Wildland Fire Management

Policy

Wildland Fire Management

PolicyProcedures, Perspectives,

and Implications

Procedures, Perspectives,

and Implications

The Problem

• Past policy has contributed to buildup of hazardous fuels.

• Hazardous conditions are contributing to loss of life, as well as increased suppression costs.

• The situation is getting worse.

The problem:

• Our current estimate is that approximately 39 million acres of National Forest System lands are in a condition of high fire hazard that makes them vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire.

• These hazardous areas have contributed to an increase in firefighter fatalities and the costs of suppressing large fires.

Federal Wildland Fire Management

Policy• Evolving process

– fire control– fire management

• Policy reviews– 1989– 1995– 2001

• Other reviews

• These increases in fatalities and costs, particularly during the 1994 fire season, led the federal wildland fire agencies to review the federal fire management policy and program in 1995.

• The result was a new federal fire management policy, enacted in 1995.

The new Federal Fire Policy: (1995)

• The first priority in wildland fire management is the protection of human life.

• The second priority is the protection of natural resources, cultural resources, and property.

• Wildland fire, as a critical natural process, must be reintroduced into the ecosystem.

Guiding Principles• Firefighter and public safety is

the first priority in every fire management activity

• the role of wildland fire as an essential ecological process and natural agent of change will be incorporated into the planning process

• fire management plans, programs, and activities support land and resource management plans

Guiding Principles, continued

• sound risk management is a foundation for all fire management activities

• fire management programs and activities are economically viable

• fire management plans are based on the best available science

Guiding Principles, continued

• fire management plans incorporate public health and environmental quality considerations

• interagency coordination and cooperation are essential

• standardization of policies and procedures among federal agencies is an ongoing objective

Prescribed Fire

Prescribedfire planapproved

Prescribed fire plan

implemented

Objectivesaccomplished

Unsuccessful

Successful

Unsuccessful

SuppressionResponseWildfire

Wildfire

Wildfire

Prescribed Natural Fire

PNF Implementation

PlanResponse

FMP approvedPrescriptive criteria

appropriate

Successful

Unsuccessful

SelectedAlternative

Escaped FireSituationAnalysis

Successful

Unsuccessful

Wildland Fire

Successful

Unsuccessful

SelectedAlternative

Initial Attack

Prescribed Fire

Prescribedfire planapproved

Prescribed fire plan

implemented

Objectivesaccomplished

Wildland FireSituationAnalysisAppropriate

ManagementResponse

FMP not approvedor

human caused

FMP approvedPrescriptive criteria

appropriate

Successful

Successful

Unsuccessful Unsuccessful

Unsuccessful

Understanding the PolicyWhat the new policy is:

• A more cohesive way of approaching wildland fire management,

• a foundation to facilitate more efficient operations,

• a program of action that promotes concurrent use of all viable management strategies,

• a program of action that does not automatically place priority on one strategy over another without analysis of specific information,

• a common planning process for all agencies, resulting in one plan,

• a process based on uniform budget and fiscal procedures.

Understanding the PolicyWhat the new policy is:

Wildland Fire

Successful

Unsuccessful

SelectedAlternative

Initial Attack

Prescribed Fire

Prescribedfire planapproved

Prescribed fire plan

implemented

Objectivesaccomplished

Wildland FireSituationAnalysisAppropriate

ManagementResponse

FMP not approvedor

human caused

FMP approvedPrescriptive criteria

appropriate

Successful

Successful

Unsuccessful Unsuccessful

Unsuccessful

Wildland Fire

Successful

Unsuccessful

SelectedAlternative

Initial Attack

Prescribed Fire

Prescribedfire planapproved

Prescribed fire plan

implemented

Objectivesaccomplished

Wildland FireSituationAnalysisAppropriate

ManagementResponse

FMP not approvedor

human caused

FMP approvedPrescriptive criteria

appropriate

Successful

Successful

Unsuccessful Unsuccessful

Unsuccessful

• Specific actions taken in response to a wildland fire to implement protection and/or fire use objectives.

• Includes full spectrum of responses• Not just one way of responding to

circumstances• Provides greatest flexibility and

program balance

Appropriate Management Response

Appropriate Management Response

Relative Risk

Objectives

High

Low

Protection Use

ManagementBoundary

Defensibility

Partial

Total

External influencesHigh Low

SuppressionSuppression

MonitoringMonitoring

Monitoring +Holding ActionsMonitoring +

Holding Actions

Monitoring +Contingency Actions

Monitoring +Contingency Actions

10/3/97

Appropriate Management Response

Relative Risk

Objectives

High

Low

Protection Use

ManagementBoundary

Defensibility

Partial

Total

External influencesHigh Low

SuppressionSuppression

MonitoringMonitoring

Monitoring +Holding ActionsMonitoring +

Holding Actions

Monitoring +Contingency Actions

Monitoring +Contingency Actions

10/3/97

Considerations:• Safety• Cost effectiveness objectives • Ability to accomplish

objectives• Environmental and fuel

conditions• Constraints

Appropriate Management Response

Decision element Yes No

Is there a threat to life, property or resourcesthat cannot be mitigated?Are potential effects on cultural and naturalresources outside the range of desired effects?Are relative risk indicators and/or riskassessment results unacceptable to theappropriate Agency Administrator?Is there other proximate fire activity that limitsor precludes successful management of thisfire?Are there other Agency Administrator issuesthat preclude wildland fire use?

Decision Criteria ChecklistDecision Criteria Checklist