BEST WISHES TO ALL FOR A HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

FROM ALL OF US AT THE FWFSA

P.S. It sucks having to wait til Wednesday to get paid when you have bills to pay and you count on those funds every other Monday.

Glad to see that someone is looking into trying to how to retain some of these
individuals ! .I only wish that they had better pay and I had a 26/0 rather than
an 18/8. That is one of the reasons I left and went to the DOD! It was great
when I was single but when I started a family that all changed! Maybe I'll get
lucky and it will all change and I can get out of this mad house and start fighting
fires again!

DOD mistake

Plum Creek's focus raises new concerns
By Michael Jamison
Missoulian

Kalispell - Not far up the road from Steve Brown's house, out west of Whitefish and just around the corner from forest burnt black by the Brush Creek fire, a quarter-mile of new road is headed off into the woods.

The short stretch will cross U.S. Forest Service land, using that public patch to connect Plum Creek Timber Co. with the rest of the world. Plum Creek has another route in, a winding six-mile twist of road used seasonally to haul logs, but the new neighbors weren't going to put up with that.

Because Plum Creek's not going to log that land anymore. Instead, the company plans on selling it as subdivided real estate parcels.

And so the Forest Service has granted a new easement to hasten access, that quick quarter-mile over public land.

"I'm baffled," Brown said. He's lived here for years, and knows the fire danger. "If the Forest Service is really all worried about wildfires, why would they grant easements that encourage more houses in the woods? I'm just wondering why, if they're as broke as they say they are, and they're spending all their money protecting houses from fire, then why would they go and do something like this?"

Because, said Lisa Timchak, the government just can't say no.

"Fire costs are huge," said Timchak, the district ranger who had to review Plum Creek's easement request. "We're becoming a skeleton of an agency. But right now, when they ask for something like this, the Forest Service doesn't have the tools to deny it. Fire costs are not part of the review criteria." (Ab note: important stuff; read on at the link)

Hundekot

Fair Use Disclaimer

It was good and very interesting, from the reduction in firefighting troops to environmental predictions from tree ring data going back thousands of years, to drought, to soil burned of all tilth back to rocky substrate. Predicted loss of 1/2 our forested lands in North America over the next 30 to 100 years... A wake up call for sure. Tom Boatner did a good job for the groundpounders. The AZ fire scientist did a great job of laying out the problems and predictions. I'd like to see it again. Ab.

Three men killed in convoy inferno
December 31, 2007 - 6:20PM
www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/12/31/1198949707028.html

Three men killed when a bushfire caught their trucks in the West Australian
Goldfields are believed to be from WA, police say.

The bodies of three people, initially believed to be two adults and a child,
were found in two burnt-out trucks on the Great Eastern Highway in a section
of Boorabbin National Park between Southern Cross and Coolgardie about
midnight.

Deputy Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said investigators had confirmed the
three were all adult men.

"I can confirm three adult males, believed to be from Western Australia,
have tragically lost their lives,'' Mr Dawson said. (more at the link)

Happy New Year to all.

Peets Coffee in Corona Del Mar Plaza in Newport Beach CA (my daughter' store) raised
$780.00 which will be matched by Peets for a total of $1560 for the Santa's Helper Fund.
Her staff donated all their tips that day to the donation jar. I don't have the totals from the
other two stores yet who raised money for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation General Fund.

Annette

Nice Job. Ab.

Haw haw, good one! Ab.

An amendment to (Proposed amendment highlighted) --

TITLE 5 > PART III > Subpart D > CHAPTER 55 > SUBCHAPTER V

§ 5545b. Pay for firefighters

(a) This section applies to an employee whose position is classified in the firefighter occupation in conformance with the GS-081 standard published by the Office of Personnel Management, or an employee whose position is designated as either a primary or secondary firefighter under 5 CFR 842.802, and whose normal work schedule, as in effect throughout the year, consists of regular tours of duty which average at least 106 hours per biweekly pay period.

> From the Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/people/benefits/fers.html

FERS Firefighter - 5 CFR 842.802
Firefighter means an employee occupying a rigorous position, whose primary duties are to perform work directly connected with the control and extinguishment of fires, as provided in 5 U.S.C. 8401(14). Also included in this definition is an employee occupying a rigorous firefighter position who moves to a supervisory or administrative position and meets the conditions of Sec. 842.803(b).

FERS Secondary position - 5 CFR 842.802
(1) Is clearly in the law enforcement or firefighting field;
(2) Is in an organization having a law enforcement or firefighting mission; and
(3) Is either--
(i) Supervisory; i.e., a position whose primary duties are as a first-level supervisor of law enforcement officers or firefighters in rigorous positions; or
(ii) Administrative; i.e., an executive, managerial, technical, semiprofessional, or professional position for which experience in a rigorous law enforcement or firefighting position, or equivalent experience outside the Federal government, is a prerequisite.

Firefighter Defined - 5 USC 8401(14) http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode05/usc_sec_05_00008401----000-.html
(14) the term "firefighter" means-
(A) an employee, the duties of whose position-
(i) are primarily to perform work directly connected with the control and extinguishment of fires; and
(ii) are sufficiently rigorous that employment opportunities should be limited to young and physically vigorous individuals, as determined by the Director considering the recommendations of the employing agency; and
(B) an employee who is transferred directly to a supervisory or administrative position after performing duties described in subparagraph (A) for at least 3 years;

Note: "throughout the year" applies to either calendar year (CY), fiscal year (FY), or appointment type. The 106 hour average bi-weekly limitation may not apply to all areas, in which case, the provisions of the FEDERAL FIREFIGHTERS OVERTIME PAY REFORM ACT OF 1998 may not apply to your area. In such cases, other provisions of law relating to federal firefighters would apply.

