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NOT MEASUREMENT
SENSITIVE
DOE G 450-1.4
O2-11-04
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
for Use with DOE 450.1, Environmental Protection Program
[This Guide describes suggested nonmandatory approaches for
meeting requirements. Guides are not requirements documents and
are not to be construed as requirements in any audit or appraisal
for compliance with the parent Policy, Order, Notice, or Manual.]
U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, D.C. 20585
DISTRIBUTION:INITIATED BY:
All Departmental ElementsOffice of Environment, Safety and Health
FOREWORD
DOE Order 450.1, Environmental Protection Program, requires all
Department of Energy (DOE) elements to incorporate an
environmental management systems (EMS) approach into their
Integrated Safety Management Systems (DOE P 450.4). DOE O 450.1,
defines an EMS as a continuing cycle of planning, implementing,
evaluating and improving processes and actions undertaken to
achieve environmental goals. The Order also mandates the
inclusion of policies, procedures, and training to identify
activities with significant environmental impacts in the EMS, as
well as methods for managing, controlling, and mitigating the
impacts of these activities. The Order specifically states that
the protection of resources from wildland and operational fires
should be considered (DOE O 450.1 § b(1)(e)). In addition, a
February 24, 2003, memorandum, “Department of Energy (DOE)
Wildfire Management Policy,” from the Secretary of Energy to the
Under Secretary for Energy, Science and Environment and the
Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration
directed each Program Secretarial Officer to ensure that sites
have wildland fire management plans in place that are consistent
with 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and
Implementing Actions.
This guidance document was developed to assist DOE program
managers in meeting the requirements in DOE O 450.1 and the
direction contained in the Secretarial Memorandum. Additionally,
DOE O 420.1A, Facility Safety, requires compliance to Codes and
Standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
including NFPA Standard 1143, Wildland Fire Management, and NFPA
Standard 1144, Protection of Life and Property from Wildfire.
Established wildland fire management programs may already have
most if not all of the elements required by an ISMS/EMS. Parts
of a site's wildland fire management program may be very mature,
for example, emergency preparedness and response, roles and
responsibilities and training, while other parts of the site's
wildland fire management program may not be as mature, for
example, aspects and impacts identification, cultural resource
protection, groundwater protection, air quality protection and
ISMS/EMS self assessments. It is possible that most or all of
the elements of the ISMS/EMS can be found in the existing
wildland fire management program. It is advisable to build on
existing systems rather than invent new ones. As noted in the
text, the guidance may also be useful in the development of plans
and procedures for meeting requirements of DOE O 430.1B and DOE O
440.1A.
This guide imposes no requirements; rather, it provides
recommendations, alternatives, and approaches for implementing
the requirements set forth in directives, secretarial policy, and
regulations. Relevant guidance was extracted from U.S. Forest
Service Manual 5100, Fire Management. All guidance and
recommendations may not be relevant or useful for all DOE sites,
but it is provided here to ensure that DOE and its contractors
consider and address issues that might be pertinent.
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 FIRE MANAGEMENT - WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE 2
3 WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION 3
4 WILDLAND FIRE PREPAREDNESS 3
4.1.Preparedness Planning 4
4.2.Fire Weather Forecasting and Monitoring 5
4.3.Preparedness Training and Qualifications 5
5 WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION 6
5.1.Suppression Action on Private Land 7
5.2.Fire Suppression Safety 7
6 FUELS MANAGEMENT 7
6.1.Fuel Treatment 8
6.2.Fuel Treatment Through Prescribed Fire 9
7 FIRE REPORTS 10
Appendix A Definitions and References
Appendix B Wildland Fire Management Planning
Appendix C Environmental Considerations
Appendix D Secretarial Memoranda
Wildland Fire Management
1 INTRODUCTION
Following the devastating wildland fires that occurred in the
western United States in 2000, Federal agencies with land
management responsibilities began to reexamine their wildland
fire management programs. Responding in a proactive and
responsible manner, DOE imposed a moratorium on all prescribed
burning (Secretarial Memorandum, “Moratorium on Prescribed
Fires,” dated June 5, 2000) while initiating an evaluation of its
fire management programs. However, recognizing that its field
sites had a responsibility to continue to address the issue of
prescribed burning, DOE instituted a requirement whereby DOE
Headquarters would review and approve all prescribed burning
activities. The responsibility for approving prescribed burning
activities was eventually transferred to field office managers to
expedite approval of prescribed burning requests (Secretarial
Memorandum, “Fire Management Program Direction,” dated May 11,
2001).
This guidance document was prompted by the issuance of a
Secretarial Memorandum, “Department of Energy Wildland Fire
Management Policy,” dated February 24, 2003, which requires sites
to have a wildland fire management plan consistent with Federal
policy (2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy). The
Secretarial Memorandum also requires site fire management plans
to be consistent with DOE O 450.1, Environmental Protection
Program, section 4.b(1)(e), which requires the protection of site
resources from wildland and operational fires.
The guidance that follows is based on the findings and
recommendations of the 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management
Policy and U.S. Forest Service recommendations (Forest Service
Manual 5100, Fire Management). As with all guidance, site
management should consider specific site needs and tailor the
fire management program to the unique conditions and requirements
of the site.
In general, DOE field elements are responsible for developing,
implementing, and overseeing protection programs for individuals
and assets under their cognizance. This includes protecting
assets from internal structural fire damage and from the
conflagration potential associated with the external wildland
fire. A Wildland Fire Management Program comprises the full range
of activities and functions necessary to plan, prepare, and
respond to potential fires and rehabilitate undeveloped lands
following a fire. General recommendations for the development of
a Wildland Fire Management Program are as follows (see also NFPA
Standard 1143, Wildland Fire Management.)
1.A. Integrate consideration of fire management into the DOE land-
use planning and management process, objectives and practices.
When developing fire management direction in the land-use
planning and management process, identify the foreseeable effects
or enhancements that fire would have on the environment, as well
as its impact on any hazardous or mission critical areas
including National Security interests.
