Plan Burn Editor

Overview

The Plan Burn Editor is a specialized prescribed fire planning system designed for professional burn operations management and EMSINA-compliant mapping. This advanced tool integrates ArcGIS drawing tools with specialized burn operation workflows, providing comprehensive mapping capabilities with professional fire management symbols, advanced geometric operations, and intelligent layer management optimized for prescribed burn planning, execution, and documentation.

Key Features:

• EMSINA Standard Compliance: Professional fire management symbols and mapping standards for prescribed burn operations
• Comprehensive Burn Planning Workflow: Complete support for burn area design, ignition planning, and safety zone mapping
• Specialized Symbol Library: 20+ professional burn operation symbols including ignition points, water sources, assembly areas, and fire breaks
• Advanced Drawing Integration: ArcGIS drawing tools with coordinate transformation and spatial reference handling
• Intelligent Layer Management: Automatic creation of Plan Burn data layer groups with proper categorization
• Integrated Advanced Editor: Built-in geometric operations for buffer, union, intersect, and difference operations
• Multi-Mode Support: Single and multiple feature drawing capabilities for enhanced productivity

Getting Started

Opening the Plan Burn Editor

1. Look for the Unified Editor icon (pencil) on the right toolbar
2. Click the icon to open the editor panel
3. Select Plan Burn mode from the mode selector at the top

What You Can Do

• Create burn operation plans with EMSINA standards
• Map ignition points, fire breaks, and burn boundaries
• Plan water sources and emergency assembly areas
• Create detailed burn progression maps

Layer Management

Setting Up Layer Names

Before you can start drawing, you need to set a layer name:

1. Use Dropdown: Select an existing plan burn name from the Plan Burn Names dropdown (refreshes on click)
2. Type New Name: Enter a new burn plan name in the text field below the dropdown
3. Wait for Activation: Drawing tools become available once a name is set

The system automatically creates appropriate Point, Polyline, and Polygon data layers for your burn plan when you provide a layer name.

Filter by Name

The Filter by Name toggle restricts the map display to features belonging to the selected plan burn name:

1. Select an existing name from the Plan Burn Names dropdown
2. Toggle Filter by Name on
3. All plan burn layers (points, lines, polygons) filter to show only features with that name
4. Toggle off to show all plan burn features

WARNING

The filter only responds to names selected from the dropdown. Typing a name in the text field activates the editor for drawing, but does not apply the filter.

TIP

While the filter is on, changing the dropdown selection automatically re-applies the filter to the new name.

Geometry Types

Choose the geometry type that matches what you want to create:

Point Features

• Best for: Ignition points, water sources, assembly areas, equipment locations
• Examples: Landing zones, rain gauges, escape routes, hazard markers

Line Features

• Best for: Fire breaks, burn lines, section boundaries, direction arrows
• Examples: Strip lighting patterns, containment lines, hand lighting paths

Polygon Features

• Best for: Burn areas, zones, constraints, boundaries
• Examples: Burn boundaries, planned burn areas, hazard zones, constraints

Style Selection

Choosing Styles

1. Set your layer name first (styles are disabled until you do)
2. Select your geometry type (Point, Line, or Polygon)
3. Click on any style icon to select it
4. The selected style will be highlighted with EMSINA standard symbols

Point Styles

Icon	Style Name
	Landing
	Assembly Area Point
	Water Point
	Hazard Sticks
	Rain Gauge
	Aerial Ignition
	Escape Route
	Special Point
	Electronic Sticks Point
	Not Coded

Line Styles

Icon	Style Name
	Strip Light
	Spot Light
	Fire Break
	Direction Arrow
	Section Boundary
	Historic Lines
	Hand Lighting
	Text Line
	Burn Plan Area
	Drivable Fire Break
	Not Coded

Polygon Styles

Icon	Style Name
	Burn Boundary
	Burn Plan Area
	Constraint
	Hazard
	Fire Break
	Constraint 1
	Constraint 2
	Constraint 3
	Vegetation Constraint
	WTE exclusion zone
	Unknown

Special Options

Text Options: For Text Line style, enter display label and choose font size (8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 36pt). A display label is required — saving will fail without one.

Drawing Features

Before You Start

1. ✅ Set a layer name
2. ✅ Choose geometry type
3. ✅ Select an EMSINA standard style

Toolbar Toggles

Three toggles are available before drawing:

Toggle	Description
Multiple	Keep the drawing tool active so you can draw the next feature immediately
Measure	Show real-time length (metres) and area (hectares) while drawing
Label	Toggle labels on/off for all Plan Burn data layers on the map

TIP

The Label toggle starts on by default.

