Fire Meteorologists

An important weather specialty:

Smith and the weather experts like him are the "incident meteorologists" who inform firefighters of every nuance of the weather – from heat and humidity to changing gusts of wind. They make those calls from their tents and makeshift offices in the camps where fire crews refer to them as an "IMET."

Such on-scene weather experts are essential to building strategies to fight major wildfires. Using an IMET's information, fire chiefs determine the most effective and safe ways to contain raging fires.

"You belong to them," Smith said. "For any incident, any fire, you're the weather support for that particular site."