Reference:

Congressional Hearing: Tension in the Tinderbox: Finding Fairness in Federal Firefighter Compensation
Congressional Hearing: Wildland Firefighters Pay: Are There Inequities?
HR 408 Federal Wildland Firefighter Emergency Response Compensation Act of 2005
HR 2963 Federal Wildland Firefighter Emergency Response Compensation Act of 2003
HR 5697 Federal Wildland Firefighter Classification Act of 2005
HR 2814 Federal Firefighters Pay Equity Act
HR 1116/ S 492 Firefighters Pay Fairness Act of 1997
Public Law 106-558 (S 439) "... to authorize equal overtime pay provisions for all Federal employees engaged in wildland fire suppression operations."
Wildlandfire.com Archive: www.wildlandfire.com/docs/2003_n_before/firepay.htm

I have known Bob for 30 years, in that time Bob has been an outstanding firefighter,
manager, mentor, friend and ski partner. I sincerely offer Bob and his beautiful wife
and daughter the very best in his upcoming retirement. He has been a strong asset
to the ANF fire management program as well as R-5 as a whole. I am sure he will
be successful in what ever path he selects in the future. Congratulations on an
outstanding career. Ski ya on the slopes Bob.

Tim V

Thanks to all who answered my question. I knew someone
smarter than me had to have already thought of that airframe.

Onelick

I'm still tuned in to the network of scientists tracking avian flu infections and deaths around the world. Several weeks ago there was likely limited human-to-human infection with deaths in Pakistan. Results should be in on that outbreak soon. This is similar to the clusters of human-to-human infection in Indonesia, where the disease is also endemic in birds, cats and other mammals.

I sent in the CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) summary and it's posted on the Birdflu Watchout Page.

For those who want to follow the latest breaking news on birdflu and other infectious diseases around the world, please visit flutrackers.com.

I'll let you know if things seem to be getting dicey with birdflu.

Mellie

Dear Letterman and all:

First & Foremost, the Omnibus bill "highlights" text did in fact come from Senator Feinstein. A quote from her follows at the end of this post.

Her efforts to place this language in the bill is the result of a variety of folks from fire officials off the BDF to the FWFSA to many others who took the time to educate her staff about the issues. That being said, I remind everyone that the FWFSA is committed to securing fundamental changes in pay & personnel policies for all federal wildland firefighters from all five land management agencies regardless of grade or geographic location.

The text is another in a series of steps forward that have occurred over the last year and a half or so.

The FS, after 3 years of silence finally took a position on the firefighter liability issue, supporting the expansion of reimbursement of PLI premiums. This occurred after the efforts of NFFE and the FWFSA secured the help of Sen. Domenici (R-NM) to get the issue out on the table in Senate hearings last February. As a result, language to expand the reimbursement of PLI premiums has now been signed into law. Next step... the Agency(s) covering 100% of the premium.

Again, through the collective efforts of NFFE and the FWFSA, congress inserted language into the Omnibus bill, now signed into law, "defunding" the FS outsourcing studies.

At the end of last session the House of Representatives passed the Federal Wildland Firefighter Classification Act. While OPM just hasn't gotten it through its head that classification is a major issue, we will continue to get that done with the help of Congress.

Retention meetings have been held in R5 after Congress sought answers to the "exodus" of federal firefighters in R5 to other fire agencies. We obviously don't know the details of those recent meetings but they were held because the Agency now recognizes they can no longer rely on the bureaucratic "smoke & mirrors" to suggest that all is fine. Too many folks are talking now.

Finally, this language in the Omnibus bill: It, as with all the other items mentioned, are steps in the right direction. That means we keep pressing until either 1) the Agency steps forward and recognizes its firefighters as the asset they are and begins to eliminate the archaic pay & personnel policies that have encumbered the firefighters for so long and works to strengthen the infrastructure, or 2) Congress does it for them.

One of the next steps is for the Agency to decide whether they want to have a fire program or not. If they do, it needs to recognize that the current organizational structure of the fire program i.e. non-fire folks making policy, is not conducive to managing a true fire department and changes must be made. The Agency also needs to recognize that its very own policies under this organizational structure is what has caused the skyrocketing costs of suppression.

So, as far as gut feelings are concerned, I don't have any. I am humbled that Congress is starting to hear the voices of these brave men & women and that means we keep our sleeves rolled up and keep up the effort until all of you get what you deserve.

Casey

Quote from Senator Feinstein:

“I worked to secure language in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill because the U.S. Forest Service is losing firefighters to other agencies in California. This is a serious problem that must be addressed, and we are working closely with the Forest Service on a long-term solution. California faces a real and growing threat from wildfires, and we must have a strong firefighting capability at all levels of government.”

"highlights" text
text on Curtailing A76 and text describing Professional Liability Insurance reimbursement (posted to theysaid 12/18)
Retention text (posted to theysaid 12/26) [scroll down to Green for Life's post on 12/27 for links to the bill itself]

Thank you Mark and
Thanks to Casey. Ab.

Bob Serrato sent this out today (yesterday). I remember first meeting Bob in the early 80's. The great thing about Bob is he hasn't changed a bit since the day I met him.

Bob is a great, outstanding Firefighter and fire management leader, but the good thing about Bob is, he is an even better person.

Thanks for your service Bob, have a great retirement.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out of Service
Robert J. Serrato
Angeles National Forest

Farewell, I will be retiring COB January 3, 2008. I have been with this organization almost 34 years and have enjoyed 95% all of that time. Many of you know what happen to the other 5%; I won’t go there in this letter. Ha! Ha!

I have given this organization my best over the years and I’m proud of my accomplishments. It is time for me to step aside. I have been successful in filling the position behind me. Eric McCormick was offered and has accepted the DFMO position and I am certain that he will lead it to greater heights. Although I am looking forward to retirement, it is with some regret that I am leaving. I will miss my colleagues and the opportunity to see employees develop. As I reflect on the people whom I have crossed paths with, many thoughts come to mind. First and foremost is the high level of professionalism that you all maintain. I have been humbled by having the pleasure and opportunity to have known and worked with so many that I hold with the highest respect. The Forest Service has provided me the opportunity to do things and visit places that most people only dream of.