1.B. Develop a Fire Management Plan based on direction in the
site land-use planning and management process. Amend Fire
Management Plans as necessary to meet land management objectives.
1.C. Conduct fire management planning, preparedness, suppression,
monitoring, and, where necessary, prescribed fire use on an
interagency basis with stakeholder involvement.
1.D. Observe the following fire management priorities on all
fires.
- Ensure firefighter, worker, and public safety.
- Protect mission property and natural and cultural resources
based on the relative values to be protected.
1.E. Initiate suppression of all wildland fires (except those
classified as prescribed fires) as well as any escaped site
operational fires conducted in wildland areas, in accordance with
applicable procedures. Site management should adopt the concept
that a fire within wildland areas will be classified as a
wildland fire, a prescribed fire, or an operational fire and
should not permit other fires, hot work, or fuel ignition without
the proper classification.
1.F. Protect the interface between wildlands and all facilities
and bordering structures from damage, in accordance with NFPA
Standard 1144, Protection of Life and Property from Wildfire.
1.G. Where appropriate, include a wildland fire risk assessment
in other safety documents, such as the Fire Department Baseline
Needs Assessment, facility Documented Safety Analysis and Fire
Hazards Analysis, or other documents that analyze hazards to
specific DOE structures, processes, or programs.
2 FIRE MANAGEMENT - WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE
The zone where structures and other human development meet or
become intermingled with undeveloped wildland is referred to as
the wildland/urban interface. The objectives of wildland/urban
interface fire management are (1) to facilitate fire prevention
and protection and minimize fire loss and damage to structures,
other human development, and wildland resources; (2) to prevent a
structure fire from spreading into wildland fuels; and (3) to
encourage property owners to take an active role in establishing
and maintaining their own fire prevention and safety measures in
the wildland/urban interface. The following recommendations are
applicable to this category.
2.A. Document DOE wildland fire protection and suppression
assistance in mutual-aid agreements with all emergency response
organizations engaged in such activities.
2.B. Collaborate with outside emergency response organizations to
(1) establish and update cooperative agreements that recognize
the jurisdictional protection responsibilities and assistance
capabilities of the respective cooperators; (2) educate wildland
firefighters about safe operational procedures in the
wildland/urban interface and provide training in safe wildland
firefighting operations for structural firefighters who respond
to wildland/urban interface fires; (3) provide education to
adjoining property owners on fire risks and hazards and on fire
prevention responsibilities and actions to minimize losses and
damage to structures and lands in the wildland/urban interface;
(4) assess, analyze, and plan for fire prevention and protection
in conjunction with other Federal, tribal, state, county, and
local government entities and with community and citizen groups;
(5) integrate wildland/urban interface considerations in the DOE
land-use planning and management process, as well as in program
project and plans; (6) implement fuel modification projects to
mitigate fire hazards; (7) adopt special building construction
requirements in wildland/urban interface areas, such as the
construction requirements of NFPA 1144; and (8) implement other
practices that reduce wildland fire risks.
3 WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION
The objective of wildland fire prevention is the cost-efficient
reduction of fire suppression expenditures and damages from human-
caused fires to levels commensurate with resource and mission
management objectives and fire management direction. DOE site
wildland fire prevention should be:
3.A. Planned and evaluated using the Fire Plan Analysis (FPA).
(See Appendix B);
3.B. Coordinated with local stakeholders to encourage planning
and analysis of stakeholder lands in accordance with wildland
fire prevention programs utilizing the FPA; or,
3.C. Coordinated with other agencies where risks affect other
jurisdictions.
4 WILDLAND FIRE PREPAREDNESS
As used in fire management, wildland fire preparedness includes
all fire management activities planned and accomplished in
advance of wildland fire ignition to ensure safe, efficient, and
effective suppression action. Activities include preparedness
planning, fire detection, dispatching suppression forces,
developing communication systems, rating fire danger, fire
weather monitoring, fire suppression training and qualification,
and prescribed fire support. Related direction is found in NWCG,
PMS 310-1, Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System
Guide, FSH 5109.18, Wildfire Prevention Handbook, Appendix B; the
Fireline Handbook; and the National Interagency Mobilization
Guide (NFES 2092), published by the National Interagency Fire
Center.
DOE field elements and site management contractors should ensure
that sites plan, organize, and implement a cost-effective
wildland fire preparedness program that includes the following
elements.
4.A. Safety. Continue to give high priority to the safety of
fire management operations inclulding fire suppression training
and the development of a qualified and experienced wildland fire
management organization.
4.B. Interagency Planning. Developing and conducting preparedness
activities in conjunction with other Federal land managing
agencies as well as other Federal, state, and local partners,
such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the Department of Defense
(DOD); and state and local wildland fire management planning,
response, and recovery organizations.
4.C. Site Integration. Ensuring integration with the site land-
use planning and management process and approved Integrated
Safety Management Systems.
4.1. Preparedness Planning
Preparedness planning provides for timely recognition of
approaching fire management situations and for setting
priorities, deploying resources, and considering other
actions to respond to those situations. Wildland fire
preparedness planning should include the following.
4.1.A. Preparedness Plans and Reviews. The purpose of
preparedness plans and reviews is to ensure the timely
recognition of and appropriate response to fire management
situations and to provide the basis for ensuring program
accountability. Preparedness planning requires (1) an
intelligence system, (2) an analysis and decision-making process,
and (3) identified actions to be taken at increasing levels of
fire severity and activity (preparedness level). Preparedness
plans should be documented in a site mobilization guide or other
appropriate document.
4.1.B. Intelligence System. Each site should have a system in
place to gather the information on both wildland and prescribed
fires that is needed to permit timely decision making. One option
is to coordinate with Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACC)
to submit a daily Interagency Situation Report to the National
Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) during the region’s
established fire season.
4.1.C. Analysis and Decision Making. It is essential that DOE
site management evaluate those factors that may significantly
affect national, regional, and site fire situations and
individual fire response actions. Among the factors that should
be considered are existing and potential fire severity;
suppression resource commitment and availability; prescribed fire
activity; wildland fire use and mission; and interagency
environmental, social, political factors or other pertinent
factors. Alternative actions for responding to increasing levels
of fire severity and activity must also be developed.
