FIRESCOPE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SUBCOMMITTEE
BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION TRACKING DOCUMENT
APRIL 13, 2016
By consensus agreement via a conference call on February 8, 2016, the follow BRC recommendations were identified as action items for calendar year 2016.
NEWSECTION / ITEM # / PAGE / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION / CHIEF LIAISONS / UPDATE #1/ APRIL 2016
I / 6 / 1 / The Commission recommends that federal, state and local fire agencies implement 4-0 staffing for all fire engine companies responding to OES Mutual Aid calls for immediate, planned response, and set a goal of 4-0 staffing for WUI initial attack response. / Chief Jeff Bowman, Orange County Fire Authority
Members: Kim Zagaris (OES), Shawna Legarza (USFS), Lou Paulson (CPF)
Operational Barriers
2016 GOAL: Recommend that 4-0 staffing levels * (see below) on all Type I and Type III Engine resources be maintained and approved for reimbursement for all WUI fires, regardless of ordering mechanism. This includes CFAA as well as State and Federal contracts, where appropriate. Initial attack resources as well as mutual aid requests should also encourage similar staffing levels. This will require the requesting agencies to approve 4-0 staffing prior to such requests as standard operating procedure.
· CFAA-California Fire Assistance Agreement – Typically used by Federal and State wildland agencies to access local government. Invoiced through CalOES.
· ABH-Assistance by Hire – Typically utilized by the USFS and CALFIRE to access resources from local agencies with existing cooperative agreements (CALFIRE Contract Counties and local Forest Agreements).
* Clarification for staffing based on Resource Type: Type 1 (4-0), Type III (4-0 where possible based upon any apparatus limitations), Type VI (3.0), Tactical WT (2-0). We encourage seasonal/weather-based up-staffing to provide flexibility and address costs.
FIRESCOPE RECOMMENDATION: The FIRESCOPE Board of Directors recommends that state and federal agencies adequately and permanently fund their respective budgets to ensure the willingness of all cooperators to participate in resource requests when California lives and property are at risk.
I / 8 / 1 / The Commission recommends that sufficient funds be allocated to state and local fire agencies to address California’s fire prevention and suppression needs. / Chief Eric Peterson, Santa Barbara County Fire Department / 042016-#1
Operational Barriers
2016 GOAL: Recommend that sufficient funds be allocated to state and local agencies to address California’s fire prevention and suppression needs.
UPDATE: Recommend that sufficient funds for state and contract county agencies could come from the following sources:
· Use State Fire Prevention Fee for CALFIRE Units and Contract Counties protecting SRA lands.
· Develop CALOES or other State funding mechanisms with select members of FIRESCOPE’s Blue Ribbon Commission Task Force to serve as liaison with the Governor’s office and Legislature to acquire and maintain fire prevention and suppression funding sources.
· Consider voter approved bond measure to support fire suppression needs.
· Support partnerships with key WUI stakeholders such as insurance agencies, fire safe councils, local, state, federal governments for grant funding sources.
· Congress should support funding military firefighting assets due to its ancillary mission.
· Create funding mechanism to insure adequate pre-deployment of local resources, based upon the predicted scale of an event under the mutual aid system.
· Provide and maintain funding for ongoing and replacement CALFIRE and CALOES fleet including equipment and aviation assets.
I / 19 / 2 / The Commission recommends that the state develop a program to fund the acquisition of 150 additional OES fire engines and the requisite logistical support necessary to address California’s fire suppression needs. / Chief Kim Zagaris, OES
OES Fire and Rescue Division, Chief Jeff Bowman, Orange County Fire Authority / 042016-#1
Operational Barriers
2016 GOAL: Recommend that the state develop a program to fund the acquisition of 35 additional OES fire engines and the requisite logistical support necessary to address California’s fire suppression needs.
UPDATE: Since 2004, Cal OES has been able to purchase 44 fire engines as detailed below:
· FY 2005-2006 15 Type III fire engines and 4 Type I fire engines;
· FY 2012-2013 & FY 2013-2014 25 Type III fire engines;
· FY 2016-2017 Cal OES is working on a Budget Change Proposal in the California Legislature for an additional 20 Type III fire engines and 15 Type VI fire engines;
Totals: 2004-2015 Type I (4); Type III (40)
2016-2017 (proposed: 20 Type III and 15 Type VI)
Balance required: 71
FIRESCOPE RECOMMENDATION: The FIRESCOPE Board of Directors recommends that the state continues with the acquisition and procurement of the remaining 106 additional Cal OES fire engines, and the requisite logistical support necessary to address California’s ongoing fire suppression needs. Given the state’s growth and history of wildfire disasters, especially with California going into the 5th year of the drought and 30,000 plus million dead and dying trees impacted by tree mortality and bark beetle, there is an obvious need for this vital infrastructure improvement. FIRESCOPE also recommends that the state and Cal OES seek a permanent funding source designed to take advantage of the willingness of local fire agencies to staff these additional Cal OES fire engines when Californian’s lives and property are at risk.