In closing, I feel deeply indebted to you all for the support, guidance, and the encouragement you have provided me during my tenure.

Please keep in touch, I can be reached at (snip) or at the following numbers; (snip). I look forward to sharing a farewell refreshment with you all on January 19, 2008 at my retirement celebration.

Sincerely, 
Robert J. Serrato

When is the best time to start thinking about your retirement?
Before your boss does!

P to P helps not one geographic area, not just one agency, but the entire federal land management workforce. P to P would go a long way to solve the recruitment and retention issues. The passage of P to P in my opinion is the single most important thing that could be done to get things back on the right track.

Until then I ask ICs everywhere to use "ordered stand-by" (used by LPF and ANF during the fire siege) within your fire camps in 2008. You have many options within your authorities and can create variations to mold for your incidents and mirror P to P pay. Work on this at your team meetings in 08. R-5 has always been known for leading change, keep the tradition alive. R-5 and other fed agency ICs within Ca, if you lead on this issue now, then years, even decades from now you will always be remembered as "The Leaders" who changed how federal emergency responders are managed and paid. Most of you ICs have very little time left in your careers. Do something in 2008 for the younger generation looking to follow in your footsteps. ICs; "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things". You have the unique opportunity to do both in 2008.

See you Reno!

Letterman

Thanks, Green. Ab.

www.ndt.net/article/ecndt98/aero/031/031.htm

Aging aircraft issues:

Regarding the Navy grounding or potentially grounding of their P3 fleet..........

ALL of these aircraft are now coming due, due to aging aircraft issues even before Mr Tony Kern (former USFS F&AVN) type knew about these and the issues of the of the aging fleet.

To be sure, Aero Union will do its best in the NDT arena, eddy current detection, and other aging aircraft issues.

Look on their website and see what their capabilities are.  Probably will get a Navy contract for the inspections if the Navy decides to use them as a prime mover in this arena.

Now it is time for the USFS and other land mgmt agencies to come to the realization that this issue is far from over and that their up and coming fire season may be interrupted (to some degree) during 18 to 24 month inspection schedules......

Some of these aircraft are as old as the former Hawkins and Powers fleet of C130 series of aircraft......

And everyone in the fire biz saw what happened to that FAMOUS aviation company after the land management agencies pulled their "Blue Ribbon Panel".  Are they going to do it again??  Are they going to claim knowledge in all things aviation??

USFS Fire and Aviation had better be clear on this........ The Navy let the AVIATION COMMUNITY know because of their AVIATION background, not the land mgmt agencies pouring over BRPs and town hall meetings regarding the aging air fleet.

Already everyone has seen the DC-10 and its possibilities, only it probably still can't fly over Federal lands like its older brother, the DC6.

Aero Union will do its best. The land management agencies do not have much left in the 3000 gallon inventory if they go after this one as they did the C130 and the PB4Y series.............

Let's let the AVIATION pro at Aero Union and the Navy sort this out..  BUT to the land management agencies... Are you ready to bring back some iron in the event of a catastrophic fire season '08??   Better get to the boneyard at Davis Monthan and see what can be resurrected.

Just to be fair to the fixed wing community......  some of the rotary wing aircraft are coming due also as far as aging aircraft issues also.

Again coming from a forester, former wildland firefighter, A&P, and Commercial pilot.......

To the land management agencies, be very careful with this, I will state the obvious, it COSTS something including people's livelihoods and it cost something to get these issues resolved.  GET all the facts B4 you pull another BRP.

LL

Ab note:
NDT=Non Destructive Testing detects cracks or any other irregularities in the airframe, structure, landing gear, and engine components which are not visible to the naked eye.
BRP=Blue Ribbon Panel, referring in this case to the BRP on the aging C130s and PB4Ys.

On the Laguna fire in 1970 when it was making its run out of Harbison Canyon and heading into the Dehesa area, Chief’s Tom Barnes from La Mesa FD and Bill Thurber from Fallbrook saved about twenty five houses using good old Yankee ingenuity. I thought they were all going to burn; when I found Chief Barnes and told him about the problem he went back to the staging area at Gillespie Field, got the resources together and came out and those are my heroes even now.

The bigger problem with the whole situation down in San Diego County is turf and “Who is going to be in Charge.” That question is still hanging as I write this. The Chief Officer ranks of the SDFD don’t have the practical or demonstrated experience or ability to be thrust into that role, but the San Diego County fire service is loaded with some talented fire professionals who sure could help to weld that into a cohesive, functioning system.

Cal Fire is now too political to be the practical leader. They are changing Unit Chiefs too frequently for one personality to settle in and do a creditable job. What has worked well is their ability to pull smaller entities into their contract fold and make that work very well and make the utilization of resources effective. I only wish that when I worked in San Diego County that Cal Fire then had the talents they do now in the Battalion Chief ranks. Those folks are heads and above most I ever worked for.

The politicians never quit, do they? Now they want more fire engines. Who will organize and direct those additional resources? Who will fund the staffing and training? They have a hundred different ideas, none of which are practical or productive, to me, and the confusion still reigns supreme.

The solutions will be at the ballot box if the voters are truly as concerned as they are portrayed to be by the media. All the City and County government leaders are doing when they become critical of Cal Fire and the Forest Service is signal to me they are looking for scapegoats, hoping that no one comes trying to hold them accountable for their own lack of definitive action. It is they who are legally responsible and who continually refuse to take the helm and provide effective leadership, not the role of Cal Fire or the Forest Service.

Normbc9

• FS should examine Federal Firefighter pay and personnel policies and provide House
  & Senate Committees on Appropriations with a proposal to increase recruitment and
  retention for Southern California forests no later than Feb 1, 2008.

Letterman

Anyone know in what section or on what page this is located? Thanks. Ab.
Posted on 12/27: answer is here.

On a second note, there were some demo flight's at Camp Pendleton in California sometime around 1999-2000, and while the maneuverability was outstanding, many of the state and government officials walked away unimpressed. As a last note, the first hurdle to overcome should this get past where it is now, is for the government to release some for sale or lease. After 9/11, I just don't see that happening for quite some time.