4.1.D. Preparedness Actions. When developing preparedness
plans, consider the following:
4.1.D.i. Actions for responding to fire preparedness levels
(National Interagency Mobilization Guide, NFES 2092);
4.1.D.ii. Preparedness levels and actions addressing the full
range of anticipated fire danger and activities;
4.1.D.iii. Documented processes to coordinate actions among
cooperating agencies and to transmit decisions promptly to all
affected organizations, including adjacent units and cooperators;
and,
4.1.D.iv. Schedules and approaches for conducting preparedness
reviews.
4.1.E. Fire Management Plan. Prepare a plan documenting the
fire management program that most effectively achieves land-use
planning and management process direction (See Appendix B).
4.1.F. Site Fire Plan. Prepare annual site fire plans for any
activity that increases wildland fire risk or constitutes a
wildland fire hazard, such as land clearing, timber harvesting,
mining, and power line or highway construction. These plans
should describe the responsibilities.
4.1.G. Cooperative Firefighting Agreements. Line officers
should annually, or as otherwise required, review and update all
cooperative wildland fire agreements.
4.2. Fire Weather Forecasting and Monitoring
As necessary, determine, establish, and maintain sufficient
fire weather forecasting and monitoring capability to
support the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and
wildland fire management activities. Communicate and post
the current NFDRS fire danger rating and implement
preplanned operation limits when fire danger exceeds a
“high” rating.
4.3. Preparedness Training and Qualifications
Provide training adequate to meet fire management needs.
Ensure that cognizant DOE and contract employees meet
standards for training, experience, and physical fitness
before they are certified for wildland fire organization
positions. Site management should adhere to the
qualifications standards established by the NWCG, NFPA and
state or local laws or regulations.
5 WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION
The objective of this activity is to safely suppress wildland
fires at minimum cost consistent with land and resource
management objectives and fire management direction as stated in
fire management plans. Expectations or actions to take in the
event of a wildland fire include the following.
5.A. Ensure that suppression planning, operations, and personnel
comply with the wildland fire suppression principles and
practices that are set out in the DOE Wildland Fire Management
Program and associated procedures.
5.B. Conduct fire suppression in a timely, effective, and
efficient manner, giving the first priority to firefighter and
public safety.
5.C. Decide how to organize and conduct suppression operations
(suppression strategies). Line managers should minimize both
suppression cost and resource loss consistent with the resource
management objectives for the values to be protected. Consider
fire behavior, the availability of suppression resources, the
value of natural resources and property at risk, direction in the
site land-use planning and management process, and the potential
cost of suppression. Consider using a wildland fire situation
analysis to document suppression strategy decisions
5.D. Conduct a cost-effective initial attack on any wildland fire
not considered as an operational fire or a prescribed fire.
5.E. Respond to each reported wildland fire with planned forces
and tactics as directed in the fire management plan.
5.F. Employees who discover a potential wildland fire are
expected to take initial action consistent with their wildland
fire qualifications. Employees without wildland fire
qualifications are not expected to take initial action to
suppress the fire. However, every DOE and DOE contract employee
has a responsibility to support and participate in wildland fire
suppression support activities as the situation demands.
Wildland fire suppression is not limited to those employees with
skills in wildland fire operations; rather, it may require the
skills of employees in fiscal, human resource,
telecommunications, communications, or other areas.
5.G. As necessary, notify the National Interagency Fire Center
within 24 hours of any wildland fire entrapment. Entrapments are
situations where personnel are unexpectedly caught in a fire-
behavior-related, life-threatening position where planned escape
routes or safety zones are absent, inadequate, or compromised.
An entrapment may or may not include deployment of a fire shelter
for its intended purpose. These situations may or may not result
in injury; they include near misses (NWCG, NFES 1832, PMS 205,
November, 1996). The responsible line manager should investigate
all fire entrapments promptly and thoroughly.
5.1. Suppression Action on Private Land
Sites may develop a written reciprocal mutual aid or
dedicated service agreement with a fire organization to
render emergency assistance in suppressing fires and
preserving life and property within the vicinity of the site
from the threat of fire. Permission to conduct suppression
activities on private land should be obtained from the
landowner when feasible; however, suppression action should
not be delayed while permission is sought.
5.2. Fire Suppression Safety
All activities should reflect a commitment to firefighter
and public safety as the first priority. DOE site
management contractors should (1) establish procedures for
issuance, use, and accountability of personal protective
clothing and equipment; (2) ensure that training, use,
appropriate employee medical surveillance programs, and
maintenance and storage of the protective equipment comply
with applicable standards; (3) provide 8 hours of annual
wildland fire safety refresher training to personnel
directly involved with such activities; and, (4) ensure that
work supervisors are responsible for the safety of employees
engaged in wildland fire management activities.
6 FUELS MANAGEMENT
Fuels Management is the practice of evaluating, and treating
wildland fuel to either reduce flammability or meet environmental
goals by mechanical, chemical, biological, or manual means,
including prescribed fire in support of the site land-use
planning and management process. DOE sites should integrate fuel
management and fire management programs in support of the
following resource management objectives.
6.A. Use an interdisciplinary approach to integrate fuel
management planning into all appropriate activities.
6.B. Identify, through economic analysis, the most cost-efficient
fuel profile to meet resource management direction. Consider a
full range of fuel management alternatives, including no
treatment. Fuel management activities should be responsive to
long-term site productivity, utilization opportunities, and air
quality considerations.
6.C. Where a management activity, such as timber sales, thinning,
or road construction, contributes to an unacceptable fuel
profile, modify that activity to reduce its incremental
contribution to the fuel profile.
6.D. On lands where repetitive management activities will occur,
evaluate the projected fuel profile to determine the most cost-
efficient time(s) of entry and the level of treatment(s).
6.E. Manage fuel in accordance with fire management direction in
the site land-use planning and management process.
6.F. Inventory fuels and prepare a wildland fire risk assessment
to be used in prioritizing treatment areas.
