2012 Spring Center Manager Meeting

2012 Spring Center Manager Meeting

Vancouver, Washington

Tuesday April 03, 2012 Moderator: Steve Arasim

Housekeeping Items

Introductions

Called to order at 0758 – Emergency Evacuation Route is to field south of parking lot

Restrooms and refreshments

Name tags-visitor badges

Intros

In Attendance:

Kurt Ranta – PISCC Renae Crippen – BMC April Marchand – COA

Amy Davis -- CCC Jerry Garrett – BMC Mike Leach – LCF

Kathi May – NWC Dan O’Brien – NWC Theresa Youmans – JDIDC

Donna Snyder—UPC Brant Stanger – CWC Elwood Stout – JDIDC

Gary Moberly– MICC Jim Duck – CWC Belinda Boston – ORC

Sherry Kessel – EICC Mark Hayes – CWC Veronica Nee – COA

Coral Tily – EICC Isaiah Hirschfield – NWCC Lynn Kenworthy – NEWICC

Lynn Adams – Hanford Bret Amick – VAC Rette Bidstrup – NEWICC

Jeannie Abott – DNR George Smith – VAC Valerie Reed – COIDC

Katie McConnell – BICC Kristi Cutler – KFC Jada Altman – COIDC

Karen Hale – CCC John Saltenberger – NWCC Carla King – BICC

On phone:

Becky Monroe – ROC

Roberta Runge – CVC

Laurie Bartel – UPC

Regina Shepherd

Notes:

Angie Bogut

Renae:

·  Thanks for being here.

·  We have good speakers coming in and leadership and conflict resolution training.

·  Take risks; be honest about where we want this group to go.

·  It’s our future – we need a voice in where we want to go

·  We need to lead in change in our future

·  We need honest communications

·  There will be difficult communications to happen in next few years

·  Excited about this group

·  You’re here because you’re leaders.

Opening Comments Dan O’Brien

Dan O’Brien:

·  In times with travel caps, hiring challenges… colors our priorities.

·  Change – our agenda today is based on your agenda.

·  We are meeting as an advisory committee to PNWCG

·  Delivered a landmark proposal

·  Gone from a non-chartered group to delivering a proposal, that’s progress.

·  2 years ago, I had no knowledge of dispatch. Thanks for helping me to understand relationships, reached out to various different groups –

·  Proud of progress and feel more effective as a center manager and leader.

·  I need to know customers’ business so we can respond better.

·  Would like to make leadership a theme for this meeting – ultimately, leadership is about taking risk and inspiring people to be better or change direction from where they are.

·  We must connect with people to be effective.

·  Need to use our beliefs and values to get us to the place we need and want to go – a vehicle for change.

·  Last year I asked you to share values, this time I want you to listen to values that my not be your own. In 2012 take risks, accept change.

·  Serve by leading, lead by tapping commonalities.

·  Empower your staff… and bosses … to be better leaders.

·  Be proud you’re here

·  Challenge yourselves

·  Thanks for coming.

2012 Fire Season Forecast John Saltenberger

Isaiah Hirschfield

Isaiah Herschfield-Predictive Services- Intelligence officer NWCC:

Fire reporting:

Situation 209 being redesigned – some trepidation, but should have nice product in the end.

·  Should be getting better user face, added some checks and balances to enhance data quality.

·  Can pull in incidents in WFDDS, incorporating NIMS 209, will be fields you will not be used to seeing.

·  Sit Report portion – Resource Reporting Block – this is going away, had not been consistent reporting. Shared Resources tool should cover that element RRB being gone. FAMTEST – you can look at it – not a full version, but can see what it looks like.

·  Reporting – chart (in PowerPoint) illustrating when an ICS-209 needs to be done. Chart available through predictive services intelligence page and in National Mobilization Guide.

·  In fires managed for multiple objectives – how to report? NWC –would like to see a 209 to reflect total acres.

·  When do we stop updating 209? Out? Controlled? Contained?

·  At what point do we do a 209 – if fire will be alive on the landscape for more than 72 hrs, need a 209.

o  If full suppression, is out, then no 209.

o  Can be an initial and final 209 on the same 209…

·  Submit by 2100 our time – allows NICC to compile reports.

o  In typical day, submitting by 1800 local time – allows intelligence shop to review and clarify before pulled in by NICC.