Something else one needs to look at when dealing with jet engines vs. piston, is "spool up" time. In a piston engine, increased rpm's are attained more rapidly, such as post-drop throttle to regain altitude and airspeed. A jet engine takes longer to attain these critical rpm's. The basic A-10 uses a TF-34_GE-100 Turbofan powerplant. It takes roughly 6 seconds to spool to 110% vs. somewhere around 4-5 seconds for a piston engine (I used a Wright-Turbo Compound for this example). Not a big spread for the numbers, but it's a mile if your life depends on it.

Nothing wrong at all with your thoughts. That's the only way this industry is going to survive is by people dreaming up new thoughts and ideas. I hope I was able to answer your question without getting too technical.

TS

Here's something that needs to be run by the airtanker folks. With all the
airframes that are being grounded lately, has anyone thought about using the
A-10 warthog airframe as an airtanker? I was talking to my brother-in-law
during the holidays, when this subject came up. He works on the avionics on
this plane, and he said the payload capacity is around 10k pounds. Which in
my limited mental capacity, put the gallonage around 1,000 gals. Since this
plane was designed to fly slow, and low to the ground, why wouldn't it make
a good airtanker? Or is the AirTractor a better platform? Since I'm just a
groundpounder, I'm not familiar with the different airframes. Just some
food for thought. It's amazing what ideas come to your head over some cool
adult beverages.

Onelick

Ab.

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-=MERRY=--=CHRISTMAS=--=MERRY=--=CHRISTMAS=--=MERRY=--=CHRISTMAS=--=MERRY=-
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From the Abs at wildlandfire.com

Praying for a safe and wonderful holiday season for all...and may 2008
be a better year for us all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Tom Stein

"I'm Dreaming" (swf file)
Click "Play" in the middle.

To further get in the snow mood... if you have DSL or highspeed internet

Let It Snow.pps (2627K pps file, large download file if you have dsl)

Ab.

May the firecamp keep feeding those big juicy steaks
And lot of OT for Christmas you’ll make

May the relief crew always show up on time
For you and your bunch to get off the line

May the night shift be rested and ready to hold
All that line you’ve been pushing since daylight unfold.

May the generator be shut down at 0 early time
So you and your crew can sleep just fine

May your sack lunches be fresh ones, not from days past
With 3 big sandwiches, all day to last

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes to you Ab, to Original Ab and the hotlist mods at Wildlandfire.com.

Normbc9

Nice poem, unnamed firefighter. Thanks, Normbc9; happy holidays to all of you as well. Ab.

ms

So. Cal Forest 24/7/365 Dispatch Centers........

There is all this talk about flying at night when the aircraft shouldn't even be
flying in those conditions even during during the daylight. The wind was 50+
mph and the drops couldn't be supported by ground troops.

DE

Ab,

I, along with CDF engines from Witch Creek and Ramona in unison with CNF engines from Barona, Henshaw and Pine Hills were the IA force on the 1956 Inaja fire. It, too, occurred during some very extreme east wind conditions. We all worked our hearts out to try to get some kind of a foot hold on that fire, but it just simply got up at the tops of the brush on the north side (south facing exposure) and ran from Eagle Peak Road west to the Dye Canyon and Barona Truck Trails in about twenty minutes (five miles) and the smoke column never reached up skyward. It was all horizontal smoke stream down canyon following the San Diego Riverbed.

In the next hour there were at least 25 engines, four dozers and fifteen hand crews on scene and assigned. Those were the days before aircraft. On the second day, two aerial N3-N’s were brought down from Oroville for an experiment. The final fire tally was, unfortunately, that several brave firefighters being supervised by USFS Descanso District personnel died in the San Diego River canyon. A wind shift caught them by surprise. Both fire agencies were at the maximum effort and even found themselves defending their respective Base camps from the fire. We all spent our Thanksgiving still assigned to the fire, but all were mourning the loss of fellow professionals.

The recriminations in the media began immediately and rumor after rumor passed on the radio talk shows. Accusations ran amok. The firefighters who were in the middle of the firefight knew what the truth was, but every time they tried to speak out some agency attorney or manager tried to prevent the stories from getting out. The same happened in 1970, 1992, 2003 and now 2007. In my opinion, what is the real truth is in the indifference in the governmental bodies of San Diego City and County. Both remind me of what I hear about the New Orleans situation. They want someone else to bail them out.

I can however identify with what retired San Diego City Fire Chief Jeff Bowman is saying. He was one of those guiding lights the fire service was counting on to help identify the problems that were the task of the Blue Ribbon Commission to ferret out. The job that group performed and the results of their work are legend, in my book. Look at the record. L.A. County went to work, implemented most of the recommendations, and the 2007 wild fire records will bear out. Considering the structures exposed, their loses were much less than the governments who tried to do this on the cheap.

And yes, Chief Bowman is correct. Cal Fire’s top leadership is now compromised by politics. Look at the news clips. Who was following the governor to every fire (Grijalva and the Resources Secretary) who were the window dressing the governor so desperately needed. The relaxation of the fire resources in this state were initiated on the order of the governor. Just days before the fire siege. When trouble hit, all were pretty much caught by surprise with the exception of the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara.

Make no mistake about it, if it wasn’t for the CDF Firefighters and the FWFSA, both parent agencies at the top are led by ineffective managers and they'd be totally paralyzed, if it wasn’t for the labor groups asking some questions and demanding some answers. Don’t let anyone mislead you saying that there are better circumstances in Cal Fire. Cal Fire does have very effective Unit Chiefs, but these are offset by some indecisive leaders further up the chain. If it wasn’t for the presence of many Schedule A contract funded personnel, Cal Fire would be in the same or near same position the USFS is in the Fire Control groups.

