National Wildfire Coordinating Group 86th Meeting Minutes January 2003
The 86th meeting of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group was held in Boise, Idaho, January 28 – 30, 2003
Members attending:	Jim Stires, Chair, Bureau of Indian Affairs Dave Cleaves, Vice Chair, Service Research Phil Street, Fish and Wildlife Service Sue Vap, National Park Service Don Artley for Robert Krepps, NASF, Missouri Dept. of Conservation Kirk Rowdabaugh, NASF, Arizona State Land Department Tom Harbor, Forest Service Jim Erickson, Intertribal Timber Council Larry Hamilton, Bureau of Land Management Hugh Wood, U.S. Fire Administration Jim Smalley, National Fire Protection Association Jim Stumpf, Executive Secretary
Guests attending:	January 28, 2003
	Barry Mathais, IRM Shari Shetler, IRMWT Rex Mann, Forest Service Paul Hefner, Forest Service Mike Dourgherty, U.S. Fire Administration Denny Trusdale, Forest Service Wayne Mitchell, FWWT Tory Majors, Forest Service Neal Hitchcock, Forest Service Alice Forbes, Forest Service Paula Nasiatka, Lessons Learned Center Paul Broyles, SHWT Paul Schlobaum, FDWT Wayne Mitchell, FWWT Steve Jenkins, Radio Communication Advisory Group Russ Berry, NFPORS
	January 30, 2003
	Tory Majors, IBPWT Paul Broyles, SHWT Shari Sheter, IBPWT Bill Leenhouts, FUWT Mike Dourgherty, U.S. Fire Administration Alice Forbes, Forest Service

 

1.      SUBJECT: Executive meeting on inter-agency incident management capacity (agenda item I-14).

The meeting was facilitated by Shari Shetler and was initiated by having participants articulate their expectations for the session. 

Expectations for the Executive Meeting are:

• Where everyone is on this issue.
• Better understand need and how to respond
• What can the team provide when they arrive – expectations have changed
• Impact – local and municipal first responders, interface, future impact of Homeland Security
• Clearly defined model of IMTs five years from now – identify gaps
• Capture this and coordinate with WFLC
• Get a sense where and how NWCG would like to be involved in implementation of NIMO (National Incident Management Organization)
• Maintain flexibility
• Reach some closure on the on-going issue of Incident Management Team size based on cost issues and personnel shortage.
• Define roles, responsibilities and expectations
• Begin to develop a strategic plan to identify IMT skills outside traditional agencies.
• How do we preserve the primary mission of the IMT with so many external requests?
• Roles and expectations and finding the “middle ground”.
• Ability to deal with supply and demand.
• What will cause the incident to become federalized?

After discussing expectations, the discussion turned to long and short term alternatives to ensure that incident management capacity is assured in the future.  National Interagency Incident Management Organization (NIMO) was identified as one long term alternative that deserved further analysis.  Most participants agreed that in the short term, all that can be done is to emphasize roles and responsibilities of teams to assure that they are used and configured in accord with national priorities.  

We also included a discussion identifying criteria and requirements that could be used to evaluate alternative strategies for providing incident management. 

Requirements/criteria:

Flexibility	Safety and environmental protection
Public involvement	Incident intensity
Scope (expanding mission)	Cost effectiveness
Number of incidents/demand	Team size, team structure and supply
How do we manage the team leadership	Political expectations for incident management
What is under our control	What to tackle
Infrastructure does not meet demand	Permanent vs. militia

A decision was made to form an interagency team to further examine the NIMO alternative to providing incident management capability.  The group agreed upon the following actions to pursue further analysis of the NIMO alternative.

Actions

• Revise the charter that was developed for the Management Option Team for an Integrated Interagency Strategy for Fire and Aviation Management.  Consider WFLC to sanction this charter that directs NWCG to charter and form the task group to accomplish this study. Tom Harbour will complete this by 2/17/03
• Select an interagency team to work on this group.
• More specific objectives needed to better define the role of the group to include:
  • Cost analysis
  • Implementation scenario per alternatives – include short, intermediate and long term phases
  • Pros/cons of alternatives
  • Policy changes required as part of the implementation scenarios
  • Recommendation of preferred alternatives.
• Due December 2003
• Current efforts success

• NWCG needs to draft a letter to WFLC asking for their buy-in. JimStires will do this near 2/17/03.

