CINCINNATI, Ohio— As the wildfires continue to burn in Australia, one meteorologist here at the National Weather Service in Wilmington has been asked to got Australia to use his expertise in incident meteorology.

• John Franks is one of 80 incident meteorologists in the country
• He will leave for six to eight weeks and assist the local weather team
• His forecasts will help guide how the firefighters will be able to fight the fires and stay safe

John Franks is just one of 80 Incident meteorologists in the entire country. And thanks to his knowledge on weather impacting wildfires and his experiences responding to fires in the western part of the U.S- he’s just been asked to go to Australia to do the same.

“I still feel humbled that I am that person,” Franks said. “Yes, I’m an expert in that matter. I consider myself an expert in that matter. I don’t like going around saying ‘Oh, I’m the expert.' That’s not the person that I am.”

To be an incident meteorologist, lots of extra training comes into play. Franks says the accuracy of his forecasts in such strenuous situations is key.

“That range of temperatures and dew points in the forecast can really be generating a mixed message or the wrong message,” he said.

Once Franks generates his forecast, it affects other forecasts, which in turn can affect the safety of the firefighters and civilians.

“If my forecast is more accurate, his forecast is going to be more accurate, and the people at the top of the information using at the incident are going to make better decisions and keep the firefighters safe,” Franks said.

Franks leaves next month for his longest stint to date- between six and eight weeks. He says the hardest part is leaving his wife and three young kids.

“Leaving the kids for that long of a time frame when they’re that young is difficult, and I don’t think my son is going to quite understand for a while,” he said “But it’s not like the older days when you didn’t have the means of communication. I should be able to Skype with them or some type of teleconferencing. But it’s not the same as being there.”

But before Franks even said yes to the opportunity, he says he had to talk with his wife first, who has always been his biggest supporter.

“She knows that this is one of the things that I love,” Franks said. “And flat out, this is the best job in the weather service.”

And now, this meteorologist is gearing up for his trip across the world.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Franks said. “You know some people are never going to have this type of opportunity.”