Normbc9

More of the same from Jarman, the city, and the local politicians. I think it's interesting to read the responses from the public. They get it! A lack of control, interoperability, and very poor brush management in the WUI is the key. Not spotters and night flying helicopters. Look at LA, they had ample resources and night flying helicopters but homes are still lost. Just like every major fire in the WUI. As long as San Diego still has inept leaders there problems will never be solved.

CDFFF

CDF is really taking a beating down in San Diego. Any of us who were there know who was doing what and it was not the departments in the article below. We need to support our brothers and sisters and start writing some letters and make some phone calls. The people of San Diego are going to get screwed if the city fire department takes control of wildland fires there. The citizens are not being served.

Please write......
To be considered for publication, a letter must include a daytime phone number and, if faxed or mailed, be signed. It may be sent to Letters Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Post Office Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191, faxed to (619) 260-5081 or
e-mailed to letters@uniontrib.com

Cal Fire drawing heated criticism over policies
www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...23calfire.html

Experts cite agency's rigid approach to job
By Tony Manolatos Mark Sauer and Jeff McDonald
Union-Tribune Staff Writers
December 23, 2007

The call from Cal Fire came at 10:19 p.m.: Could Copter 1 rescue a man who had fallen off an ATV on a steep slope near Barrett Lake?

Sixty minutes later, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department helicopter was hovering above a dark ravine in East County, battling gusting winds as the crew hoisted the 300-pound victim to safety.

The city firefighters understood precisely what was expected of them that night in August. As the only helicopter crew in San Diego County equipped to fly after dark, they answer such calls about 50 times a year.

What they can't understand, however, is why Cal Fire asks them to fly at night to rescue people but says it's too risky for them from to fly at night to drop water on wildfires, a far-less-dangerous job.

Fire experts say Cal Fire's ban on night flying is just one example of the rigid structure that defines the state firefighting agency, which is responsible for controlling most major wildfires.

Interviews with more than a dozen fire officials and politicians reveal a growing concern that Cal Fire's approach to firefighting made it harder to protect homes and save lives during the October wildfires in Southern California, even though the agency had been told to correct similar problems that surfaced during the 2003 fires.

Many of them said Cal Fire has become a politicized bureaucracy, saddled with a tight budget, layers of questionable policies and less influence in most of the state's largest counties.

These increasingly vocal critics say wholesale changes are needed.

Some are calling for new leadership. Others want a fresh approach to firefighting that employs the best strategies from departments across California. All agree on one thing: To prepare Southern California for future firestorms, Cal Fire needs more resources, more accountability and fewer restrictions, particularly when it comes to night flying and deploying military aircraft.

Some suggest that San Diego County – which lost more homes than any other county in October – would be better served with a unified firefighting approach that relegates Cal Fire to a supporting role, instead of allowing it to direct the fight. Six other California counties have taken that step.

The county Board of Supervisors already is considering buying 50 fire engines to offset the lack of state resources. And the city of San Diego is trying to find money to buy a second firefighting helicopter, partly because Copter 1 was the only helicopter flying over the city for the first two days of the fires, when 365 homes burned in Rancho Bernardo.

San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman said her department needs “immediate access and control of air resources to respond immediately to work with crews on the ground.”

Frustrated by the state's lack of support, she has already told her staff to begin negotiating with the Navy for the use of its helicopters during future wildfires. That way, the city could bypass Cal Fire rules that limited the use of military aircraft during the last two firestorms.

The Navy copters are equipped with the same night-vision technology used on Copter 1 and on helicopters used by the Los Angeles city and county fire departments.

Jarman says it's easier to fight fires from the sky after dark, because the winds are usually calmer and night-vision goggles in effect light up the ground below like a video game.

But Cal Fire, whose pilots don't have the new technology, says safety is the issue.

Former San Diego Fire Chief Jeff Bowman, who was in charge during the 2003 Cedar fire, thinks city and county leaders should simply “get rid of Cal Fire.”

“I'm not knocking the firefighters of Cal Fire. I'm knocking the structure and how it's managed,” Bowman said. “I truly believe their leadership – there isn't any. It's all politics.”

But expecting lawmakers and the 65 fire departments within San Diego County's 18 cities and rural areas to support a unified plan is like expecting to win the lottery. The idea has been discussed for years, but turf battles inevitably rise, leaving San Diego County one of the largest and most populous in the nation without its own regional fire department.

Even the counties that rely on Cal Fire only for backup are demanding more from the state agency the next time around. (to read the rest, click the link at the top)

WLF.com Fair Use Disclaimer

Subject: ASC-HCM, Interagency Hotshot Crew Permanent Positions

Good Morning,

I just spoke to Lynda Kinney at ASC-HCM and the influx of e-mails and phone calls about the status of current permanent IHC positions is overwhelming them.

During January, a meeting will take place at ASC with classifiers and HCM personnel to discuss and attempt to resolve the following:

- Career ladder positions with in the IHC organization
- Open continuous announcements for all IHC positions
- Position description standardization across the country
- The use of the GS-7 vs GS-6 Squad Leader Position Description

I have requested that a least one representative of the IHC organization attend to answer questions on crew configurations across the country and any other pertinent questions that the classifiers may have.

I realize everyone is pushing to get positions filled before the upcoming fire season, however until that meeting very little will be resolved through continuing phone calls and e-mails except to delay other work ASC is doing.

A nation-wide approach is in our best interest and really the only way this will get resolved since HCM has been consolidated in Albuquerque. If you were to do anything it would be that your Regional Fire Director and Line Officers understand and approve the use of a GS-7 Squad Leader position description. It will be up to the classifiers of the PD that might be used in conjunction with development of a career ladder.

Please forward this request to limit the contact until after the meeting to the crews you represent.

I will advise you of the representative when attendance is approved.

If you have questions call. Thanks for your time.

<snip name>
<snip IHC supt affiliation>
Region 3

Federal Pay Raise, Part Two
12/21/07 02:00

Thanks to last-minute action by Congress, white collar feds will get a bigger January raise than the 3 percent hike authorized by President Bush.