• ICT1 (Paul Hefner will recommend member)
• Senior Agency Administrators (2) (Larry Hamilton – DOI, Tom Harbor – FS)
• Senior Fire Staff’ – Brian Swift, NPS
• State Foresters (Kirk Rowdenbaugh)
• Incident business management  - Tory Majors provide name
• Human resource specialist - Marilyn Johnson, BLM
• Fire administration – Hugh Wood will appoint
• NWCG Liaison/co-chair - Tom Harbor

• This group will consider a broad range of IMT use focus on the wildland fire mission but will consider all risk potentials.
• Consider all levels of organization including non-traditional fire uses.
• Address all separate functions that NIMO may accomplish including non-incident management (collateral requirements).

• Research and analysis information which is collected and analyzed from written After Incident Reports.  Collection teams also visit fires during the season to talk to people on IMTs and fire fighters.  Information received in their surveys is shared on their website and is used to evaluate the training curriculum.
• Knowledge management that is used to share information in the central library of the resource center.  This information is available for filed and classroom use.  The library will be supported by an interactive database.
• Information transfer.  Through the website and a variety of publications, lessons learned knowledge is shared with the wildland fire community.

1. Status quo (keep the current team configuration). 
2. Merge the teams. 
3. Create a new fire environment prediction working team that includes weather, climatology, danger, fire behavior, smoke and predictive services. 
4. Create a data warehouse. 
5. Revise the overall NWCG Working Team structure and consolidate like functions in a much reduced number of “departments”.   The work presented was thoughtful and well done but the members felt that, in light of some over-riding NWCG organization issues, that it is premature to make any changes to these two working teams.  However some of the ideas and concepts presented likely will be considered in the upcoming effort to review the overall NWCG structure.  No further action on this issue is warranted at this time.

• The 17 ICS modules have been adopted for Canada and are located on the CIFFC website. www.ciffc.ca
• British Columbia has used ICS for the past few years.
• Saskatchewan and Alberta started use in 2002
• Remaining Canadian implementation will be by 2004

• Elements fuels buildup;
• Increasing wildland urban interface issues; and
• High suppression costs.  
• There is additional concern over the environmental and public concern and the public’s desire for input into wild land fire agency activities.  Forest Service Fire Research is attempting to coordinate all agency activity through the Fire Research Coordinating Council.  The Council currently has 14 members who actively participate in the mechanisms for research identification and application.  Fire research is striving to address current needs of managers and policy makers, while anticipating the future needs.

• Fire science and technology;
• Information systems;
• Metrology and climatolgy;
• Equipment and infrastructure;
• Equipment test facilities;
• Aerial protection and support;
• Aboriginal capacity building; and
• Aboriginal community protection.

• Firewise organization;
• Community assessment;
• Firewise Day for community education;
• Financial commitment; and
• An annual report and re-application for continued commitment to the program.

• Fire suppression limits;
• Fuels management;
• Climate change; and
• Increasing operational efficiency and effectiveness.

• All radio communication on fires needs to be in English.
• All leadership for crews needs to be done in English and Crew Leaders need to be fluent in English writing and reading as well as the primary language of their crew.
• The language standard must be applied to agency and contracted resources.