6.G. Be aware that defensible space areas, strategic fuel breaks,
utility corridors, and safety zones require more intensive fuels
management than wildland areas.
6.1. Fuel Treatment
Initiate fuel treatment in accordance with land and fire
management plans. Establish priorities for treatment of
fuel in these plans. Consider the following treatment
options, prioritized in the order listed, when developing
fuel management direction and plans.
6.1.A. Utilization. Use methods that reduce unwanted fuel
through improved harvest techniques or through higher utilization
standards. Favor utilization when the cost of onsite treatment
equals the cost of removal for utilization.
6.1.B. Rearrangement. Redistribute fuel onsite to a condition
that is less hazardous or one that enables more rapid
deterioration or more effective disposal.
6.1.C. Removal. Remove unwanted fuel offsite for further
utilization, storage, or disposal. (Test material before moving
offsite to ensure that it is not contaminated.)
6.1.D. Disposal. Reduce or eliminate unwanted fuel onsite.
Disposal methods include manual, mechanical, chemical,
biological, and prescribed fire treatments and their associated
activities.
6.1.E. Conversion. Replace hazardous fuel with less flammable
fuel or fuel that offers less resistance to suppression.
6.1.F. Non-treatment. Where appropriate, identify if and when
fire program costs plus anticipated net value changes do not
justify fuel treatment.
6.1.G. Interim Protection. Provide protection on an interim
basis only when the hazard of newly created fuel cannot be abated
in a timely manner and when:
6.1.G.i. An analysis of hazard and risks fully supports the cost-
effectiveness of interim protection; and ;
6.1.G.ii. Treatment takes place as soon as practical following
creation of the hazard.
6.1.H. Supplemental Protection. Use supplemental protection
only if the economic analysis indicates that this is the most
cost-efficient means of mitigating the fire hazard until
deterioration of fuel makes such protection unnecessary.
Supplemental protection may be justifiable in limited situations
as part of an overall land management strategy. When justified,
the responsible authority should annually review and approve the
continued use of supplemental protection.
6.2. Fuel Treatment Through Prescribed Fire
The objectives of prescribed fire use are (1) to use fire
from managed ignitions in a safe, carefully planned, cost-
effective manner to benefit, protect, maintain, and enhance
DOE lands; (2) to reduce future fire suppression costs; and
(3) to the extent possible, restore natural ecological
processes and achieve the management objectives adopted in
the approved land-use planning and management process for
the site. The following fire use recommendations apply.
6.2.A. All proposals and decisions to use prescribed fire are
subject to site analysis, documentation, and disclosure
requirements for complying with the national environmental policy
(Clean Air Act - 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.).
6.2.B. A Prescribed Fire Burn Plan (RxBP) meeting interagency
requirements, including the use of fire complexity, should be
prepared and approved before prescribed fire ignition. A
decision to amend a RxBP requires approval at the same or a
higher level of authority as required to approve the initial
plan.
6.2.C. A prescribed fire may be implemented only with trained
and qualified personnel. No less than the organization described
in the approved RxBP may be used to implement the project. The
size and complexity of each prescribed fire will determine the
size of the organization needed to safely achieve the objectives
of the project. Workforce and equipment needs should be
coordinated to ensure that fire use and contingency actions do
not exceed site capabilities and are coordinated with mutual aid
responders. A qualified burn boss should conduct each prescribed
burn.
6.2.D. Pre-Ignition Briefing and Forecast Requirements.
Assigned personnel should be briefed before ignition to ensure
that personnel safety considerations are clearly understood and
prescribed burn objectives are clearly defined. During the
briefing, discuss elements of the Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)
specific to each individual job task. Take into account the
slope of terrain and the fuel conditions in which employees will
be working and have clearly defined escape routes. Each
individual should know and understand his or her role and
responsibility for maximizing accomplishment of prescribed fire
objectives while minimizing personal safety risk. Obtain a
project-specific weather forecast prior to ignition. The forecast
should include all fire-behavior-related weather elements that
are considered critical to personnel safety and attainment of
prescribed fire objectives. Examples of weather parameters to be
evaluated are wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity,
temperature, and severe weather potential.
6.2.E. Smoke Management. Air quality considerations are an
integral part of the fire use program (see Smoke Management
discussion, pages C-3 and C-4 in Appendix C). Coordinate fire
use applications with the appropriate air quality specialists and
comply with all Federal, state, tribal, and local clean air,
smoke mitigation, and visibility regulations applicable to
prescribed fires. Appropriate computer modeling techniques may
be used as described in the Implementation Guide (see Appendix A)
to estimate potential downwind impacts. Smoke management
contingency plans may be developed to mitigate potential negative
or unacceptable impacts of smoke on air quality in such areas as
Class I air sheds, identified smoke sensitive areas, hospitals,
main travel routes, and airports.
7 FIRE REPORTS
Timely reports of fire activities provide information essential
for land and resource management and for both internal and
external administrative purposes. The DOE site offices (through
site management contractors) should log a report for each
wildland fire in accordance with standard site fire reporting
methods, in addition to any other reporting requirements, such as
the Occurrence Reporting and Processing System and reporting
requirements of the National Interagency Fire Center. A
prescribed fire that burns out of prescription and is declared a
wildland fire should be reported as a wildland fire.
Appendix A
Definitions and References
DEFINITIONS. The source for many of the following definitions is
the interagency document, Wildland and Prescribed Fire Management
Policy Implementation Procedures Reference Guide. These
definitions are provided so that common terminology is used, as
appropriate, in DOE Wildland Fire Management planning
Contingency Plan: A backup plan of action for implementation
when actions described in the primary plan are no longer
appropriate. On prescribed fires these are the actions to be
taken if the fire is declared out of prescription and is
designated a wildland fire.
Escaped Fire: A fire that has exceeded, or is anticipated to
exceed, preplanned initial action capabilities or the fire
management direction.