Last month, the OPM published pay tables (which we also carried) showing the impact of the raise after city-by-city locality differentials were figured in. We told you at the time that the chart was accurate but that it wasn't necessarily the final word. The issue was whether Congress would pass an Omnibus spending bill that included the higher (3.5 percent) raise, and, if it did, if the President would sign it.

Bottom line: They did and he will!

The pay raise goes into effect with the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2008. For about-to-retire feds, most of their unused annual leave will be paid at the new, higher 2008 rates.

Under the original White House plan, the largest concentration of federal workers (those in the Washington-Baltimore area) would have gotten a 2.49 percent increase in January. But once the Omnibus bill is signed into law and after locality pay is factored in, most of those 300,000 feds will get a 3.49 percent raise. That extra percentage point will also boost the value of their life insurance, their eventual retirement annuity and the value of their annual leave.

The new pay tables will be posted on the OPM website soon.

Meantime, here's an estimate of what the raises will be for selected cities:

Chicago, 3.65 percent... Dallas-Ft. Worth, 3.72 percent... Huntsville, 3.07 percent... Los Angeles, Sacramento and Seattle, 3.5 percent... San Francisco, 4.23 percent... San Diego, 3.91 percent... San Diego, 3.9... New York City, 3.97 percent... and Richmond, 3.39 percent.

Feds who are in what is called RUS (which stands for Rest-of-U.S.) will get an estimated 2.99 percent.

The Nearly Useless Factoid
Today, it's completely useless for those who follow The Federal Drive, but in case you missed it, someone has actually gone to the trouble to list the Top Ten Worst Christmas Cracker Jokes Ever and the London Daily Telegraph has gone ever further by publishing the list. If pushed, we could probably explain what a "cracker" is (according to Brits), but we'd be hard pressed to explain British humour. They did say these are the worst. Enjoy!

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com
www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=7

WLF.com Fair Use Disclaimer

Our office received an envelope from our Zone dispatch yesterday addressed
to "California Fire Fighters". In the envelope was a note and drawing from a
grade school student in California saying thank you for helping put out the fires.

Our thanks to all in the dispatch chain that got this note to us. Glad we could
help and ready to do it again if there is ever a need.

Seasons greetings.

Midwest Fire Guy

I am pleased to report that the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association's efforts, along with those of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), specifically Mark Davis, to educate Congress on the "unintended consequences" of PL 107-203 has resulted in legislation being introduced today by Sen's Cantwell (D-WA), Bingaman (D-NM) & Domenici (R-NM) that would expand coverage of those eligible for reimbursement of 50% of any liability insurance premiums.

And this from a 6/28/07 post from me:

We were also encouraged to see the liability insurance co-pay in the Senate bill. We worked hard to push this and I know Casey (a good man to have on your side!) did as well. We will continue to work with Congress to clarify the scope of this provision and encourage its passage into law. This is only a band-aide on the liability issue; we will also continue to work on building a statutory "privilege" firewall around information obtained by a safety investigation.

To FWFSA and NFFE member, right on. We are both member-sponsored organizations whose effectiveness depends upon the support of our members. I will never encourage a federal firefighter to chose one organization over another. I have too much respect for Casey's work. Membership in both is great. But if you can only join one, for goodness sake flip a coin and join one. The problem is not NFFE "winning" members at FWFSA's expense, or vice versa. The problem is those who benefit from the work of both organizations but support neither. Get in the game, folks! We're winning some major battles here. But there's more work to be done. To take it to the next level, we need your support. NFFE and FWFSA.

Finally, a clarification: while the original language stopped coverage at the ICT3, DIVS level -- the new language in the bill extends coverage all the way down to an ICT5, single resource boss, squad boss, and others who were originally left out. The word document in my 12/20 post give more details.

I'll get back with an update on the competitive sourcing language later, but for now I'm going to get back to enjoying the holidays with my family. Merry Christmas to all.

Mark Davis, Chair
NFFE Forest Service Council Legislative Committee

Thanks Mark. Ab.

contractor

PS. Just got in from a 14 hour shift plowing snow on I-90 for MDT.
(Montana Department of Transportation) Might plow on Christmas also,
Ho,Ho,Ho.

Glad you like it. We do too. Happy holidays. Ab.

I guess you allow for postings like Johnivan's because it promotes free expression (which is a good thing) and allows one to learn something. Hopefully some fellow feds, much smarter than I will teach Johnivan a few things over the next few days. My thoughts....

Forget about FMAG or F this or F that, and try to understand how the mutual aid system works. We as a whole would lose at a minimum 25% effectiveness w/o CAL FIRE, COUNTY FIRE, LOCAL FIRE and FED FIRE working together on each other's fires and other emergencies. The people of this state or any other state expect cooperation and understand cooperation has a price.

More important than that, is that it always astounds me to hear firefighters calling out other firefighters. You can expect that from Lawyers, Stockbrokers and Politicians, but Firefighters, common Johnboy! I'm Forest Service and will be a Forest Service Firefighter my whole career. However, I wouldn't lose much sleep or respect for a fire agency because they wouldn't pay to fix my ride. My concern was that it was fixed quickly and correctly.

You said:
I just heard CDF, oh sorry CAL FIRE. Cut with the cutesy crap please, that's embarrassing.

You said:
I lost a lot of respect for CDF. You lost a lot of respect because someone made a decision not to pay for a vehicle repair? Did you ever think that maybe a Fed Agency Rep made that decision?


YOUR ANSWER:
www.fs.fed.us/r5/fire/cooperators/rev03_ca_fire_assist_agrmt_2002-2006.pdf

This agreement has been extended through the end of 2007.

Governor's Office of Emergency Services, hereinafter referred to as State OES; the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region; the State of California, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; the USDI Bureau of Land Management, California State Office; the USDI National Park Service, Pacific West Region, and USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, California –Nevada Operations, the latter five parties hereinafter referred to as Forest Agencies

A-17. State OES assumes the normal cost of repair or damage to State OES-owned apparatus, which may result from use under the terms of this agreement.