• Personnel training standards for BAER Team members working in the fire environment.  NWCG believes that standards that already apply to Technical Specialists working on un-controlled fires are adequate for BAER Team members. .  The minimum fire safety knowledge and skills (training) and fitness standard for BAER incident management team (IMT) personnel to safely work independently on an uncontrolled wildland fire incident are:  the knowledge and skills found in Introduction to ICS (I-100), Wildland Fire Suppression Orientation for Non-Operations Personnel (S-110), and Standards for Survival.  A light fitness level is appropriate.
• Skill position qualifications and training.  These may be needed for three core positions, BAER Team Leader, Operations Specialist, and GIS Specialist.  If additional training requirements for these positions are believed to be needed, they should be identified by the interagency ESR community and incorporated into the Inter-agency BAER Handbook. Some of the core requirements for these positions exist in the 310-1 direction and can be used as guidance. 
• Business Management - The ESR community believes that the emergency nature of many of their activities justifies use of emergency contracting authorities.  NWCG agreed with this opinion and asked that the ESR community work with the IBPWT to incorporate appropriate language allowing use of emergency contracting authorities for emergency stabilization work into the Interagency Incident Business Practices Handbook.
• Data management, information generated by the IMT, is useful to the BAER Teams.  This information exchange need should be referred to the existing agency represented on the IRMWT or sub groups to include information for standard data needs.
• There was discussion on the need for standards for BAER Team/Incident Management Team transitions.  NWCG members did not believe that it is appropriate for NWCG to develop and publish such a standard for the interagency community.  Both types of teams work for the Agency Administrator and transition issues should be resolved with the Agency Administrator when transitions actually occur.

12.7-1 – Work/Rest Guidelines.  The only exception to the following guidelines will be in instances of imminent threat to public and/or firefighter safety.

Work rest guidelines should be met on all incidents.

Incident Management Activities

To maintain safe and productive incident activities, incident management personnel must appropriately manage work and rest periods, assignment duration and shift length for crew, overhead personnel and support personnel.  Plan for and ensure that crews, overhead personnel, and support personnel are provided a minimum 2:1 work to rest ratio (for every 2 hours of work or travel, provide 1 hour of sleep and/or rest).

On incidents, work shift time includes travel to and from the worksite, compensable and non-compensable meal breaks, rest breaks (> 20 minutes), debriefing and equipment refurbishment following the shift in preparation for the next work shift.  Work shift length maximums are just that and should be reduced as necessary to counter the effects of acute or cumulative fatigue.  (Optimal shift lengths for all personnel assigned to or supporting an incident should be no more than 14 hours.)

The Incident Commander or Agency Administrator shall document, approve, and include in the daily incident records, the justification for work shifts exceeding 16 hours, including travel time, and for those periods that do not meet 2:1 work to rest ratio.  Documentation must include mitigation measures employed to achieve compliance with 2:1 work to rest ratio policies. An acceptable method of documentation is the use of the Excess Hours Log found in the Appendix Tool Kit of this handbook. 

Initial Attack

Documentation is required if work rest guidelines cannot be met within the first 24 hours of initial attack and/or if the shift exceeds16 hours.  The initial 24 hours can only be exceeded with prior approval from the Agency Administrator responsible for the incident, if the decision is documented, and only if it is essential to

1. accomplish immediate and critical suppression objectives, or
2. address immediate and critical firefighter or public safety issues. 

After that period, 2:1 work rest guidelines will be met before the resource is on shift again.

Work/Rest Mitigation:  Management should use techniques to minimize the effects of cumulative fatigue, such as:

• Provide short rest breaks (up to 20 minutes)
• Schedule rest/sleep breaks during early morning hours (0001- 0500)
• Provide for rest periods of at least 1.5 hours each
• Provide supplemental food items according to policy
• Utilize shorter shift lengths (< 14 hours or less)
• Utilize split shifts (for initial or critical times)
• Assign fatigued personnel to less strenuous work
• Provide extended off-shift time to allow employees to recover

Work/Rest

For the purposes of defining work and rest in the context of the 2:1 work/rest ratio:

Work is considered to be any time attributable towards work shift.

Rest is considered all time off duty outside of the work shift.  (Refer to Sections 12.2 through 12.6 for on-shift, off-shift, and meal periods.)  Meal periods (compensable or non-compensable) do not count toward meeting the 2:1 work/rest ratio. 

A work/rest period includes all hours since the last rest period that met the 2:1 work/rest ratio.

22.    SUBJECT:                   National Interagency Supplemental Food Policy (add on agenda item)

DISCUSSION:         Three options were provided by the IBRWT to improve nutritional aspects for supplemental foods provided at incident facilities on fires.  The need to review current policy is a result of some abuses during the past fire season and the need to take all steps possible to curtail the increasing costs of large fires.  The options presented are:

1. Provide no supplemental food on incidents;
2. Limit supplements to fruit, dried fruit or fruit juice and vegetables and sports drinks;
3. Option 2 plus candy bars and energy bars. 