Fire Management Area (FMA): A subgeographic area within a fire
management unit (FMU) that represents a predefined ultimate
acceptable management area for a fire managed for resource
benefits. This predefined area can constitute a maximum
manageable area (MMA) and is useful for those units having light
fuel types conducive to very rapid fire spread rates.
Predefinition of these areas removes the time lag in defining an
MMA after ignition and permits preplanning of the fire area;
identification of threats to life, property, resources, and
boundaries; and identification of initial actions.
Fire Management Plan (FMP): A strategic plan that defines a
program to manage wildland and prescribed fires and documents the
fire management program in the approved land use plan. The plan
is supplemented by operational plans, such as preparedness plans,
preplanned dispatch plans, prescribed fire plans, and prevention
plans.
Fire Management Unit (FMU): Any land management area definable
by objectives, topographic features, access, values to be
protected, political boundaries, fuel types, major fire regimes,
and so forth, that set it apart from management characteristics
of an adjacent unit. The FMUs are delineated in FMPs. These
units may have dominant management objectives and preselected
strategies assigned to accomplish these objectives.
Fire Use: The use of prescribed fire to meet resource
objectives.
FSH: Forest Service Handbook
Fuel: Combustible wildland vegetative materials, living or dead.
Fuel Ignition: Pyrolysis of combustible material through either
natural or human action.
Fuel Treatment: The manipulation of wildland fuel, such as
lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning, or removal for
the purpose of reducing its flammability or resistance to
control.
Hazard: The measure of ease of ignition, fire spread potential,
and fire suppression difficulty as influenced by the type,
volume, size, distribution, condition, arrangement, and location
of the fuel profile.
Hot Work: Human activities that create a potential for unwanted
fuel ignition.
Land-use planning and management process: A process examining the
environmental impact, consequences and recommended practices for
DOE land use and stewardship, prepared in conformance with
applicable DOE Orders, Federal requirements and guidance (see DOE
O 430.1B, Real Property Asset Management).
Maximum Manageable Area (MMA): The firm limits of management
capability to accommodate the social, political, and resource
impacts of a wildland fire. Once established as part of an
approved plan, the general impact area is fixed and not subject
to change. The MMAs can be developed as part of the fire
management plan (FMP) and described as a fire management area
(FMA).
Natural Fuel: Fuel comprised of combustible wildland vegetation
resulting from natural processes and not directly generated or
altered by management practices, including fuel that has
accumulated as a result of fire exclusion.
NWCG: National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Operational Fire: Planned management action to safely and cost-
effectively remove debris from operational or construction
activities. A written, approved procedure must exist, and
environmental considerations addressed, prior to ignition.
Preparedness: Activities that lead to a safe, efficient, and
cost-effective fire management program in support of land and
resource management objectives through appropriate planning and
coordination.
Preparedness Levels: Levels of preparedness planning that
recognize increasing fire severity and provide direction for
management actions at each level.
Preparedness Plan: A plan providing for timely recognition of
approaching critical fire situations, priority setting, the
deployment of forces, and other actions to respond to those
situations.
Prescribed Fire: Any fire ignited by management actions to meet
specific objectives. A written, approved prescribed fire plan
must exist, and NEPA requirements must be met, prior to ignition.
Prescribed Fire Plan: A plan required for each fire application
ignited by managers. The plan is prepared by qualified personnel
and approved by the appropriate agency administrator prior to
implementation. Each plan follows specific agency direction and
includes critical elements described in agency manuals.
Prescription: Measurable criteria that define conditions under
which a prescribed fire may be ignited, guide selection of
appropriate management responses, and indicate other required
actions. Prescription criteria may include safety, economic,
public health, environmental, geographic, administrative, social,
or legal considerations.
Supplemental Protection: The increased resources assigned to
protect activity fuel from wildland fire in lieu of fuel
treatment.
Wildland: An area in which development is essentially
nonexistent, except for roads, railroads, power lines, and
similar transportation facilities. Structures, if any, are widely
scattered
Wildland Fire: Any nonstructural fire that occurs in the
wildland.
Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA): A decision making
process that evaluates alternative management strategies against
selected safety, environmental, social, economic, political, and
resource management objectives.
Wildland Fire Suppression: An appropriate management response to
wildland fire that results in curtailment of fire spread and
eliminates all identified threats from the particular fire. All
wildland fire suppression activities provide for firefighter and
public safety as the highest consideration, but minimize loss of
resource values, economic expenditures, and/or the use of
critical firefighting resources.
REFERENCES. Consult the publications listed in this section for
guidance on the minimum standards and procedures in various
aspects of wildland fire management. The National Wildfire
Coordinating Group (NWCG) publications are available upon request
by writing or faxing the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
at:
National Interagency Fire Center
Great Basin Cache Supply Office
3833 S. Development Avenue
Boise, ID 83705
Fax Number: (208) 387-5548
Guidance Sources
1. Field Managers Course Guide (NWCG, PMS 901-1). This guide
contains information on training principles and guidelines,
wildland fire training course systems, and course descriptions.
2. 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and
Implementing Actions. Available from NIFC.
3. Firefighters Guide (NWCG, NFES 1571, PMS 414-1). This guide
contains material concerning firefighting basic practices.
4. National Fire Danger Rating System User’s Guide (NWCG, NFES
1522, PMS 430-3). This guide provides information and guidelines
on the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS); information
concerning location, instrumentation, and maintenance of fire
danger weather stations; and instructions for predicting fire
danger.
5. National Interagency Mobilization Guide (NFES 2092). This
guide provides current dispatching and mobilization direction and
procedures.
6. Prescribed Fire Complexity Rating System Guide (NWCG, NFES
2474, PMS 424). This guide provides guidance on the complexity
elements and process to be used in determining the initial
complexity of a project as high, moderate, or low.
7. Prescribed Fire Smoke Management Guide (NWCG, NFES 1279,PMS
420-1). This guide provides guidelines for planning and managing
smoke from prescribed fires to achieve air quality requirements
through improved smoke management practices.
8. Weather Station Handbook - An Interagency Guide for Wildland
Managers (NWCG, PMS 426-1). This guide provides standards and
procedures for sighting, installing, operating, and maintaining
automated and manual weather stations.
