US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region
2009 Fire Season Key Messages and Talking Points
Fire Management Key Messages:
- We don’t simply fight fire, we manage fire to keep forests healthy.
- Sometimes allowing fires to burn safely can improve the health of the
forest and prevent future wildfires.
- Frequent fires are a part of California’s history. Efforts to exclude
fire are not only impossible, but harm the health of forest.
- Our forests need to be fire resilient and our communities fire
resistant.
- A resilient forest in California can not only survive a fire, but will
thrive.
- Fire resistant communities plan their growth and maintain their property
in a fire wise manner.
- Forests in California are stressed by pressures from climate change,
insects and increasing population.
- Healthy, sustainable forests are more resilient to current and future
affects of climate change and increasing population pressures.
- Healthy forests deliver clean water, recreation and wildlife habitat for
the whole state.
- Forest Service fire management has changed a lot over the past 100
years. We are applying what we have learned and using new technology to
improve fire management today.
Wildfire
- Forest Service fire managers work to prevent unwanted fires from growing
into catastrophic wildfires through aggressive initial attack. In California
we have maintained a 95 percent initial attack success rate for unwanted
fires.
- Although successful initial attack is important, preparedness and
prevention on the part of homeowners, communities, and firefighting agencies
are the most effective means of protecting life and property from wildfire.
- Like some hurricanes, earthquakes, or tornadoes, some wildfires are
natural disasters and under certain conditions no amount of firefighting
effort will be successful until conditions change.
- Once a large wildfire is established on the landscape, options for
safely and effectively fighting fire are limited by terrain, weather, and
vegetation conditions.
- Not all fires are disasters. Under the right conditions wildfires
perform a vital role in maintaining forest health and preventing
catastrophic wildfires from occurring.
- Wildfire management and protecting life and property is a shared
responsibility. As agency fire managers work to restore the landscape’s fire
resilience and manage fire wisely, homeowners and communities must maintain
their property and manage growth in a “fire wise” manner.
Smoke
- Smoke is an inevitable part of wildfire, which fire managers have very
little ability to influence once unwanted fires become established.
- In some cases conditions will not allow us to reduce the impact of
smoke. In these situations local communities are encouraged to work with
federal and state health agencies for assistance with mitigating the
potential health impacts of smoke.
- Preventing unwanted wildfires through the vigilance of citizens and
effective firefighting during initial attack are the most effective means of
reducing wildfire smoke impacts in communities.
- Smoke impacts are one of many factors considered when developing
firefighting strategies on large fires, but safety and firefighting
effectiveness will always be the primary factors in decision making.
Continuous Improvement of Decision Making for Large Fire
Management (large fire management)
- The Forest Service is undertaking an effort to improve decision making
for wildfire management through the use of improved technology for decision
support and increased communication with partners and local communities.
- Large fire management is not a change in fire suppression policy. Forest
Service fire managers will continue to fight unwanted wildfire aggressively
after having first provided for firefighter safety
- Large fire management is a change in approach that emphasizes pre-season
communication with communities and partners, and the use of technology to
inform decision making and ensure safe and effective use of firefighting
resources.
- The Forest Service is emphasizing early and frequent communication with
partners and local communities in order to incorporate local input and
provide clear expectations for wildfire management based upon safety,
property and natural resource protection, and the severity of threat posed
by potential wildfires.
- Large fire management is a long term effort intended to improve safety
for firefighters and the public, increase the efficient and effective use of
fire management resources, and improve community and partner understanding
and participation in fire management.
- In California, the Forest Service is focusing its initial efforts for
large fire management in seven national forests that have been identified as
having the highest likelihood of experiencing a large wildfire in 2009.
- The seven forests identified include the Klamath, Six Rivers, Lassen,
Plumas, Mendocino, Tahoe, and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
- As the Region learns from this season’s initial efforts, additional
national forests will begin adopting this approach to fire management for
future fire seasons.
Firefighter Recruitment and Retention
- Ensuring that our fire organization can safely and effectively respond
to wildfires is one of the Region’s highest priorities. Due to successful
hiring and a focus upon retaining quality employees, we are prepared for the
2009 fire season.
- In an effort to improve recruitment and retention, the Regional Forester
has implemented actions that address firefighter pay, increased opportunity
for firefighters to gain permanent full time employment, and improved fire
management facilities.
- In order to improve firefighter pay all firefighters in grades GS-05
through GS-08 have received a 10 percent retention incentive for one year
beginning in March 2009. Before the current incentive expires, an assessment
will be completed to determine if there is a need to extend the incentive
for an additional year.
- In order to provide a greater opportunity for the Region’s firefighters
to obtain consistent year round employment the Region has offered a change
of tour for all permanent seasonal firefighting employees to permanent full
time. Conversion of tour is at the discretion of the individual employee and
will be offered to permanent seasonal employees who have chosen not to
convert on an annual basis.
- A list of short term fire facility projects that would have a direct and
immediate impact toward improving health, safety, and mission capacity has
been developed. Once funding is secured, the Region will provide implement
these immediate impact projects.
- Many firefighter retention proposals fall outside of the authority of
the Regional Forester to implement including implementation of ordered
stand-by pay status for employees assigned to incidents and creation of a
specific wildland fire federal job series.
- Proposals that fall outside of the Regional Forester’s authority have
been forwarded to the Forest Service’s Washington Office for review.
2009 Firefighting Capacity
- Funding for the R5 Fire and Aviation Management program in 2009 has
increased slightly from 2008.
