Subject: Fire Statistics Update for NYT Wildfire Page

Dear New York Times Media team,

Wildland fires are an increasing threat to northern California. Here in the environmental
analytics group, we are seeing an increase in demand for better live statistics for ongoing
wildfires. We have received multiple critiques of what fire-related information the public would
like to see via the NYT fire page. I believe the environmental analytics group and the media team
can work together to provide the public with the information they are seeking.

Wildland fires are a dynamic natural force that affect the lives of countless California natives
every year. As we saw last year, the El Dorado wildfire sparked public outcry and brought it to
the nation’s attention that there must be better action taken against wildfires. The El Dorado
wildfire was the 2020 California wildfire that stemmed from a gender reveal party. The time is
now for the NYT to be the pioneer for advanced fire data pages with this rise in demand for more
media coverage on wildfires. The NYT fire page, while effective, is lacking vital statistics.

The environmental analytics group has been discussing how to best implement these missing
statistical metrics into the fire page and we have an effective solution. We have gathered all the
criticism from the public that the current fire page has garnered to fix the page for this fast-
approaching fire season.

We feel that is the duty of the media to be dynamic and search for ways to be innovative. Posting
more wildfire-related metrics to display on the fire page would benefit the public all while
solidifying NYT’s place as an innovative media outlet. Firefighters, landowners, and those brave
enough to selflessly volunteer to protect their communities could exponentially benefit from the
addition of more live statistics; it could be the difference between life and death. If firefighting
crews had the best live data on the fire that they are planning to combat, they would be better
prepared to fight the fire effectively. An overhaul of your fire reporting page could also instill in
the public the severity of fires and the effect that climate change is having on our environments.

Information that we have been contacted about adding to the NYT fire page includes, but is not
limited to:
• wind directions
• moisture conditions
• firefighting crews actively fighting the fire
• acreage burned
• estimated paths of growth for the fire

We believe we are aware of the direction the NYT media team needs to take the fire page in, and
we would love to contribute. The NYT does not currently provide enough wildfire data for the
public, and that must change.

The environmental analytics group would like to meet with the media team to discuss the
additions to the NYT fire page. We are free during the company’s designated Tuesday/Thursday
10:00 AM team meeting hours, but if that does not suit the media team then please provide me
with suitable times to meet.
Thank you for your consideration,

Dr. Charles Richards

The New York Times Environmental Analyst
PHD Environmental Ecology
(803) 272-5226
To: MediaTeam@NYT.Com
From: Charles Richards
Date: November 9, 2021
Subject: Updating the NYT’s Wildfire Page

Wildfires have increased in frequency and intensity in the recent past, and that trend does
not seem to be faltering for the future. We live in a technological world that allows for
information to be spread at our fingertips. Currently, there are already wildfire statistics provided
by numerous media sites. Live reporting of wildfires can provide invaluable information to the
people that reside in the areas as well as those that live in the regions that are indirectly affected
by the fires. While the page does a good job providing this information, there is information that
could be added to the page to aid the public in learning about protecting themselves and their
land from wildfires. Updating the NYT’s fire page would bolster praise for both the NYT’s
media team as well as the environmental analytics group.

Summary
The New York Times’ live fire page needs to be revised to better fit the needs of the
public. An increase in the wildfire statistics offered by the wildfire page would benefit the public
as well as reiterate the NYT’s proactive stance on offering environmental advocation. Wildfires
have been steadily increasing in frequency and size in the western United States and this can be
attributed to the increase in climate change. These fires have altered ecosystems in northern
California and have caused irreparable economic and environmental damage. The citizens of
these fire-prone areas have lost their homes, their wealth, and loved ones due to the rise in
wildfire frequency and size. Providing the public with the wildfire information needed to make
decisions to defend their land and life is something media must do a better job of. Educating the
public with more statistics can lead to better decision making and less destruction from the
wildfires.

NYT’s Statistics Problem

The NYT’s is providing the bare minimum when it comes to providing information about
wildfires to the public. There is currently not much being done on behalf of the NYT/media in
general to provide live statistics to the public in an accessible way. The NYT’s fire page has only
five stats about wildfires posted per wildfire. There is a large amount of backlash that the NYT’s
environmental analytics group has received about this poor offering of statistics. The lack of
information about ongoing wildfires poses a threat to inhabitants of California as the dynamic
fires can shift at an instance and rapidly affect various parts of the state without notice.
Current Fire Page Layout

Above is the current fire page that allows tracking of western fires through the NYT
website. This screenshot was taken on December 7th, 2021, and this is the current information
offered on the website. Currently, acreage burned, acreage burned in the past 24 hours, the
population within five miles, and the % of containment are the only metrics offered when one
inspects a specific fire.
Updated Fire Page Layout

Crew(s) actively
fighting the fire

Current Crews on Fire:

SSIHC (IHC)
20-man hand crew
Type 2A

Cardinal directions
of wind in area of
Arrows fire
projecting
direction of
growth nd
th er a of
ea ls y
73°
r ent w e leve ted b
2” rain u r tur ec
C ois aff
m eing re
a b fi
are

Above is what redesigned fire page could look like to a user of the page. This page allows
for recognition to be given to the firefighting crews risking their lives, as well as the public to
learn of the direction of the wind, the moisture content of the area, as well as a projection of the
course of the fire.

Recommendations for Updating Fire Page

Recommendations on behalf of the NYT’s environmental analytics team include an
increase in live-fire metrics provided on the NYT’s fire webpage. Adding things such as wind
directions, moisture conditions, information about the firefighting crews actively fighting the
fire, and an estimated path of growth for fires could provide the public with the much-needed
pieces of information they need to aid in helping understand and combat wildfires. Education has
a positive correlation with helping in fight the climate change growths we are experiencing.
If the information was free to everyone who could access either the New York Times
webpage or mobile app, this would prove invaluable to the residents of northern California.
Northern California landowners must be self-sufficient in these secluded fire-prone areas – they
don’t get much notification from others and must get information through their own means. Easy
access to this information via our fire page
Social media could also be used to present wildfire data to a wider demographic of the
public. Social media could be used to display a media-version interface of the fire page to bring
more awareness to wildfire destruction. The more the public is aware of the current wildfires and
their effect on our environment and economy, the more we can expect to see a downward trend
in human-caused wildfires.
Conclusion
Wildfires can cause severe damage when there is little information known about them by
those that are combating them. Allowing the environmental analytics group to contribute to the
NYT’s fire page would allow for the addition of more wildfire-related metrics that could educate
private landowners and firefighters about wildfires. Educating the public can result in fewer
deaths, less land destruction, and less of an economic toll on the citizens of California. This is an
opportunity for the media team and the environmental analytics team to collaborate and combine
our knowledge to further solidify the NYT’s top spot in the media.

Reference
“Track Wildfires in the West” The New York Times, The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/wildfires-air-quality-tracker.html