9. Wildland and Prescribed Fire Management Policy
Implementation Procedures Reference Guide. This guide provides
interagency guidance on carrying out the Federal Wildland Fire
Management Policy (listed in para. 1 of this section).
10. Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualification System Guide
(NWCG, PMS 310-1). This interagency guide provides descriptions,
qualifications, and requirements for fire suppression and
prescribed fire positions.
11. Fire and Aviation Management Qualifications Handbook (Forest
Service Handbook, FSH): This handbook contains wildland fire
suppression positions, qualifications, and certification
requirements for Forest Service personnel.
12. Wildfire Prevention Handbook (FSH): This handbook provides
a framework to develop and manage economically efficient wildland
fire prevention programs.
13. Fire Management Analysis and Planning Handbook (FSH): This
handbook provides detailed instructions for fire management
program analysis and evaluation, coordination with forest
planning, program development, budgeting, and implementation
planning.
14. Wildfire Cause Determination Handbook (NWCG Handbook 1):
This National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) handbook guides
initial attack firefighters and others in determining the cause
of a wildland fire.
15. Fireline Handbook (NWCG Handbook 3): This NWCG handbook
provides wildland fire suppression principles, organization, and
procedures utilizing the Incident Command System.
DOE Requirements Sources (DOE Orders)
16. DOE O 430.1B, Real Property Asset Management.
17. DOE O 440.1A, Worker Protection Management for DOE Federal
and Contractor Employees.
18. DOE O 450.1, Environmental Protection Program.
(References 16, 17 and 18 available on the DOE website at
www.directives.doe.gov)
DOE Requirements Sources (Secretarial Memoranda)
19. Secretarial Memorandum, Moratorium on Prescribed Fires, June
5, 2000.
20. Secretarial Memorandum, Fire Management Program Direction,
May 11, 2001.
21. Secretarial Memorandum, Department of Energy Wildland Fire
Management Policy, February 24, 2003.
National Fire Protection Association Standards (NFPA)
22. Standard 1143, Wildland Fire Management
23. Siandard1144, Protection of Life and Property from Wildfire
Appendix B
Wildland Fire Management Planning
INTRODUCTION
The objectives of wildland fire management planning are (1) to
base wildland fire program planning and implementation on
wildland fire management direction and decisions from the DOE
land-use planning and management process; (2) to develop, review,
approve, and maintain a wildland fire management plan for each
DOE site ,documenting a wildland fire management program that is
based on the land-use planning and management process and
conforms with applicable authorities and references cited in
Appendix A; (3) to present accurate, current information in a
consistent format needed for the full breadth of the wildland
fire management program, including, but not limited to, wildland
fire response, analysis, and fuels management development.
Recommendations are as follows.
Each DOE site with significant burnable vegetation that warrants
planning for wildland fire management activities should have an
approved wildland fire management plan that is prepared,
reviewed, and approved annually using the guidance and
recommendations in this document.
Wildland fire management plans should provide for firefighter and
public safety, consideration of values to be protected, and
consistency with direction from the site land-use planning and
management process. Additionally, plans should address as
extensively as possible the full range of potential wildland fire
occurrences and should include the full range of fire management
actions in a manner consistent with site land-use planning and
management process.
WILDLAND FIRE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING
The objective of wildland fire program implementation planning is
to develop the details of proposed wildland fire program elements
for use in the annual program planning and budgeting system.
Planning procedures to consider are as follows. Resource
specialists may be assembled to interpret the resource goals and
objectives in the site land-use planning and management process
for the purpose of developing specific wildland fire management
program element objectives, strategies, and considerations by
wildland fire management unit or by other geographic units set
out in the wildland fire management plan.
Where the land-use planning and management process does not
support a full range of wildland fire program options, the site
land-use planning and management process may be amended or
revised by the DOE Site Manager to reflect a broader Wildland
Fire Management Program.
All planning and decision making for Wildland Fire Management
Programs should be consistent with the site land-use planning and
management process and the approved integrated safety management
system.
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN
The wildland fire management plans are prepared, approved and
reviewed each year to (1) formally document the site wildland
fire program elements, objectives, strategies and resource
considerations based on the land-use planning and management
process; (2) provide the responsible manager with specific
guidance to implement fire-related direction on the ground; and
(3) interpret strategic Land Management Plan direction into
specific wildland fire management direction for each fire
management unit delineated in the wildland fire management plan.
A wildland fire management plan does not document wildland fire
management decisions; rather, it provides operational parameters
whereby fire managers implement the goals and objectives in the
site land-use planning and management process.
Content and Format of Wildland Fire Management Plan: Use Exhibit
01 below as a guide for tailoring the site wildland fire
management plan to meet your individual site needs. This format
is consistent with the interagency wildland fire management plan
template approved for interagency use on July 11, 2002, by
National Fire Directors for the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau
of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park
Service, Department of Interior and the Forest Service,
Department of Agriculture. Other formats are acceptable if the
planning is less complex or if plans meeting the intent of this
guidance are approved by DOE.
Exhibit 01
Recommended Content and Format of Fire Management Plan
SECTION I – INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose of the Plan. State the reasons for developing this
plan, including the requirement that wildland fire management
plans should be developed for all areas subject to wildland fires
in compliance with the following: DOE O 450.1 and DOE P 450.4,
Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Program Review;
Wildland and Prescribed Fire Management Policy and Implementation
Procedures Reference Guide.
B. Collaboration. Summarize the collaborative processes used to
develop the underlying site land-use planning and management
process direction and the wildland fire management plan, as well
as summarizing additional collaborative opportunities that are
available as the wildland fire management plan is implemented.
C. Link to Policy/Orders/Contracts. State that the plan is a
detailed program of action to carry out wildland fire management
site policies and will help achieve resource management and
wildland fire protection objectives as defined in the land-use
planning and management process.
D. Link to Land and Resource Management Planning. State that
the wildland fire management plan follows the goals and
objectives identified in the land-use planning and management
process and that such plan meets National Environmental Policy
Act requirements as well as other DOE, state, and Federal
regulatory requirements.
