PORTLAND, ORE. (KOIN) — Less than eight months after a stretch of history and deadly wildfire in the Pacific Northwest, we find ourselves headed into another fire season that has the potential of being equally catastrophic.

In our first Beyond the Headlines special dedicated to the upcoming fire season, we talk to meteorologist John Saltenberger. He has made a life out of studying fire and weather and now works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Saltenberger joins the KOIN Podcast Network to walk us through the history and future of fire weather science. Plus, we discuss if the general public and policymakers need to better understand and respect fire weather warnings.