Option 3 was selected with the condition that absent a more restrictive agency or geographic area policy, the following supplemental foods may be provided:

1. Fruit or dried fruit or fruit juice and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables should be in-season, available locally and reasonably priced to avoid excessive costs and difficulty in procurement.
   
2. Liquid supplements in the form of sports drinks or mixes that provide electrolytes and meet the carbohydrate solution mixes recommended in Feeding the Wildland Firefighter.  Bottled water may be provided.

In addition to the fruit and liquid supplements, candy bars and energy bars may be provided to supplement those included in sack lunches.  The objective is to provide for an average of 1000 kilocalories of solid supplements per firefighter per day. 

• Any supplemental foods provided will require IC justification and concurrence from the Agency Administrator.  The only acceptable justification for providing supplemental foods is to meet the expanded nutritional needs of firefighters performing prolonged or arduous work.   Supplemental foods are not authorized for mobilization centers, staging areas or personnel not engaged in work on the incident.  “Incident Base meals” provide adequate dietary needs for most work situations.*
  
• No other supplemental food or drinks shall be authorized.  Purchasing jerky products, chips, gum, soda-pop, “designer drinks” and so-called “energy” drinks (containing caffeine, guarana, ephedra, and other stimulants), etc. are not allowed under this policy. Special or cultural dietary needs will be met through the National Mobile Food Contract and not through this policy.  

*From:  Sharkey, Brian, et al., Feeding the Wildland Firefighter, Fire Tech Tips, July 2002.  (http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/)

23.    SUBJECT:                   Incident driving regulations (add-on agenda item)

DISCUSSION:        Discrepancies in agency policies regarding emergency response driving have served as sources of confusion for firefighters, coordination center managers, and incident management teams.  Due to the inherent risks associated with driving during emergency incident mobilization and demobilization, the NWCG identified the need for a single, comprehensive policy regarding hours of driving limitations during those efforts.  The SHWT makes the following recommendations for adoption during this field season.  For all incidents requiring the response of a fire protection organization’s attack or support units:

1. No driver will drive more than 10 hours (behind the wheel) within any duty-day.
2. Multiple drivers in a single vehicle may drive up to the duty-day limitation provided no driver exceeds the individual driving (behind the wheel) time limitation of 10 hours.
3. To manage fatigue, every effort should be made to conduct mobilization and demobilization travel between 0500 hours and 2200 hours.
4. Fatigue counter measures beyond those required by this policy should be employed when conditions require them.  These may include, but are not limited to:
   1. Providing additional drivers operating within the appropriate duty-day        limitations.
   2. Reducing duty-day limitations.
   3. Expanded rest requirements.
   4. Alternate travel methods.
5. Non-CDL: For non-Commercial Driving License (CDL) driving, current national interagency 2-to-1 work-rest policy applies.  Duty-day will NOT exceed 16 hours.
   1. Exception:  Exceptions to work-rest and duty-day limitations  in this category are allowed only if in response to initial attack, and where essential to 1) accomplish immediate and critical suppression objections, or 2) address immediate and critical firefighter or public safety issues, and only if prior approval is granted and documented by the Agency Administrator responsible for the incident.  Mobilization, other than for initial attack, and demobilization are neither immediate nor critical activities.
6. CDL:  All driving requiring CDL will be performed in accordance with applicable Department of Transportation regulations found in 49 CFR 383 and 390-397.
   1. No driver of a vehicle requiring a CDL will drive the vehicle after 15  hours on duty during any duty-day.
   2. Exception:  An additional 2 hours of driving time may be added if: a driver encounters adverse driving conditions, unforeseen emergency situations (breakdown), or to ensure the safety of personnel.

Drivers are responsible to follow these policies and it is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that employees adhere to the proper driving limitations and monitor employee fatigue.

24.    SUBJECT:                   Thirty-Mile Fire Action Prevention Plan review (agenda item I-1)

DISCUSSION:         Eleven of the thirty one action items in the Thirty Mile Accident Prevention Plan have been identified for NWCG action.  The status of the ten items was discussed as summarized below.