E. Authorities. Cite authorities and references for
implementing this plan.
SECTION II – RELATIONSHIP TO LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND
WILDLAND FIRE POLICY
This section is normally extracted from the site land-use
planning and management process. It is set out here so that
wildland fire managers can identify in broad programmatic terms
the direction found in the land-use planning and management
process, such as goals, objectives, and desired future condition,
as they pertain to wildland fire management activities.
A. Reference to Planning and Documents. Reference the land-use
planning and management process or other planning documents
concerning wildland fire management.
B. Reference to Policy Documents. Reference wildland fire
management policies, and include relevant statements that speak
to wildland fire management direction and program guidance.
C. Goals and Desired Condition. Describe site-wide desired
condition, goals, and objectives.
SECTION III - WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
A. General Management Considerations. Briefly describe how
wildland fire will be managed and identify any site-wide
considerations, such as interagency partnerships, regional
strategies, collaborators, and collaborative processes, to be
incorporated in wildland fire management strategies.
B. Wildland Fire Management Goals. Develop and list wildland
fire management goals. These goals provide the programmatic
direction for the wildland fire program and should be stated
within the context of the approved land-use planning and
management process direction. Goals should be programmatic in
nature, such as: “Achieve a program where firefighter and public
safety is the highest priority in every fire management
activity,” or “Wildland fire and prescribed fire are used
wherever appropriate as tools to meet resource management
objectives.” Discuss how these goals contribute to accomplishing
regional or national strategic plans.
SECTION IV – WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Each wildland fire management plan is composed of the following
wildland fire management components that define the site Wildland
Fire Management Program. Each of these components should be
addressed as they relate to the Wildland Fire Management Program
(described in section III). They should be addressed, as needed,
in this section; or a reference can be cited as to where this
type of information can be found; or they can be identified as
“not applicable”.
A. General Implementation Procedures. Implementation of
wildland fire management components should be consistent with
wildland fire management capabilities and should consider the
current and predicted conditions affecting wildland fire
behavior. Preplanned decisions based on historical wildland fire
behavior indices should be considered to most efficiently aid in
requiring appropriate management responses for suppression.
B. Wildland Fire Suppression. Describe the following elements
related to wildland fire suppression as appropriate.
1. Range of Potential Behavior.
2. Preparedness Actions.
a. Fire Prevention, Community Education, Community Risk
Assessment, and Other Community Assistance Activities (Firewise).
Explain briefly the overall wildland fire prevention and
community education and assistance programs for the site.
Describe the typical human-caused wildland fire. Describe the
main activities of the site related to wildland fire prevention.
If the site has a wildland prevention plan, include it in an
appendix.
b. Annual Prevention Program. Describe wildland fire
prevention goals and objectives for the current wildland fire
season. Identify any significant deviations from the previous
fire season. Highlight the prevention program successes the unit
has experienced.
c. Special Orders and Closures. Describe situations that set
up special actions for high-intensity prevention activities. If
there is a discussion on restrictions and closures in the site
wildland fire prevention plan, summarize the discussion here,
provide a cross-reference to the appropriate appendix, and
include the wildland prevention plan in that appendix.
d. Industrial Operations and Fire Precautions. Describe
restrictions for industrial operations based on wildland fire
danger.
3. Annual Fire Training Activities. Identify annual training
activities needed by wildland fire personnel, such as annual
safety refresher, such as fire shelter deployment, and explain
how this training is carried out.
4. Wildland Fire Season Readiness. Describe the work needed
annually to ensure the wildland fire readiness of equipment,
personnel, and supplies. Review the following schedule and fire
season dates.
a. Annual preparedness reviews.
b. Season start and stop criteria with typical dates.
5. Wildland Fire Weather and Fire Danger.
a. Weather Stations. Provide weather station catalog
information and the fuel model used for establishing critical
National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) output (90th and 97th
percentile) thresholds. Briefly explain how each station’s
catalog was developed.
6. NFDRS. Select an index or indices for trend monitoring.
Identify the means, extremes, and percentiles for the index or
indices for comparison. Identify weather thresholds and NFDRS
thresholds for the full range of fire management activities as
they relate to historical large wildland fire occurrence.
Thresholds can be determined by Palmer Drought Indices, METAFIRE,
KBDI, ERC, BI, FIRES, preparedness levels, and so forth. Wildland
Fire danger thresholds are a key element, as they drive almost
all wildland fire management actions on the ground. Discuss the
process for developing thresholds used for prevention, initial
response, large wildland fire actions, and prescribed fire
activities. Include any charts used in the decision-making
process. Explain the process for communicating wildland fire
danger information to field personnel.
7. Initial Attack. State that initial attack is an aggressive
suppression action consistent with firefighter and public safety
and with values to be protected. Develop the following
information that applies to initial attack action on the unit.
a. Information Used To Set Initial Attack Priorities. Include a
list of information sources for completing the Stage 1 Initial
wildland Fire Assessment and setting initial attack priorities:
wildland urban interface, net value change tables, timber maps,
wildlife habitat, archaeological sites, and fuel maps. Include
preplanned initial attack strategies. Any known safety hazards
should be displayed.
b. Criteria for the Appropriate Initial Attack Response.
Determine and document the criteria that should be used to define
the level of response warranted consistent with the land-use
planning and management process and wildland fire management plan
guidance based on the conditions and expected effects.
c. Response Times. Identify the typical wildland fire response
times at the site by resource type and time of year of wildland
fire danger.
8. Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST) Requirements.
State the policy requirement for minimum impact suppression
tactics (MIST). Summarize specific minimum impact suppression
guidelines for the site. Full guidelines and details can be
placed in an appendix.
9. Other Fire Suppression Considerations. Sites are unique in
their management and operation. Any other considerations related
to wildland fire suppression can be included here.
