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: