Fired Up

1. Fired Up PIO Pre-season Webinar 2011

2. Jennifer Jones Moderator • Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Forest Service, NIFC

3. NIFC External Affairs Staff Don Smurthwaite, BLM Roberta D’Amico, NPS Randy Eardley, BLM Tina Boehle, NPS Sheri Ascherfeld, BLM Emily Nemore, NPS • Jennifer Smith, BLM Karen Miranda-Gleason, FWS • Ken Frederick, BLM Jennifer Jones, USDA FS • Kari Boyd-Peak, BLMTammy Denney, USDA FS • Robyn Broyles, BIA

4. Webinar Topics • 2011 Fire Season Outlook • 2011 NIFC Communication Themes • Fire Policy Update • Ready, Set, Go! • Using Social Media On Incidents

5. GoToWebinar Control Panel - AUDIO

6. GoToWebinar Control Panel – QUESTIONS The Question Box If you experience technical problems, let us know by sending us an instant message.

7. Welcome! • Bodie Shaw • Bureau of Indian Affairs, NIFC

8. 2011 Fire Season Outlook Heath Hockenberry • National Weather Service, • NIFC

9. Forecast Services • Predictive Services is a federal interagency program that supports the fire community with decision support products and services. • Staffed with meteorologists, intelligence officers, and fire analysts at the GACCs. • The NWS provides fire weather warning services, climate prediction outlooks, fire weather forecasts, National Fire Danger Rating forecasts at 122 Weather Forecast Offices around the country.

10. Where do you go for info? www.weather.gov/fire andwww.predictiveservices.nifc.gov

11. East, Southeast, Southwest Outlook

12. Typical La Niña Patterns La Niña DROUGHT MONITOR Winter So Far

13. 2010 vs. 2011 Snowpack 2010 2011

14. NOAA Forecast Outlook RAIN TEMPERATURE JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2011

15. Summer Area Of Concern Summer Area Of Concern • Placeholder for preliminary western outlook

16. 2011 NIFC Fire Season Communication Themes Ken Frederick • BLM External Affairs, NIFC

17. 2011 Fire Season Themes Simple, Succinct and Clear

18. Safety of the public and firefighters is the top consideration in fire and aviation management. • Public and firefighter safety is our highest priority. Firefighters always make safety their top concern. • No structure, or natural or cultural resource is worth taking an unneeded risk. Structures can be rebuilt and natural resources generally come back in time. A life cannot be replaced.

19. Fires are managed in different ways. • Ecosystems in the United States evolved with wildfire. Wildfire is essential to most ecosystems’ health and resilience. • More than one strategy can be used on a wildfire. The strategies may range from quickly putting out the fire to monitoring a wildfire that is benefiting the land. • When a wildfire threatens people, homes, or important natural or cultural resources, it will be put out as quickly and efficiently as possible, without compromising safety.

20. Firefighters count on you to do your part. • Thousands of communities are located in fire-prone areas. Residents must take the steps to adapt their communities to fire. That will protect their homes and improve the safety of the public and firefighters. • Wildland firefighters are not responsible for clearing brush, trees and other flammable material away from your house. That’s the responsibility of property owners.

21. Fire seasons are expected to become longer and more difficult. Climate change is a factor in the changing fire season. Although the United States had a generally cool year in 2010, other parts of the world experienced record temperatures and dryness. • The last three fire seasons have been lighter than usual, but firefighters know that trend will change. Wildfires occur throughout the year in various parts of the country. • Other factors leading to more difficult seasons include an overabundance of flammable plants and trees and construction in fire-prone areas.

22. Teamwork is essential in wildland fire. • Wildland fire knows no boundaries. Local, state, tribal and federal firefighters all work together to manage wildfires. Pooling our strengths and resources helps us to be more effective and keeps our costs down.

23. Go forth and do great things! Thanks for your good work! • We’re on the same team. When issues are emerging, we can help you.

