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Table 5 Summary of three primary metrics developed to calculate fireline effectiveness, across two contrasting strategic response categories, with possible interpretations and explanations

From: Potential operational delineations: new horizons for proactive, risk-informed strategic land and fire management

Effectiveness metric

Protect strategic response

Maintain strategic response

Tr

Ratio of total amount of fireline to final fire perimeter

• Tr ≥ 1

• Suppression strategy full perimeter control

• Significant amount of fireline burned over

• Significant amount of indirect or contingency line that never engaged fire

• Tr < 1

• Suppression strategy not full perimeter control

HTr

Ratio of amount of held (successfully engaged) fireline to total amount of fireline

• HTr << 1

• Engaged fireline not effective in all locations

• HTr ≤ 1

• Engaged fireline generally more effective