Pioneering wildfire alert system tested during Texas Panhandle fires

Thousands across the Texas Panhandle received wireless emergency alerts Feb. 26 and 27, warning of an eminent, dangerous wildfire on the landscape with the potential to expand. These notifications utilized a first-of-its-kind process, benefiting from major advancements in fire and weather prediction technology and a foundation in strong inter-agency relationships.

The Feb. 26 and 27 announcements, requested by local emergency management officials and Texas A&M Forest service and issued by the NOAA National Weather Service, are among the first multi-notification processes that have been used for a large-scale wildfire in Texas.

Built on the expertise of fire behavior and prediction knowledge, the Integrated Team Fire Warning Paradigm Process was initially demonstrated in Oklahoma in 2022 and 2023, in response to the devastating 2018 Camp Fire in California. The new process serves as an improved coordinated method for wildfire detection, notification and action. The process was designed by members of the Southern Great Plains Wildfire Outbreak Working Group, including Texas A&M Forest Service, Oklahoma Forestry Services, National Weather Service and Kansas Forest Service personnel.