• Changes in Federal Fire Policy, which is on-going in the NWCG sponsored project to develop an implementation plan for the 2001 Federal Fire Policy Revision.
• Fire Danger Indices on pocket cards continue to be a work in progress assigned to the FDWT and should be complete after the spring 2003 NWCG Meeting when the FDWT develops recommendations on pocket card standards and conditions for use.
• Thresholds for large fire occurrence continue to be a work in progress.  Lindon Wiebe is the group leader for this project.
• Standardized fire briefing will be closed in 2004 with the publication of the Fireline Handbook.
• Change incident classification for type 1 – type 5 fires will be complete in 2004 with the publication of the Fireline Handbook.
• Complexity analysis for type 3 – type 5 fires will be complete in 2004 with the publication of the Fireline Handbook.
• Dedicated IC for type 3 fires will be closed in 2004 with the publication of the Fireline Handbook.
• Findings, causes and development of Leadership training.  This is on-going with the Leadership training group of the Training Working Team and incorporation of leadership training material into the NWCG curriculum.
• Implement a Risk Management process is complete with the Incident Response Pocket Guide and the publication of the Fireline Handbook in 2004.

Three additional items from the thirty mile accident prevention plan were accepted by were accepted by NWCG for action.  These include:

• Develop standards and process for “standing down” (temporary removal from fire operations) and re-instatement of firefighters or organizations following a major incident or fireline accident.  This is tasked to the SHWT.
• Review and make recommendations on standard qualifications, roles, responsibilities and authorities for trainers and trainees engaged in a training assignment on a fire.  This will be tasked to the IOSWT.
• Development of process and protocols to resolve fire fighter safety standard violations identified prior to the occurrence of an incident or accident. This is tasked to the SHWT.

25.    SUBJECT:                   Thresholds for large fire occurrence (agenda item I-2)

DISCUSSION:         Dave Cleaves, liaison to the task force lead by Lindon Wiebe, reports that the task force is investigating the use of a chart to aid in assessing when thresholds are met that may require transitioning to a higher level of incident management complexity.  This task force has proposed the use of a fire characteristic chart pocket card approach that will be field tested during the 2003 fire season.  Since this appears to be a 30 Mile action item, it was recommended by the task group that subsequent reports do not need to be made at each NWCG meeting.  The NWCG Liaison will request NWCG agenda time when needed.  NWCG members noted that the task force as presently staffed is a Forest Service group and that members from other agencies should be added to make the group more inter-agency.  Dave Cleaves, task force liaison, will pass this on to the task group.

26.    SUBJECT:                   Single fire occurrence reporting system (agenda Item I-5)

DISCUSSION:         Developing a single fire occurrence reporting system has been discussed for years but, to date has not been given a high enough priority to be developed.  The states and Federal agencies believe that, prior to proceeding, there needs to be agreement on data standards and core reporting elements.  The IRMWT was tasked with developing a draft charter to develop common data standards and identify core reporting system elements so that a project for an inter-agency fire occurrence reporting system can proceed.  After the charter is developed and approved, an inter-agency group composed of fire occurrence reporting SMEs should be formed.  The sub-group would work for the IRMWT.  The IRMWT will develop a draft charter for the group that will be presented at the May 2003 NWCG meeting. 

27.    SUBJECT:                   Human Resources Manager position (agenda Item I-16)         

DISCUSSION:         Tom Harbour proposed that NWCG adopt the Human Resource Specialist Position into the NWCG qualification system and training curriculum.  The proposal to include this position will be tasked to the IOSWT for action.   NWCG would like the IOSWT to report back on this recommendation at the January 2004 NWCG meeting.

28.    SUBJECT:                   Pursue formal approval of the NWCG Charter (agenda item I-4)

DISCUSSION:         The NWCG charter was signed by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture in the 1980s and needs to be redrafted to reflect the current operating environment and NWCG membership.  However, the members believe that the project to review and define WFLC, NWCG and FFALC relationships and roles should be complete before redrafting the NWCG charter.  The action is on hold pending the study on WFLC/NWCG/FFALC roles and responsibilities.

