to solving global wildfire and fire management issues.
I seem to be one of those few people who not only participate in the firefighting and fire management groups but branch out to conservation and ecological restoration groups that have an interest in fire management like the Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy has become a global leader not just in conservation but in fire management. Often it comes up in the firefighter groups that conservation activists use both legal and political means to thwart good fire management, but the Nature Conservancy is not one of them. In fact the posting of Nature Conservancy fire material to other less informed conservation groups can be useful tactic toward educating these other groups on the importance of fire in nature.
If we fire managers can network effectively with pro-fire conservation groups, then move into those conservation groups that have less understanding of the role of fire in nature, that would be a good thing. Ultimately it could bring these groups on board once they see that their ignorance of the role of fire in nature is actually harming nature and the species they are trying to protect through lawsuits and political action. There are very large numbers of public groups interested in particular regions of the country that fire management activists can join and share fire related information and this could help remove another obstacle to good fire management that of regulatory obstacles.
It could be possible that a few of us fire management activists could work together to create a broad network on interlocking groups that would be much more effective that just one person working alone. Such a broad networking operation could have very promising political and economic land management effects though out our culture. Beneficial changes would come about not from inefficient central planning, but from a grass roots cultural shift from political and economic support of fire suppression to support of good fire management policy. The most fundamental problem we face is transitioning from a fire suppression culture to a good fire management culture. I think the wildfire problem illustrates how difficult it is and how much pain and suffering it takes to change culture for the better.
Those that are interested in following this social media approach to good fire management and an overall fire cultural shift might be interested in the groups to which I am currently posting and commenting. It would also be helpful for me to know the groups that others are interfacing with. If there are some folks that would like to join this effort I have made it easy by linking the names of the groups to the groups URL so all one has to do is just click on the name to join the group. If more people can come on board sharing good quality fire management information between these groups, then I can continue to expand to other groups.
Facebook is now limiting how many posts can be made outside of the groups that one administers and will ban you for days or weeks from posting without warning if you post much more than twenty posts. For those who are not yet proficient on Facebook you can share a post to a group by clicking the share button below the post, then clicking share to a page, then clicking groups you manage, then clicking groups. At his point in the space provided you type in the name of the group and then click send. Another way is just go to the article or website and copy the URL for that site and paste it to the group you have joined as a post, with comments if you wish, or even quotes from the article to get the readers interest in checking out the whole article. (Note this is just one page on my Fire in Nature website, but folks will find the book and other material interesting if they investigate the rest of the website.)
This list is not all the groups I am a member of, but those with larger membership. I will continue to add groups here as I expand my network. Association of Fire Management Activists, Wildland Firefighter, Wildland Firefighters, European Wildland Firefighters, Northeast Wildland Firefighter, Northeast Fire News, National Fires R.O.C. , Everything Eastern Sierra, Rebuilding Nature, Nature...forests & wildlife conservation, Conservation, biodiversity, biogeography, and natural history, The Nature Conservancy, Families of Wildland Firefighters,
Note - Copy and Distribute Freely - On our Facebook group Association of Fire Management Activists we post on a regular basis articles relating to fire for reading, discussion and sharing. Folks are welcome to join and keep up with the fire news. On this website you can also read this, my fire book, for free starting with the introduction at the top and then to the MORE button for the rest of the chapters and other recent articles. Welcome on board.
Some people will be members of several groups to share information between groups and comment and discuss that information. In this way everybody raises their level of awareness of the issues and ways to resolve problems in fire management. There are also even more people that monitor posts and discussions, but only participate by using the like button. However, there seem to be very few people who become members of many different diverse groups to share information and work toward activist solutions to solving global wildfire and fire management issues.
I seem to be one of those few people who not only participate in the firefighting and fire management groups but branch out to conservation and ecological restoration groups that have an interest in fire management like the Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy has become a global leader not just in conservation but in fire management. Often it comes up in the firefighter groups that conservation activists use both legal and political means to thwart good fire management, but the Nature Conservancy is not one of them. In fact the posting of Nature Conservancy fire material to other less informed conservation groups can be useful tactic toward educating these other groups on the importance of fire in nature.
If we fire managers can network effectively with pro-fire conservation groups, then move into those conservation groups that have less understanding of the role of fire in nature, that would be a good thing. Ultimately it could bring these groups on board once they see that their ignorance of the role of fire in nature is actually harming nature and the species they are trying to protect through lawsuits and political action. There are very large numbers of public groups interested in particular regions of the country that fire management activists can join and share fire related information and this could help remove another obstacle to good fire management that of regulatory obstacles.
It could be possible that a few of us fire management activists could work together to create a broad network on interlocking groups that would be much more effective that just one person working alone. Such a broad networking operation could have very promising political and economic land management effects though out our culture. Beneficial changes would come about not from inefficient central planning, but from a grass roots cultural shift from political and economic support of fire suppression to support of good fire management policy. The most fundamental problem we face is transitioning from a fire suppression culture to a good fire management culture. I think the wildfire problem illustrates how difficult it is and how much pain and suffering it takes to change culture for the better.
Those that are interested in following this social media approach to good fire management and an overall fire cultural shift might be interested in the groups to which I am currently posting and commenting. It would also be helpful for me to know the groups that others are interfacing with. If there are some folks that would like to join this effort I have made it easy by linking the names of the groups to the groups URL so all one has to do is just click on the name to join the group. If more people can come on board sharing good quality fire management information between these groups, then I can continue to expand to other groups.
Facebook is now limiting how many posts can be made outside of the groups that one administers and will ban you for days or weeks from posting without warning if you post much more than twenty posts. For those who are not yet proficient on Facebook you can share a post to a group by clicking the share button below the post, then clicking share to a page, then clicking groups you manage, then clicking groups. At his point in the space provided you type in the name of the group and then click send. Another way is just go to the article or website and copy the URL for that site and paste it to the group you have joined as a post, with comments if you wish, or even quotes from the article to get the readers interest in checking out the whole article. (Note this is just one page on my Fire in Nature website, but folks will find the book and other material interesting if they investigate the rest of the website.)
This list is not all the groups I am a member of, but those with larger membership. I will continue to add groups here as I expand my network. Association of Fire Management Activists, Wildland Firefighter, Wildland Firefighters, European Wildland Firefighters, Northeast Wildland Firefighter, Northeast Fire News, National Fires R.O.C. , Everything Eastern Sierra, Rebuilding Nature, Nature...forests & wildlife conservation, Conservation, biodiversity, biogeography, and natural history, The Nature Conservancy, Families of Wildland Firefighters,
Note - Copy and Distribute Freely - On our Facebook group Association of Fire Management Activists we post on a regular basis articles relating to fire for reading, discussion and sharing. Folks are welcome to join and keep up with the fire news. On this website you can also read this, my fire book, for free starting with the introduction at the top and then to the MORE button for the rest of the chapters and other recent articles. Welcome on board.