24. Fire Policy Update Dick Bahr • National Park Service, NIFC • Chair, NWCG Fire Policy Committee

25. Guidance for Implementation of Wildland Fire Policy: Where We Go From Here

27. Wildland Fire Policy • Nine guiding principles important to success • Seventeen Federal Wildland Fire Management Policies • Qualifying statements • Management Intent* • Implementation Actions* * Elements recommended in the 2001 Review that were added in the 2009 Guidance

28. Guidance for Implementation • Common standards for effective collaboration • Clarify jurisdictional roles and responsibilities • Coordinate across levels of government • Landscape fire management planning • Two types of wildland fire • Concurrently manage for one or more objectives that can be changed • Response based on land/resource objectives • Initial action on human-caused wildfire – suppress – lost cost – fewest negative consequences – safety • Use a decision support process to guide and document decisions

29. Reflections From Use in 2010 • Develop Unified Direction and Guidance • Consistent Terminology • Work Collaboratively • Accountability (honest reporting on ICS209 & IMSR) • Adequate Personnel (capacity) during Implementation Windows • Communicate with the public to Explain Wildfire Response • Challenges of Local Type 3 organizations managing wildfires • Articulate Protection Objectives (hazard & risk) • Being Proactive (set realistic expectations) • Telling our Story (what, where, why)

30. Wildland Fire Management Policy Framework Ignition Source Strategic Objectives Strategies & Tactics Fire Type Event Evaluation Protection Human Wildfire Unplanned Natural Direction selected & managing resources to achieve incident objectives Converted Prescribed Fire Compare outcomes with objectives Resource Benefits Escaped Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire Resource Benefits Planned Management

31. It will take time… • Policy guidance and interagency direction continues to be prepared by the NWCG Fire Policy Committee. “No Fire” is not an option – We must choose the time and place within the limits that nature provides.

32. Internal Communication (Fire Staff) • Goals • Response based on Land/Resource/Fire Management Plan • Objectives • Fire Management Unit – role of wildland fire, resource protection, resource benefit, response, initial attack, suppression options • Strategies • Perimeter control, point/zone/area protection, confine, monitor or combinations of • Tactics • Specific resource performance to complete strategies

33. External Communication • Tell the story – • How the fire started • What we’re planning to do • Current conditions – size, location, concerns, • Why (protection objectives - resource objectives…) • Where (place work is being done) • When (now or sometime in the future) • How (what resources will be used) • Who (agencies involved)

34. Dick Bahr National Fire Science & Ecology Program Leader Fire Management Program Center – NIFC 208-387-5217 e-mail: dick_bahr@nps.gov

35. Ready, Set, Go! Bob Roper • Chief, Ventura County Fire Department

36. READY ! SET ! GO! Ready Set Go!

37. Action plan that ties preparation to evacuation / survival ReadyPrep / FIREWISE SetSituational Awareness GoWhen?Now Where?As Directed Why?Survive

38. Why RSG? Need to improve personal responsibility for living in the WUI, both structure and personal safety 100-year fires happening every five years? Residents are staying without knowledge, training and poor situational awareness causing safety issues

39. Why RSG? 4. Fire suppression costs: - Escalating structure protection $ 5. Public expectations and fire agencies capability don’t match 6. New codes vs. existing structures 7. Ember environment vs. flame front 8. Transitory population into the WUI

40. Not all fires are the same • Firefighters are at greater risk in unprepared areas • When the public stays, they put firefighters at risk • RSG may be only viable option due to environment & fiscal conditions

41. Options • Australian Model • “Prepare, Stay & Defend or Go Early?” • “Ready, Set, Go?” • Do what we’re doing today?

42. RSG Goals • Protect life (public & FF) and property • Create “Fire-adaptive Communities” • Gain active participation in the WUI solution via Personal Responsibility • Turn preparation into “Action” • Promote early evacuation and early return as a “baseline” message

43. How to RSG? • Create / Adopt a Strategy to Create Fire-adapted Communities • Create / Adopt A Common National Strategy and Create Fire-adapted Communities 1st Step

44. 2009/10 Flame Act Cohesive Strategy Fire-adapted Community Process CWPP Prevention Take Responsibility Living with Fire Codes/Ordinances Local Capacity Ready, Set, Go! Defensible Space Fuels Treatments Firewise Outcome Foster self-reliance and increase resiliency

45. 2nd Step • Identify Risk Factors • Your Community is a Candidate for RSG if …

46. Common Home Ignition Zone Components