C. Prescribed Fire.
1. Planning and Documentation.
a. Describe annual activities to prepare for and implement the
program (do not include copies of specific prescribed fire unit
burn plans). Include discussion on collaborative processes in
planning, priority setting, and implementation.
b. Relate the long-term prescribed fire strategy for each
relevant fire management unit by fire regime and condition class
and display planned burn units.
c. Identify number and kinds of qualified personnel necessary
to plan and execute the proposed annual prescribed fire program.
d. Define the weather, fire behavior, and fire effects
monitoring associated with prescribed fire applications. Include
both short-term and long-term effectiveness monitoring objectives
and any issues or concerns identified in related NEPA documents.
Verify and monitor for the measurable objectives identified for
prescribed fire (see section III-C, “Description of Fire
Management Units”). Emphasize protocols and criteria needed to
determine if objectives have been met. The full monitoring plan
should be included as an appendix or addendum.
e. Provide the format for critiques of prescribed fire
projects.
f. Describe reporting and documentation requirements for
accomplishments and escaped fires.
g. Develop a historic fuel treatment map of post-burn
activities that affect planned actions.
h. Explain the local prescribed fire burn plan requirements and
include a copy of the burn plan the unit uses in the appendix. A
description of the required prescribed burn plan elements can be
found in chapter 4 of the implementation guide.
2. Prescribed Fire Escape. Describe procedures in place for
responding to an escape. A prescribed fire should be designated
as a wildland fire when it exceeds, or is anticipated to exceed,
one or more prescription parameters delineated in the fire’s
documented burn plan. Once a prescribed fire has been declared a
wildland fire, it may not be re-designated as prescribed fire.
Report escaped fires consistent with direction provided in this
guidance.
3. Air Quality and Smoke Management. Describe pertinent air
quality issues. (See Appendix C.)
4. Hazardous Materials. Describe any hazardous materials that
may be present in burn areas and the potential health or
environmental effects if these materials are exposed or released
by the prescribed fire. Describe detection, prevention and
mitigation measures that are available for use.
D. Non-Fire Fuel Applications. Describe the scope of non-fire
treatment activities related to fuel hazard reduction and the
total fire management program. Include discussion on
collaborative processes in planning, priority setting, and
implementation. Describe generally the mechanical treatment
program and consider such items as (1) annual activities to
prepare for and implement the program; (2) equipment and seasonal
use restrictions by management area or FMU, including
restrictions due to weather, species sensitivity, or other
concerns that may affect equipment use; and (3) the effects
monitoring required, including both short-term and long-term
monitoring objectives and any issues or concerns identified in
related NEPA documents (any monitoring plan should be included as
an appendix or addendum); (4) the format for critiques of
mechanical treatment projects; (5) reporting and documentation
requirements; and (6) the annual planned project list.
E. Emergency Rehabilitation and Restoration. Reference post-
wildland fire rehabilitation (stabilization) and restoration
planning and implementation. Refer to the Interagency Burned
Area Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation Handbook or the
Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Handbook. Any plan for
accomplishing burned area rehabilitation should be included in
the appendix.
SECTION V – ORGANIZATIONAL AND BUDGETARY PARAMETERS
A. Current fiscal year budget and the ability to support
planned and unplanned actions. Explanation of the wildland fire
management budget and how to organize management plans to meet
site objectives either here or in an appendix. Include
prescribed fire as well as wildland fire.
B. Organization chart supported by the current fiscal year
budget. New or updated site wildland fire management
organization chart. Explain how management plans to approach
initial attack, extended attack, and escapes. Highlight how
management will organize when resources are depleted. Include
cooperator use.
C. Cooperative agreements and interagency contacts.
Description of the interagency coordination needed to implement
the wildland fire management plan. List key interagency contacts
by function. Discuss local agreements that are in place.
Include major cooperators, such as state and other Federal
agencies, as well as local volunteer fire companies. Include
agreements in an appendix.
D. Equipment rental agreements. Include equipment rental
agreements in the appendix or reference such agreements in
external service and supply plans.
E. Contract suppression and prescribed fire resources. Include
contracts for suppression and prescribed fire resources in the
appendix along with contract agreements and contacts, or
reference in external service and supply plans.
SECTION VI – MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Reporting Requirements. Reporting requirements include, but are
not limited to, Individual Fire Report, any agency-specific
accountability and National Fire Plan reporting, and DOE
reporting requirements through the Occurrence Reporting and
Processing System (ORPS).
Appendix C
Environmental Considerations
Introduction
DOE O 450.1, Environmental Protection Program, issued January 15,
2003, requires the integration of environmental management
systems into an integrated safety management system that
addresses site-wide considerations of all environmental areas.
DOE O 450.1, § 4.b(1)(e) specifically requires consideration of
protection of site resources from wildland and operational fires
as part of their environmental management systems. Appendix C
briefly discusses some of the environmental resources (i.e., air
quality and smoke management, cultural resources, endangered and
threatened species, groundwater protection, hazardous and
radioactive waste, migratory bird protection and watershed
protection) that could potentially be impacted by fire. DOE
sites are encouraged to address these and other environmental
areas as applicable, as they develop their fire and land use
plans as part of their environmental management systems.
Wherever feasible, sites should utilize existing land use and
fire management plans and update them as appropriate.
Air Quality and Smoke Management
Background
Unanticipated wildland fires, prescribed fires that burn wildland
vegetation, and operational fires that burn debris from
operational and construction activities cause air emissions of
many different chemical compounds, such as fine particles, oxides
of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and organic compounds. In addition
to being associated with adverse health effects at elevated
concentration levels, fine particles are also a major cause of
visibility impairment in such places as national parks, which are
valued for their scenic views and recreation. Fires managed by
Federal agencies are most likely to impact air quality in
national parks and forests and impair visibility in national
parks. Some large fires can be reasonably expected to
significantly affect air quality and visibility in and around a
DOE site.
Air Quality Requirements
There are a number of potentially applicable existing and
developing regulatory requirements and policies addressing air
quality and visibility that can have a substantive impact on
DOE’s fire management program. The following table is a listing
of possible air quality requirements that should be met during
the planning stages for prescribed or operational fires and
should be addressed in site wildland fire management documents
(if the requirement is applicable).