FIELDOPS Guide
Step 3 of 5
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🔥 Wildland Fire · Step 03

Use the Parcel Overlay

Parcel boundaries on the map show you exactly whose property the fire is on, adjacent to, or threatening. Tap any parcel to see the owner's name. Critical for notifications and for tracking damage.

Settlers Valley Fire
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Topographic
📍 Parcel Info
×
OWNER
Ritter, E & D
ADDRESS
2048 Settlers Valley Way
ACREAGE
8.2 acres
+
1
Parcel Boundaries
Blue outlines show property lines. Red-highlighted parcel has fire on it.
2
Tap a Parcel
Opens info popup with owner name, address, acreage.
3
Fire Perimeter
Dashed red outline shows your fire relative to property lines.
1
Parcel Boundaries
Blue outlines show property lines. Red-highlighted parcel has fire on it.
2
Tap a Parcel
Opens info popup with owner name, address, acreage.
3
Fire Perimeter
Dashed red outline shows your fire relative to property lines.

Turning It On

Open Settings → Overlays. Toggle on Parcel Boundaries. If multiple county overlays are available, pick the one that covers your fire area.

Hardy and Hampshire counties in West Virginia are pre-loaded. For other counties, an admin uploads GeoJSON parcel data in Settings → Overlays → Upload.

What Parcels Show You

Owner Identification

Tap any parcel to see:

  • Owner name (may be an individual, an LLC, or "Unknown")
  • Property address
  • Acreage
  • Parcel ID (useful for 911/dispatch)

Notification Decisions

Look at parcels adjacent to your fire perimeter. Those owners need to know. If the fire is a real threat to structures, those homeowners may need evacuation. If the fire is on their land, they need to be called immediately.

Access Rights

Wildland fire crews cutting fire line or setting back-burns need to cross property lines. Knowing whose property you're on matters for:

  • Permission to enter with heavy equipment
  • Damage assessment and billing
  • Post-incident relationships with landowners
Red vs. Blue Parcels

Parcels with fire currently on them show up in red. Unaffected parcels are blue. This makes it easy to scan the map and immediately see the scope of private land involvement.

Marking Contacted Owners

When you've notified an owner, drop a 📍 Waypoint pin on their property and note "NOTIFIED - [time] - [name of person contacted]". This way command knows which owners have been reached without asking over and over.

For owners you can't reach, use a ⚠ Hazard pin with note "UNABLE TO CONTACT" — this flags them for followup.

Limitations

  • Parcel data is as current as the last county upload — may be 6-12 months old
  • Ownership changes after the upload date won't show
  • Some parcels have "Unknown" owner — data gap on the county side
  • LLCs may not reveal the actual person — use the parcel ID to look up contacts via county records
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Related
Settings — where to enable overlays and upload new ones