·  Continue to submit 209s until containment—NWC requirement.

·  RESOURCE REPORTING ON THE 209 IS STILL THERE.

New for 2012:

Terminology change

·  last year there were 3 options, this year there are 4 options

o  Full Supp, Point Zone Protection, Monitor, confine.

Follow-up Action Item:

*Isaiah is going check on whether you can select more than one option at a time

Activity and Resource Reporting Page:

·  Hoping to better capture Resources avail in units in NW

·  Intent of sit report in general is to capture activity of fire on the landscape.

Discussion:

·  Are we reporting ODF Resources on Sit 209? Supposed to? Need clarification for the field.

o  ODF and DNR fires seem to be a point of confusion for under/over reporting.

o  Intent is that they’re all getting reported. Threshold in Salem is 10 ac or larger. This does not reflect all fires, misses reporting a great number of incidents.

o  Must have access to both DNR and federal computers in order to report complete information.

o  Some double reporting happens as well.

o  Should be reporting if in an interagency center.

Critical factor is accurate and complete reporting to best reflect current situation and resources available.

John Saltenberger: Predictive Services:

Review of 7 day predictive products – what it is, what it isn’t

·  National Fire Plan – brought about Predictive Services Program

·  Looking from a regional and national level to paint a picture of current and potential fire danger.

·  ‘Weave together information for most complete picture possible of significant fire potential, or the likelihood of a fire event necessitating resources from outside the area of origination.

·  Costly fire events generally happen in groups, or high risk patterns. How to divide geographic areas?

o  Statistically key 73 stations for broad scale fire potential rating.

o  73 key stations clustered into 12 climatic rating zones.

o  Daily, looking at key stations, NFDRS, 100hr Dead Fuel Moisture, ERC most representative – based on Fuel Model G.

o  Information from key stations all compiled and plotted on grid, and focus on instances of fires that went larger.

o  Weather contributions? Haines, Foehn, cold fronts, unstable air masses.

Ignitions: Human vs. nature.

·  Only 7% of thunderstorm outbreaks result in large growth fires, 2-3% on West side

2012 Season Predictions:

·  March – below average temperatures and above average rain and snow fall is making up for deficits earlier in the year.

o  SE Oregon still reporting snow deficits.

·  Continued cool likely on the west side, wet in NW OR and WA. No strong signal as to weather for rest of spring through June.

·  La Nina over, coming back to normal temps, possibly El Nino?

Final Thoughts:

Probably status quo, fire season may be a couple weeks late.

Task Group-Share Resource Report Jeannie Abbott

Discussion:

Goal was to effectively capture shared resources in NW with reduced redundancy, in most effective manner. May have come up with a good tool to reflect this in the ‘NW Area Fire Activity & Resource Status Report’

·  Google doc – includes ‘instructions’ link.

·  Timely and thorough reporting will be the key to this tool working.

·  Not currently password protected, could do that in the future but dispatch would need a Google acct and then be granted access.

·  If you experience technical difficulty, let Isaiah know.

·  When reporting, use zero for no activity, blank = no report.

·  Each day will have a blank sheet with current date, can still reference previous day’s data sheet.

·  Google doc. is the actual master document – you can ‘download as’ and use in any number of formats. Saves every 3 seconds…not much danger of ‘undoing’ information previously added.

Availability – available, unavailable or committed.

If resource information is reported on a 209, is it necessary to report the same information in the Google doc? Do you report crews that are currently hosting or only what you own?

Location where resource is currently assigned is the unit that shows that resource’s status. If a resource leaves your unit, you no longer report its availability.

If the information is reported on a 209, do not report on the Google doc.

IHCs – only resource to be shown as ‘unavailable’ (not aircraft as determined previously by group) Statusing options: Nationally Available, Locally Available, Committed or Unavailable

When we start using the Google doc as standard reporting, it will be daily. Start date will be determined by NWCC. Will start using Google Doc as standard reporting on May 1st, 2012, reporting will be done daily.

Decisions:

Google doc

·  Location where resource is currently assigned is the unit that shows that resource’s status. If a resource leaves your unit, you no longer report its availability.