A-16. State OES shall assume operational costs, including necessary motor fuels and lubricants used in State-owned OES apparatus while responding to and returning from Forest Agency incidents.

A-21. Forest Agencies* will provide for motor fuel and lubricants, normal servicing costs, and minor repairs incidental to operation of apparatus including local jurisdiction support equipment while under direction and control of the requesting Forest Agency. Minor Repair is defined as any repair necessary to keep the equipment in operation on the fire, which requires not more than two hours (labor time only) for one mechanic for any one job, exclusive of obtaining parts.

COST OF APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT LOSS OR DAMAGE
23. A Forest Agency may reimburse a local agency for the cost of apparatus or equipment loss or damage where the loss or damage is directly caused by the fire being suppressed, and where the local agency, its employees and/or operational failures in the apparatus or support equipment are not a contributing factor to such damage or loss. Loss or damage to local agency apparatus or support equipment while enroute to or from an incident and repairs due to normal wear and tear or due to negligent or unlawful operation by the operator shall be the responsibility of the local agency providing the apparatus or equipment.
24. Loss or damage to local agency apparatus or support equipment occurring on an incident is to be reported to the incident finance section to ensure proper documentation and investigation.
25. If post incident help is needed for cost reimbursement, contact the appropriate Forest Agency, listed below:

Finally, the So Cal fire siege was a federal disaster that caused the largest evac in Ca history. As a Fed and Ca taxpayer, I expect the Fed gov to support state, local and Fed departments. Why? Remember the fire agencies who may receive federal funds, may also be the same dept that is tasked with saving lives. We all have moms and dads, grandparents or kids. I want and will pay for a strong well-staffed fire dept in my community that is not burdened with paying for a federal disaster(s).

Good Grief, go vent somewhere else, because comments like yours are not something the overwhelming majority of readers in this forum find acceptable.

ms

Italics above are not Ab's. <tongue firmly in cheek>

The italics are entirely the contribution of Ab who seems to have lost his tongue in his cheek! Cheers, Fedwatcher II!

FOBS 73

It's nice to have that good fuel treatments burn example all in one place.
Should be on the hotlist too so it easily can be found with a search.

Everyone,

Whoooooo Hoooooooo, it's winter solstice! We're doing our annual
"Burning Old Man Winter" bonfire!

Happy holidays to all!

Mellie

Heh, wondered if that post would get you using dialup.... Ab.

www.dailynews.com/ci_7780371?source=rss

I also wanted to say that I do respect all fellow firefighters.
I was just venting.

Johnivan

A. You "heard" we were going to receive 41 million dollars. I
for one have "heard" a lot of things. Most of which if you
have been in this business long enough, know turn out to
be complete B.S. So when we actually get some money.
Then let's talk.

B. Cal Fire will pay for damages if they are related to the
to the incident. I have no idea what this issue
was with your engine. However it may well have initially
looked to be incident related. Once we find out through
mechanical troubleshooting that it may not have been
incident related, then we will not pay for the repair.

C. If the engine operator or the Forest your engine belongs
too. Believes they are getting the shaft. Then it goes to
the USFS Agency Rep assigned to the incident.
They will negotiate the issue with the I.C. or Dep. I.C. of the
Incident Command Team responsible for the incident.

Johnivan, I am sorry we have lost your respect. This is unfortunate. Fortunately
for us, we have the respect of many others.

Cal Fire Jake

I just heard CDF, oh sorry CAL FIRE, is going to receive around 41 million from US grants and OES. I am a federal firefighter. I was on the Harris fire, when the engine I was on broke down. At first CDF said they would pay for repairs, but when all said and done they didn't pay for cr*p. I am so glad that they are going to get all this money for fighting the fires but can't pay for an engine that broke on their fire. I lost a lot of respect for CDF.

I am staying with the federal service I am not going to jump ship.

Johnivan

I don't know what the rules and SOPs and channels are for paying for things like broken engines. Anyone know? Anyone want to fill us in? Ab.

Thanks Vicki.

Readers, with respect to Professional Liability Insurance, don't forget the FEDS offer of six months free when you make the switch by the end of the 2007 year. Tony and crew were the ones that Wright called on to do the work for those on Cramer and 30Mile. That legal brain power is working for all of us now through FEDS. Browse their website. Make a change.

Our wildlandfire.com calendars are pretty neat too. (Link and discount code at the top left of this page.) Ab.

Peets will be giving free drip coffee & tea and collecting donations for the WFF at 3 stores on Dec 24 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. closing. I urge everyone in the area to stop in for a free cup of coffee and drop some cash in the jar. Peets will match the donations up to $1000.00.

Peets in the Corona Del Mar Plaza in Newport Beach will be collecting for the Santa's Helper Fund. My son will be at the Newport Beach store to encourage donations and answer questions about the foundation and wildland firefighting.

Peets in the Tustin Marketplace and Peets on El Toro Rd. in Lake Forest will both be collecting for the WFF General Fund.

Please stop in and drop some money in the donation jar for our Wildland Firefighter Foundation that does so much for everyone in wildland fire. We (family, friends & public) need to step up and support our heroes in any way we can and donating to the WFF is a great way to do so.

Annette

Abs: I am an Assistant U.S. Attorney who teaches a Fire Law course, and a former wildland firefighter. November 2005 we completed much of the pile and broadcast burning on my private land and the adjacent Forest, Payson Ranger District, under an MOU. Ice cold night winds falling off the Mogollon Rim added some excitement, but it was very successful in reducing dead fuels which were 30 tons per acre in places. The fire environment is the same as the Dude Fire, but better in November than in June. Many firefighters are familiar with my place from other fires as well, Kehl Ridge, Bray, December, Packrat and Webber.

Burning started 10 feet from my Ranch House with the Globe Inmate Crew assisting. They had no hot food for next breakfast, or shelter when I arrived, and were going to bed down outside. I opened up the Ranch House and Bunk House and made sure everyone had a bed or a couch or a cot, and hot water then went back to town for snacks and breakfast food. One of the inmates was an early riser and cook so I had him get me up early from my couch near the fire and we cooked up a huge breakfast. The Navajo Scouts replaced the Globe crew and I had a chance to visit with them as well, many of whom had been on the Dude Fire.