- 2008 Regional FAM Budget was: $188,970,000
- 2009 Regional FAM Budget is: $203,170,000
- Current funding levels for firefighting resources will allow the Region
to staff approximately the same level of firefighting resources as the past
five years:
|
Funded
Firefighting Resources for R5 |
| Resources |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
2004 |
| Engines |
271 |
273 |
272 |
274 |
276 |
276 |
| Hotshots |
49 |
48 |
48 |
47 |
46 |
44 |
| 10 Person Hand Crews |
14 |
15 |
15 |
14 |
19 |
14 |
| CWN Hand Crews |
48 |
43 |
43 |
43 |
41 |
43 |
| Dozers |
17 |
18 |
18 |
19 |
19 |
19 |
| Helitack Crews |
19 |
19 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
20 |
- Current projections indicate that the Region will staff more than
4,000 firefighters at the beginning of the 2009 fire season.
- Current staffing projections indicate that the Region will staff
more than 250 engines by the beginning of the 2009 fire season. Additional
firefighting resources will be added as the season progresses.
- In addition to ground firefighting resources, national forests in California
will staff 22 helicopters to assist with fire suppression.
- Additional nationally contracted aerial resources will be available to support fires in
California. Nineteen heavy air tankers and 36 additional helicopters are on
national contract across the country in 2008.
- Eleven of the 36 helicopters on national contract will be based in California, raising the
total number of helicopters based in California to 33.
- The 19 heavy air tankers do not have a home base and will be moved throughout the nation
based on local fire danger and to support active wildfires.
- As in the past, the Region can request additional resources to supplement firefighting
capabilities during times of higher-than-normal fire danger and occurrence.
These additional resources will assist with initial attack and reducing the
number and threat of wildfires.
- As a national agency, the Forest Service has the ability to quickly mobilize firefighting resources from across the
nation to respond to increasing fire danger anywhere in the country. As
such, during periods of extreme fire danger additional firefighters from
outside of California will be brought into the state to assist with initial
attack and reduce the number of large wildfires.
Fire Weather Outlook as of May 1, 2009
- The full outlook is currently
available online, but check back in June for an updated seasonal outlook:
http://gacc.nifc.gov/oncc/predictive/outlooks/seasonal_outlook.pdf
- Northern California:
- Current fire condition forecasts
indicate an “above normal” risk for large fires throughout Northern
California in 2009.
- Below normal rainfall and snow
pack for the year has resulted in dryer vegetation conditions that are three
to five weeks ahead of normal.
- Southern California:
- A normal start to the fire season
is expected in Southern California, but as the season progresses, the
Central Coast of California is forecast to have an “above normal” risk for
large fires.
- The remainder of Southern
California is currently forecast to have a “normal” risk of large fires
throughout 2009. A normal season typically involves several large fires
throughout the area.
Hazardous Fuels Reduction
- Fighting fire is only one piece of
protecting forests and communities from catastrophic wildfire. Equally important
is the agency’s focus upon reducing hazardous fuels and improving forest health.
- Each year the Region has increased hazardous fuels treatments and intends to
continue that trend.
- For FY 2009 the Region has targeted 263,287 acres for hazardous fuels
reduction: 195,659 acres on National Forest system lands and 67,628 (or more) on
State and Private Forest lands.
- As of April 13, 2009 33,000 acres have been accomplished, with the bulk of the
remaining acres expected to be accomplished before July 2009.
- As we have for the past several years, the region expects to treat more acres
than were targeted through efficient use of contracts and partnerships.
- During FY 2008 Region 5 accomplished:
- 163,588 acres of hazardous fuels reduction on NFS lands, plus an additional
11,990 acres of previously planned hazardous fuel reduction treatment areas
which were burned by unplanned ignitions (wildfire).
- 168,147 acres of hazardous fuels reduction on other lands Cooperative Fire
Assistance and State Fire Assistance grants.
- 19,325 acres of wildfire use
- Since 2001 Region 5 has accomplished:
- 1,316,787 acres hazardous fuels reduction on NFS lands
- 382,824 acres hazardous fuels reduction on other lands in CA through
Cooperative Fire Assistance and state Fire Assistance Grants
- 68,496 acres of wildfire use.
- In September 2008, Congress provided an additional $110,000,000 Disaster
Supplemental appropriation for hazardous fuels reduction in California: 435
million for National Forest System lands across the region, and $75 million for
State and Private Forest lands statewide. Most of this was made available to
local communities and Fire Safe Councils through grants.
- Additional hazardous fuel reduction and mitigation projects on National Forest
System and State and Private Forest lands will be funded as part of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) with the specific intention of
creating jobs. As of April 13, 2009 $1,500,000 of ARRA hazardous fuel reduction
and mitigation projects had been funded in the Region.
2008 Fire Season for National Forest System Lands in
California
- Acres burned on NFS lands: 919,716
- Total fires on NFS lands: 1,681
2008 Northern California Fire Siege
- Beginning the weekend of June 20 and 21, 2009 more than 8,000 lightning
strikes ignited more than 4,000 individual fires across all jurisdictions
throughout Northern California by the end of June.
- Not withstanding the extraordinary magnitude of the 2008 siege,
interagency cooperation and firefighting support from across the nation
allowed the Region to eventually staff every fire beginning with those that
posed the greatest threat to life and property.
- During the height of the event in early July more than 25,000
firefighters were operating in California. Firefighting assistance came from
more than 40 states, New Zealand, and Australia.
- As a result of the lightning siege approximately 935,000 acres burned
across all jurisdictions in Northern California. Approximately 614,000 acres
were on National Forest System lands.