How resources respond to emergencies
Release Date: Aug 24, 2015
Contact(s): Andrea Capps (530) 226-2494, (530) 605-7337
Here in northern California, there are 14 large fires burning on just the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests. Over 7,000 firefighters and their equipment have been rapidly assembled to battle countless lightning caused wildfires. The question arises - how can all those firefighters, engines, water tenders, bulldozers, and aircraft arrive so quickly and launch into intense work to corral the wildfires?
There is a system in place used across all emergency services agencies in the United States and elsewhere to ensure emergency operations (think wildfires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, terror attacks, etc.) are managed effectively. It is called the Incident Command System (ICS).
ICS ensures that these inherently dangerous jobs are managed with common terminology and procedures that help protect the health and safety of both emergency responders and the public. ICS makes sure that the infrastructure needed to support these firefighters is also mobilized to support not only the firefighters but all personnel that are needed in the efforts to protect our natural resources and the communities surrounding them.
When a fire is first spotted and reported, the closest available resources initially respond. This could be hand crews, engines, aircraft or some combination of these resources. If the fire exceeds their capacity to contain it, they ask the dispatch center to send additional resources. If their dispatch center can’t supply all their needs, the orders for additional help are sent to their Geographical Area Coordination Center (GACC).
The GACC looks for available resources within their area. If there are not enough available resources the requests are sent to the National Interagency Coordination Center (think super GACC) located in Boise, ID. They then spread requests out to other GACCs located throughout the United States. All dissemination is done electronically through a computer system known as the Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS). Through this system firefighters, equipment and everything needed to support them can be ordered and tracked.
There are national complexity analysis systems in place that allow local fire managers to determine what type of organization is needed to coordinate all of the firefighters, aircraft and other personnel needed to manage the fire(s). As fires grow and more resources are needed, pre-established Incident Management Teams (IMTs) are requested to direct on the ground and in the air fire fighting activities.
Currently on the Shasta Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests, the numerous fires are organized into five groups; called complexes, based on geographical location. In addition, there is one stand-alone fire that is also being managed by an IMT. Five IMTs have been mobilized to manage these complexes of fires. The IMTs are given a delegation of authority from the Forest Supervisor that describes what responsibility the teams will have and what responsibility the Forest will retain on each of these fires.
While these processes and procedures may seem somewhat complicated, they provide for a standardized method for managing wildfires across all agencies throughout the nation. The process can be scaled up or down as needed but the basic process always remains the same. This in turn provides for the safe management of not only wildfires but all emergency incidents across all agency boundaries.
The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
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