Resources
The Sierra National Forest has a robust fire management program. The following is a description of the types of fire resources we host on our forest:
Hotshot Crews:
Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHC) are diverse teams of career and temporary agency employees who uphold a tradition of excellence and have solid reputations as multi-skilled professional firefighters. Their physical fitness standards, training requirements, operation procedures are consistent nationwide. Hotshot crews have an excellent reputation throughout the United States and Canada as elite teams of professional wildland firefighters; they regularly hike long distances over rough terrain and use both power and hand tools to complete fire suppression operations. We host three Hotshot Crews on the Sierra National Forest:
· Sierra Interagency Hotshot Crew (Duty Location: Oakhurst, CA)
· Crane Valley Interagency Hotshot Crew (Duty Location: North Fork, CA)
· Kings River Interagency Hotshot Crew (Duty Location: Trimmer, CA)
Handcrews:
Handcrews are typically comprised of 10 - 20 men and women and are utilized for both initial and extended attack suppression efforts. In addition to suppression operations, Handcrews also work to reduce fire risks by removing flammable vegetation from wildland areas during fuel management projects. These firefighters are in excellent physical condition; they may spend 12-16 hours or more working on the fireline.
Engine Crews:
On the Sierra National Forest, we utilize Type III wildland fire engines that are typically staffed with five to seven firefighters. Our specialized engines carry equipment to spray water and foam and are equipped to respond to a variety of incidents. Engine crews also perform a variety of other wildland fire tasks, including: serving as initial attack forces, patrolling the Forest, responding to all risk incidents, and assisting with fuels management projects.
We currently have twelve Engine modules on the Sierra National Forest:
• Engine 11 (Duty Location: Jerseydale)
• Engine 12 (Duty Location: Midpines)
• Engine 13 (Duty Location: Batterson)
• Engine 14 (Duty Location: Westfall)
• Engine 31 (Duty Location: Mtn. Rest)
• Engine 32 (Duty Location: Big Creek)
• Engine 41 (Duty Location: Trimmer)
• Engine 42 (Duty Location: B.Canyon)
• Engine 43 (Duty Location: Dinkey)
• Engine 51 (Duty Location: North Fork)
• Engine 52 (Duty Location: Clearwater)
• Engine 53 (Duty Location: Minarets)
Water Tender Operators:
Water Tender Operators are responsible for driving and operating water tender vehicles on initial and extended attack fire suppression operations and fuels management activities. This includes operating the pump for drafting and ejecting water, setting up portable tanks, shuttling water on fires, completing dust abatement, etc. Water Tender Operators often work in conjunction with Engine modules.
We currently have two Water Tender modules on the Sierra National Forest:
• Water Tender 1 (Duty Location: Batterson)
• Water Tender 2 (Duty Location: Mtn. Rest)
Heavy Equipment Operators:
Heavy Equipment Operators operates one or more types of heavy equipment, such as graders, tractors with bulldozer or angle dozer blades, and large industrial tractors while completing work on all sorts of terrain. In addition to providing support during fire operations (such as building fireline and safety zones) they also drive a transport vehicle and assist with maintaining forest roads and compounds. In addition, they often support other natural resource management and engineering projects (i.e. maintaining ditches, improving roads, clearing brush, removing tree stumps and rocks, etc.).
We currently have one Dozer modules on the Sierra National Forest:
• Dozer 2 (Duty Location: Auberry)
Lookouts:
Fire lookouts work in remote towers where they watch for and report wildfires. They use specialized equipment to observe, plot, and report the locations of new fires. Fire lookouts spend days, weeks, or months by themselves in some of the wildest, most remote places in the country. Life is rustic in a fire tower, but fire lookouts have provided an invaluable service in wildfire management for 100 years.
We currently have five Lookouts on the Sierra National Forest: Miami, Shuteye, Signal, Mt. Tom, and Fence Meadow. They are staffed with either temporary employees or volunteers.
Helitack Crews:
Helitack crews are teams of firefighters who are transported by helicopter to wildfires. Helicopters provide rapid transport, enabling helitack crews to quickly respond and assess a wildfire situation, particularly during initial attack. Helitack crews may land near a wildfire or, if equipped and trained, rappel from a hovering helicopter. Once on the ground, crews build firelines using hand tools, chainsaws, and other firefighting tools. Helicopter crew members may also perform other duties such as tree falling, firing operations, delivering people and equipment, and managing helibases.
We currently have two Helitack modules on the Sierra National Forest:
• ATB H-520 (Duty Location: Trimmer)
• ATB H-732 (Duty Location: Fresno)
Aviation Resources:
Planes and helicopters are critical tools in managing wildland fire. Although aircraft are often used to fight wildfires, aircraft alone cannot put them out. The Forest Service uses planes of all types and sizes—not just airtankers— to manage wildland fire. For example, specially-equipped planes gather infrared imagery to help map fires. Fire managers in planes conduct “aerial supervision” and reconnaissance over fires to safely guide and direct other aircraft responding to the fire. Airtankers are fitted with tanks that carry large volumes of fire retardant to drop on a fire, which helps firefighters on the ground by laying a line of retardant along the sides of a wildfire. The retardant temporarily cools the fire and slows it down, giving firefighters time to construct a fireline to contain the fire.
We currently have the Air Attack plane and the helitanker located at the Air Tanker Base in Fresno. Over the course of the fire season, multiple other types of aviation resources utilize Fresno’s central location as a retardant re-load facility and more.
Fire Prevention Technicians:
Fire Prevention Technicians detect and suppress fires while patrolling an assigned unit, often interfacing with Forest users to provide education and information on fire prevention. They provide technical expertise on fire protection and prevention issues, including information and guidance on special use permits, service contracts. and procedures involved in wildland fire prevention. In Technicians also engage children and young people at school events, fairs and special community activities.
We currently have multiple prevention personnel bases at Jerseydale, Batterson, North Fork, Trimmer, and Prather stations.
Fuels Technicians:
Fuels Technicians perform work in fuels management, wildland fire pre-suppression, and suppression. Often, they work on prescribed fire plans, fuels projects, and wildland fire use plans. In addition, they may assist with monitoring fire behavior, evaluating fire effects, identifying potential problems, and making basic recommendations. They conduct field reconnaissance of prescribed fire/fuels treatment units, summarize field findings, and help define appropriate prescriptive criteria for meeting the fuels management objectives.
Dispatcher:
The Sierra National Forest Emergency Command Center provides all risk dispatching and support services for the employees and resources of the 1.3 million acres included within our forest boundaries. We work with several cooperating agencies. Dispatchers assigned to the ECC rotate and take after-hour calls to provide continuous dispatching and safety support to all Sierra National Forest employees, as well as visitors to the Forest.
We currently have eight Dispatchers staffing the Emergency Command Center.
Management Staff:
The Forest has a variety of Fire Managers on staff, including a Forest Fire Management Officer, Deputy Forest Fire Management Officer, Forest Fuels Officer/Fire Planner, Division Chiefs (District Fire Management Officers), Battalion Chiefs (Assistant District Fire Management Officers), and more. They help coordinate complex operations with cooperating agencies on incidents and during all phases of the fire, fuels, and aviation management planning. They also coordinate the development of short-range and long-range strategies for emergency incidents and direct safe initial attack and extended attack suppression actions.