Managing Incident Fire Records

1. Managing Incident Fire Records

3. Objectives • Understand how federal wildland fire agencies and NARA are collaborating to manage & preserve fire records • Be able to sort wildland fire incident records using filing guidance

4. Objectives • Be familiar with the forms and processes used to transfer and retrieve records from Federal Records Centers (FRC’s) • Understand how to initiate research of historic fire records already permanently archived at NARA

5. New Policy/New Needs • New Fire Policy requires change - Interagency collaboration - Need for information - fire history - fire ecology - Emphasis on safety

6. = New Problems! • Records Management Chaos - Loss of Fire Information • Planning Decisions • Fire History Research • Operational Decisions • - Discontinuity in Team Transition • - Post-Incident Business Use Difficult

7. Progress Toward Solution • 2005 Records Schedule • Standard Filing System for IMT’s • NWCG Website • Fire Records Training • Legacy Records Strategy

8. Where are Your Fire Records ? What information do these boxes contain?

9. Records Mgmt 101 for Fire Records What is a Federal Record? Created during conduct of Government business Preserved because of value or constitutes evidence Varies widely in physical form or characteristic

10. What qualifies as a Federal Record? • Official memos signed by home office • Receipts for equipment • Timesheets • Fire Narratives • Email documenting business process, decisions • Documentation requiring action by your office

11. What does not qualify as a Record? • Extra copies of documents • Equipment Time Reports • Firefighter/Crew Time Reports • Training Documentation • Extra copies of directives used for reference • Word processing files (if official version is printed & filed)

12. Record or Non-Records? Questions?

13. The Important Difference Between Records and Non-Records Records may be destroyed only with written approval of the Archivist Non-record material may be destroyed at agency discretion

14. How long should I keep my records?

15. New Records Schedule Incident and WFU Records: To National Archives after 20 years PERMANENT: Retain for 7 years, then destroy TEMPORARY: NON-RECORD COPIES: Destroy when no longer needed for administrative purposes

17. New IMT Directory Structure

18. Incident History File

19. Incident Filing Directory

20. Incident Filing Directory

21. PERMANENT Fire Incident Management Records Final Progression Map

22. New 1/5 cut labels vs. 1/3 cut

23. Organizing Documents in Files

24. Organizing Documents in Files

25. Master Doc Index

26. IHF Index

27. IHF Index

28. Tools to Manage Incident Records are at: www.nwcg.gov

30. What About Geospatial Data? • It Must be Preserved • Big Problems • Widely Dispersed • Lack Strategy • Working with GIS Community, NWCG • Stop-Deletion Order • Inventory GIS Resources • Enterprise Architecture

31. Good Records Management …Doesn’t mean devoting more office space to additional filing cabinets!

32. Good Records Management … looks like this! Here’s how to prepare your fire records for transfer

33. Sorting Records • Review Project Plan • Assemble Supplies • Sort Boxes for a Single Fire • Sort Permanent Records • Sort Temporary Records • Segregate Confidential/Privacy Records • Sort Electronic Records

34. Preparing Records for Transfer Federal fire agencies will need to: • Box up old records • Prepare transfer paperwork • Transfer eligible records to storage

35. Packing the Boxes • Separate Permanent from Temporary records • Use box lists to create a concise inventory for easier reference/retrieval. • Use FRC boxes only to ship records • Folder labels must face the front • When packed, leave at least 3” space in box

36. Preparing the Box Lists

37. The SF 135 Transmittal Form Federal agencies use the SF-135 to retire records to FRC storage A complete SF 135 = easier records retrieval

38. Address City, State, Zip Code PLACE THIS COPY IN BOX 1 OF THE SHIPMENT Forest Service, USDA Administrative Office Address City, State, Zip Code John Adams John Adams, Forest Supervisor XX/XX/XX John Smith 213-981-1235 Michael Kretch YY/YY/YY T&D Branch Leader 095 05 0012 5 1-5 Temporary Fire Records Closed 2003 Old Fire July 2003 R N1-095-05-02, 10/25/04 TIL Freeze (leave blank) BB002584 R A N See detail list attached

41. Accessing Your Fire Records Records retired to FRC’s still belong to you! Use the SF-135 to provide precise info needed for records location

42. Accessing Your Fire Records Reference requests are submitted using an Optional Form 11 Requests for files and boxes in 24-hrs or less Mail, fax, deliver, phone or e-mail

43. Records Destruction Records in FRC’s are never destroyed without written permission from the agency (NA Form 13001)

44. Destruction of Records

45. Transfer of Records to the National Archives Permanent fire records are transferred to NARA after 20 years • Records transferred via SF-258 • 12 Regional Archives + 2 in Washington, DC • Legal custody of records passes from agency to NARA

47. Researching Fire Records • Other site visits may be necessary • Some fire history may be in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. • Archives will provide up to 100 copy pages free • In rare cases, original records may be returned to an agency on temporary loan

48. Map Storage at National Archives NARA, Pacific Region-Laguna Niguel

50. Ready ?