·  If the information is reported on a 209, do not report on the Google doc.

·  Rappellers and Smokejumpers – show Available and Committed columns only

·  Will start using Google Doc for standard reporting on May 1st, 2012. Reporting will be done daily.

·  State of OR ODF Dispatcher meeting (April 9th-13th) will be next week and they will determine if they will use the Google doc.

Task Group- Resource Mobilization Valerie Reed

Valerie developed R-6 Agreement Resource Ordering Guide.

Discussion:

Is it valuable? Additions? This is a handout for people who come to Valerie’s center.

Buses and Dozers

I-Team going away

Would like to see something about rental cars

INTENT: Providing incident teams a general protocol for ordering managers or LOGS chief

Dan O’Brien – thanks to Valerie for her initiative in developing a tool people find useful.

Isaiah -- Naming Conventions are critical when using ROSS Reporting

Follow-up Action Item:

Will do further checking with dispatch advisory council regarding re-tasking of mobilizing resources

Task Group-Critical Incident Support Katie McConnell

Dispatch Team Member Selection Process Katie McConnell

Discussion:

Dispatch Teams

In the event of an emergency that needs to be dealt with by a dispatch center.

·  For both critical incidents and workload overload

·  Flexible -- may be available just to get you up and running, others may be able to stay through the duration

·  Teams will be ordered individually by position.

·  For in NW Area only

Dispatch Emergency Response Plans Renae Crippen

Remembering Andy Palmer (PowerPoint Presentation)

Medical Emergency Response Plans

·  NWCG provided direction –Standardized Medical Emergency Procedure for Incident Management

·  Lessons Learned inserts for IRPG

·  Incident Communication Center Protocol Standard Elements – would like to see this be the new standard for emergency reporting from the field.

·  Need to be responding this way with Type 3, 4 and 5 Incidents

·  Dispatchers need to understand -- is it life-threatening, serious, urgent, routine? Be sure we understand the nature of the injury.

·  Document any changes in the on-scene commander or medical personnel as they occur.

·  Create a communication tree so everybody knows who they are responsible to contact.

·  Be sure we understand burn injury Criteria and Accredited Treatment Centers – you will have many who do not understand this…dispatchers must.

·  Need to create a standard response for the shared resources travelling throughout the state

·  Need an Emergency Response Plan and be ready for an emergency medical situation.

Discussion:

·  Be sure your people in the field have color copies of the 9-line – This has been an issue in the past

·  How do we mesh this with our current systems? The non-fire personnel have just created a Critical Incident Plan, how do we incorporate?

·  Some have involved Forest Safety personnel from the beginning of creating their Emergency Response Plans, this has proven helpful.

·  Some have laminated Medical Emergency Reporting Cards that are reviewed every year and part of the plan.

·  Nasty Fire (Willamette NF Incident - Rappellers) – there were a lot of conversations that happened before personnel were put in to the Nasty Fire – a large reason for success in that incident was because there was a plan in place and posted on the wall in case a medical emergency happened. It was followed and it was successful. Preparation was key.

·  When an IMT comes in you can hand them your plan, complete with critical phone numbers and locations – everyone is on the same page.

·  EMS Aircraft has a lot of limitations – know the limitations and do the leg work before emergency happens

·  Contingency plans are critical and may be what saves a life.

·  Faxing air to ground frequencies to local medivac personnel

·  Keeps operations personnel in the loop so they’ll know how to deal with these incidents and they’ll know how the centers will deal with them

·  Simulations can reveal capabilities and limitations and help prepare plans that will work in an interagency setting so as not to duplicate efforts – dispatch will be the conduit for all the information in the event of a non-fire situation and we need to be prepared for that.

Follow-up Action Items:

Please share plans if your unit has one in place.

Be sure your people in the field have color copies of the 9-line

Interagency Dispatch Optimization SW Rep

Pilot Project (Southwest GACC)

Interagency Optimization -- two pilot programs

Kenan Jaycox (Southwest Coordination Center-Center Manager) on phone:

Dispatch Optimization in the Southwest

·  7 centers in AZ

·  5 centers in NM

·  Had one center that was overlapping 6 other centers