So far, this thinning and burning project has been a major success considering my 25 acres surrounded by Forest in a box canyon under the Rim had been at serious risk for a catastrophic and dangerous situation. Thanks are due the Forest Service, the Arizona State Land Department and the firefighters who have worked so diligently to complete this project. Here are some photos of the burning operations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After we completed this prescribed fire in November, 2005, in February 2006 a campfire blew off the Mogollon Rim and raced toward the Ranchhouse as a crown fire until it reached the fuel break. The treatment done by us, the State Land Department and the Forest Service made it safe enough for firefighters to work and saved the historic structures and orchards. The February Fire eventually burned over 4,000 acres around us. You should link to the attached paper which received National/Congressional attention as one of the success stories of fuel treatments under the National Fire Plan. Mike Johns

Here's a 1472K pdf file of maps, etc: Bray Creek Ranch Rx treatment
This is a 60K msword doc that will download if you click this link:  fuel treatment February Fire (60K doc file)

Messages follow:

I know you don't get many Dispatch logos, but I completed this one for
Central Idaho Interagency Coordination Center last year.
Tim B.

Here is the logo for La Cima Conservation Camp (Julian, CA).
MVU La Cima CCC

Thanks to both groups for doing what you do. There are other shops within the FS that are watching the bill carefully. In addition to liability, the whole outsourcing process is very time and money consuming. Ab.

Beyond Tranquillon Ridge was a great book to read and remember the
losses and the horrible tragedy from first hand accounts, but I remember
the stories best when you described them to us personally over a few
cold ones a few years ago.

We never knew....

Lobotomy

Readers, here's a pic of the '06 Lakeview Fuels Crew on Handcrews 22. Does anyone know if this is Lakeview, Oregon? Is it a state crew or FS or some other agency crew? Thanks for any info. Ab.

The crew in he picture is BLM crew 7 out of Klamath Falls Oregon (Lakeview BLM). The info below the picture is pretty accurate. the crew was funded as a fuels reduction crew. They also had suppression responsibilities, mostly local, but some of unit stuff. Crew was set up as a type 2 IA with 1- Superintendent, 1- Foreman, 3- Module leaders (Squaddy), and the balance crewmembers. I believe they had 10 perms, ranging from PFT to perm 13/13's, and the rest temps. For equipment, I believe the crew had 4 six packs, multiple atv's, a type 6 engine (NWCG), a type 4 engine (NWCG), as well as lots of chainsaws. Pretty nice set up. Sadly, I have heard that the crew was disbanded after the 06 season, although that may not be true.

L-C-E-S

The photo was the BLM Lakeview District 2006 Fuels Crew located at Klamath Falls, Oregon. The crew that started in 2000 is one of several funded by the National Fire Plan - available for suppression but focusing on hard manual work and lots of prescribed fire. Cathy

ND

Thanks, I added the OR info to the description. Ab.

Thanks, Homey, I put them on AirTankers 24 photo page. Ab.

Picture of range fire in Jones County Texas on Jan. 12, 2006. The truck
belongs to the Anson Volunteer Fire Dept. Anson, Texas. Picture taken
before the helicopters and planes arrived on the scene.

Submitted by Shannon H. Middlebrook

Thanks for the engine and flames. I posted it on the Engines18 photo page. Ab.

"Nerve center of the FWFSA" Casey-snow, but lots more.

Wildlandfire.com was also down this morning for 45 minutes. Those winter storms can take
their toll. If you can't get through to theysaid, just try again later. OA and I decided by
phone this morning that it was further indication we should all take a break and enjoy
our families when opportunities arise. Haw haw, several folks called to ask if we knew...

I got a call from one groundpounder needing his theysaid fix. He said he's spending time
at school with his kindergartner. They had so much fun the first day he's opted for
being there all week! Sounds like one fine alternative.

Have fun, All! Relax... Cheers!

Ab.

Here are a couple of interesting articles from the Lompoc Record
concerning the 1977 Honda Canyon Fire on Vandenberg Air Force
Base.

Today is the 30 year anniversary and I thought your readers may
want to take a long trip back in time.

www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2007/12/20/news/featurednews/news01.txt
www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2007/11/13/news/featurednews/news01.txt

Here’s wishing you a very Happy Holliday,

Joseph Valencia

Hi Joe, nice articles, but for the full story I think people should get your book Beyond Tranquillon Ridge and read it. Here are some good reviews. I found your book very interesting. Ab.

To follow up on Casey’s post of 12/18, maybe I can shed some light on the coverage provided by the PLI provision in the 2008 omnibus appropriations bill. NFFE has been working with the Forest Service and Congress on providing broader coverage than was initially proposed. Here’s the short story.

The original PLI language would have expanded coverage to some, but not all, fire line supervisors. The original language would have modified the law to read (changes are in blue)

Word doc of the formatted version (33K) with changes in blue. Ab.

So do you know any places in Canada that are recruiting wildland
firefighters with no experience?

JEB

When you describe the wildland fire management community don’t forget
the Fire GIS Specialists! The job may not be the most glamorous; I’ve never
heard of high risk exposure to too many shapefiles, but the first thing folks
ask for during a wildfire is a map.

Fire Geek

Orienting, one prerequisite for situational awareness... Ab.

"What has always scared me is that a good majority of the
stones at the National Wildland Firefighter Memorial in Boise
came from contract airtanker crews...... For some reason,
their losses aren't appreciated or understood by some in
the wildland fire community."

I read once where if ground resources had the same death rate per
hour exposed to wildland firefighting as airtanker pilots is would be
many times higher than the worst year we ever saw. And no one
would find that acceptable. The nation has a duty to every wildland
 firefighter to provide them with safe, effective and efficient tools to
use. Wildland fire management is a big family. Hotshots to Type 2