Drawing Steps

For Points:

1. Click the Point draw button
2. Click on the map where you want the burn operation point
3. The point appears immediately with EMSINA symbology

For Lines:

1. Click the Line draw button
2. Click points along your desired burn line or boundary
3. Double-click to finish the line (or press ESC to cancel)

For Polygons:

1. Click the Polygon draw button
2. Click points around your burn area
3. Double-click to close the polygon (or press ESC to cancel)

Visual Feedback

• Draw buttons light up when active
• Disabled buttons show helpful tooltips
• EMSINA standard symbols appear on the map as you draw

Feature Information

When you save features, the system automatically records:

• Layer name
• Display label (if provided)
• EMSINA style attributes
• Username for tracking
• Creation timestamp

Managing Features

Selecting Features

1. Click the Select button (requires layer name)
2. Click any plan burn feature on the map
3. Feature information loads into the editor
4. Current EMSINA style is detected and displayed

Editing Features

1. Select a feature first
2. Click the Edit button
3. Use the editing tools to modify the geometry:
   • Move vertices by dragging them
   • Add vertices by clicking on edges
   • Delete vertices by selecting and pressing Delete
   • Move entire features by dragging
4. Click Save when finished

Deleting Features

1. Select the feature you want to delete
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon)
3. Confirm when prompted
4. The feature is removed and layers refresh automatically

Advanced Features

Multiple (Continuous Drawing) Mode

The Multiple toggle controls whether the drawing tool stays active after each feature is placed.

Multiple OFF (Default):

• Draw one feature, then the tool deactivates
• Click the draw button again to draw another feature

Multiple ON:

• The drawing tool stays active after each feature is completed
• Keep clicking on the map to rapidly create many features
• Click the draw button again or press ESC to stop

INFO

Regardless of Multiple mode, every drawn shape is always saved as a separate feature in the layer.

INFO

Switching to a different draw button (e.g., from Polygon Draw to Point Draw) resets the Multiple toggle to off.

Advanced Editor

When you have a layer name set, the Advanced Editor becomes available for complex burn planning operations:

• Union: Combine multiple burn areas into unified zones
• Buffer: Create safety buffer zones around burn features
• Difference: Create exclusion zones by subtracting protected areas
• Intersection: Find overlapping areas between burn zones and constraints
• Cut: Split burn areas using cutting lines

Professional Burn Planning Applications

Union Operations: Combine multiple planned burn patches into single operational units

Buffer Operations: Create safety zones around:

• Water sources and supply points
• Assembly areas and escape routes
• Sensitive environmental areas

Difference Operations: Exclude protected areas from burn boundaries:

• Wildlife habitat zones
• Cultural heritage sites
• Infrastructure protection areas

Intersection Analysis: Identify overlaps between:

• Burn zones and environmental constraints
• Multiple burn unit boundaries
• Operational areas and safety zones

Tips & Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Drawing buttons are grayed out	Set a layer name first — either select from the dropdown or type in the text field
Drawing tools not activating	Not Coded (Unknown) styles disable drawing — select a named style instead
Can't select features	Ensure layer name is set and plan burn features exist on the map
Edit mode not working	Select a feature first, then click the Edit button
Text line won't save	Enter text in the Display Label field — Text Line style requires a display label; saving fails without one
Filter not showing features	Select a name from the Plan Burn Names dropdown — typing in the text field does not apply the filter
Multiple resets unexpectedly	Switching to a different draw button resets Multiple to off

Best Practices for Burn Planning

• Start with boundaries: Create burn boundaries first, then add internal features
• Use EMSINA standards: All symbols follow EMSINA guidelines for consistency
• Plan escape routes: Always include escape routes and assembly areas
• Mark water sources: Identify all available water sources and access points
• Consider weather: Use rain gauge locations for weather monitoring planning
• Safety first: Mark all hazards and create appropriate safety zones

Working with Text Lines

1. Select the Text Line style
2. Enter your label text in the Display Label field
3. Choose font size from the dropdown (8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 36pt)
4. Draw the line where you want the text to appear
5. Text will render along the line path

Video Tutorials

Adding Plan Burn Data

Modifying Plan Burn Data

Deleting Plan Burn Data

Using Advanced Tools