29.    SUBJECT:                   NFES Cache Management Plan approval (agenda item A-4)

DISCUSSION:         A draft plan was sent out for review to the membership.  The plan is well written and is important to the operation of the NFES.

MOTION:       Approve the NFES Cache Management Plan as submitted

SECONDED AND CARRIED

30.    SUBJECT:                   FEWT Chair  replacement for Paul Solarz (agenda item A-5)

DISCUSSION:         Alice Forbes will be the acting Chair to replace retired Paul Solarz as the FEWT Chair.

MOTION:       Appoint Alice Forbes as acting Chair of FEWT

SECONDED AND CARRIED

31.    SUBJECT:                   The Wildland Fire Suppression Analysis (WFSA) review and update (agenda item A-6)

DISCUSSION:         The National MAC group feels that there are inconsistencies in the knowledge of and use of the WFSA as a decision document for fire suppression.  The group should look at existing criteria and potential changes in the existing process for the short term fixes by the May 2003 NWCG Meeting.  The group may need to recommend long term applications to NWCG as a full fix.  The make up of this group should include:

• Agency Administrators – Tom Harbour will identify
• Incident Commander, from Paul Hefner
• Fire staff, Larry Hamilton will provide
• Business Management Specialist/IBA, Tory will recommend
• Decision Science Specialist (Don MacGregor)
• State representative
• John Zamoniac, Forest Service Research, was recommended as the Chair.
• Sue Vap and Dave Cleaves will provide liaison with the group. 

33.    SUBJECT:                   Implementation Plan for the 2001 Federal Fire Policy project update (agenda item I-10)

DISCUSSION:         The project to draft the implementation plan for the 2001 Fedral Fire policy is on-going.  The draft plan will be presented to Wildland Fire Leadership Council in March.  It is anticipated that public meetings will be held in late spring or early summer.

34.    SUBJECT:                   Large air tanker program (add-on agenda item)          

DISCUSSION:         A plan to deal with the issues surrounding the large air tanker fleet has been developed.  C-130As and PB4Ys will not be used this year. An air worthiness testing procedure developed by the Sandia Laboratory will be used to evaluate the air worthiness of other large air tankers.  It will be important to limit use of air tankers to initial attack, manage large air tankers as national resources and utilize helicopters and SEATs to perform some missions that have been traditionally filled by large air tankers because their availability will be limited in the upcoming fire season.

35.    SUBJECT:                   Leadership Training Lead (add-on agenda item)

DISCUSSION:         Approve the appointment of Bill Waterberry as the training lead for the L-480/580 Leadership Training courses.

36.    SUBJECT:                   FY 2004 budget, strategies and alternatives (information item I-12)    

DISCUSSION:         A preliminary review of FY 2004 budget proposals was conducted.  The proposed total FY 2004 NWCG budget is $3.016 million contrasted with a total FY 2003 NWCG budget of about $900 thousand.  It is unlikely that the members will be able to approve that much of an increase in the FY 2004 NWCG budget.  Liaisons to the working teams were asked to contact the Working Team Chairs and ask them to identify what their priorities would be if they were asked to reduce their budget by 50% in FY 2004.  The 2004 NWCG budget will be discussed again at the May NWCG meeting in St. Louis.

37.    SUBJECT:                   Future meetings (standard agenda item) 

DISCUSSION:         May 13-15, 2003 St. Louis, MO – Joint GACG meeting, ½ day – ¾ day on the 15th, WFIWT presentation, 5/13 – Tom Harbour will contact Paul Steensland, Chair WFIWT.

Joint NWCG/FFMG meeting 9/29-30.  NWCG will meet October 1-2, 2003. Both meeting are in Sydney, Australia.

January  27-29, 2004, Phoenix, AZ 

38.    AGENDA NOTES:      Agenda items I-8 and A-2 were the same so I-8 was covered in the discussion for A-2.  Agenda items A-1 and A-6 were the same so A-1 was covered in the discussion for A-6.  There was not enough time to include discussion of I-21 “IRMWT Composition and Structure” on the agenda so it will be included on the May NWCG meeting agenda.