II / 23 / 3 / The Commission recommends that CDF/OSFM develop and maintain an adequately funded P.O.S.T. type standards, training and education program to ensure that trained and qualified personnel are prepared to respond to major events. This system should support the use of California Incident Command Certification System (CICCS) and incorporate the Fire Officer Certification process approved by the State Board of Fire Services. / Chief Jeff Meston
City Fire Departments, North / 042016-#1
Training
2016 GOAL: To discuss and agree upon the intent of the Blue Ribbon Commission finding specific to training and education. This would include the following items to be discussed and agreed upon at FIRESCOPE prior to the conclusion of 2016.
UPDATE:
· We now have implemented CICCS and require a minimum level of training within our mutual aid system.
· State mandated training is for EMS and Hazardous Materials, continuing education is required for both.
· Efforts of the Curricula Development Advisory Committee and FIRESCOPE, CFF-JAC, STEAC, State Board of Fire Services are working to improve communications to engage all public safety agencies to eliminate duplication and foster collaboration in training.
· We currently have the CFF-JAC apprenticeship program that provides funding for training and education.
· The OSFM has currently moved the State’s outdated training and certification process to a National Model and has gained FESHE approval, a vast improvement from the original CSFSTES system. This will promote consistency in meeting minimum standards and reciprocity both intra-state and inter-state.
· Challenges exist in rural areas and with volunteer companies due to lack of funding and access to a reliable pool of qualified instructors.
· CSFA received a SAFER grant to implement training as part of the Volunteer Retention Program. Was this an adequate source of training dollars and effort?
· Qualified firefighters are responding to statewide emergencies with adequate engine staffing
· Most jurisdictions have adopted minimum standards, FF 1 to be hired and promoted, we must participate in CICCS to be reimbursed; have we reached the intent?
II / 24 / 3 / The Commission recommends that state funds be provided to each Operational Area to hold annual wildland fire suppression training exercises that includes National Guard and federal military resources. Funding should also be made available by the state to improve the training level of small fire departments. / Chief Brian Fennessy,
San Diego Fire Department / 042016-#1
Training
2016 GOAL:
· Identify the Operational Areas (OA) that conduct annual wildland fire suppression training exercises that include the participation of National Guard and/or federal military aviation resources. Invite representatives from the OA’s that do NOT have an annual exercise to attend and observe the OA’s that do conduct established annual exercises. Identify the statewide gaps and the OA’s willing to host an annual exercise in 2017. The newly established annual training exercises could rotate among the OA’s each year within the identified gap areas to ensure that geographic equity among the OA host agencies is achieved.
· Identify the training needs and levels of the “small fire departments” within the state.
FIRESCOPE RECOMMENDATION: The FIRESCOPE Board of Directors recommends that the state adequately and permanently reimburse for costs associated with local government agency resource participation in the development and execution of annual interagency (state & federal) Operational Area wildland fire suppression training exercises that include the participation of National Guard and/or federal military resources.
In addition, funding should be made available by the state to assist “small fire departments” with being provided additional training so that their training level is improved.
V / 42 / 5 / The Commission recommends that the state implement a research and development working group within FIRESCOPE to explore emerging technologies for firefighting purposes (e.g. military technology, GPS, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS). / Chief Eric Peterson,
Santa Barbara County Fire Department / 042016-#1
Communications and
Info. Technology
2016 GOAL: Recommend that the state implement a research and development working group within FIRESCOPE to explore the use of emerging technologies for firefighting purposes.
UPDATE: FIRESCOPE Emerging Information Technology (EIT) specialist group has been established. Include into the FIRESCOPE EIT Specialist Group “Plan of Work” the evaluation of various technologies and their application on incidents. This will include:
· GPS/AVL uses for personnel accountability and mapping
· Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) functional support capabilities
· Standardizing the electronic ICS Forms (eICS) for use on incidents
· Common Operating Platforms such as (SCOUT/NICS) for mapping, equipment, fire perimeter, etc.
· Data/Bandwidth requirements necessary to operate in the Type 1 and Type 2 incident environments
V / 43&46 / 5 / 3. The Commission recommends that each engine crew and chief officer have the capability to communicate effectively across multiple frequency bands.
6. The Commission recommends that the state update and expand current handheld and mobile radios to be utilized on major mutual aid incidents as a short-term, temporary solution to the interoperability problem. / Chief Brian Marshall,
Kern County Fire Department / 042016-#1
Communications and
Info. Technology
2016 GOAL:
UPDATE: