Based on the research and workshop information cited above, the Panel believes that three new initiatives are needed to most appropriately take advantage of local firefighting forces in suppressing wildfires. These initiatives are designed to (1) train and qualify local firefighters for leadership and other roles in wildfire suppression, (2) provide means for more fully utilizing local forces, and (3) making federal aid more easily available to local fire departments.
Increase Availability of Local Firefighting Forces for Wildfires
The Panel believes that developing local Type 3 Incident Management Teams in wildfire-prone communities not only would enhance firefighting preparedness and response, but would also reduce the costs of suppressing large wildfires. Teams could be staffed with federal, state, and local firefighters who do not feel they can commit to out-of-area assignments. In addition, qualifying local firefighters to serve in crew and other capacities under federal teams would yield similar benefits.
But a significant amount of local resources will be necessary to establish these Type 3 teams and qualify local firefighters for use on federally administered fires. And these resources are currently unavailable in many places. For example, local firefighters are often unable to qualify for these teams and other roles because they do not have access to the required wildfire training and/or are unable to meet NWCG standards. In many cases, some local firefighters could meet NWCG standards if training were more widely available. In other cases, they could qualify if NFPA standards were recognized as sufficient for local firefighters. The nation needs to develop a better way of tapping these local resources without, of course, compromising firefighter safety or effectiveness.
The Panel recommends, therefore, that the Wildland Fire Leadership Council:
The Panel recommends, further, that elected officials and senior administrators in local governments be actively engaged in increasing training opportunities and promoting the development of local Type 3 incident management teams. Without strong local leadership at these high levels, the needed resources to support mobilization of local forces will be much less likely to be made available. To support this recommendation, the Panel also recommends that the International City/County Management Association, the National Association of Counties, and the National League of Cities take appropriate steps to inform their members of this need for active leadership.
Integrate Firefighting Forces into Wildfire Response
The Panel believes that local, state, and national suppression responses can be enhanced significantly by greater utilization of properly trained and equipped local fire departments. An effective local department can independently, or in cooperation with others, suppress fires before they spread to state or federal jurisdictions; attack and contain fires on adjacent state and federal land, often before state and federal forces arrive; and provide much needed assistance on large state and federal wildfires. As local fire engines sit idle—for lack of training and coordination—federal agencies too often use more costly resources: contract engines and crews, resources from other states, National Guard resources, active duty battalions, and firefighters from other nations. At the same time, federal engines are frequently moved long distances—with considerable time delays and costs—when local engines could respond much faster, at less cost. Even with the more costly resources mentioned above, the nation has a critical shortage of resources during difficult fire seasons.
The Panel recommends, therefore, that the Wildland Fire Leadership Council establish specific guidance to their agencies for more fully utilizing local firefighting resources. The goal of this guidance should be to ensure that:
In addition, the Panel recommends that the Council develop a comprehensive strategy to provide incentives for local firefighters to become qualified to participate in federally managed wildfires. The Panel believes that increasing access to wildland fire training by reducing current barriers, as recommended in this report, would provide a significant incentive. The Council should also consider other options, such as those presented in the NASF report to pay stipends to local government trainers and to compensate volunteer firefighters for their time spent in training. Incentives to encourage training should be a shared responsibility of federal and local governments, and both should contribute.
Facilitate Federal Aid to Local Wildfire Response Forces
The Panel believes that federal fire grants have been a vital source of support for local fire departments, but applicants and recipients have experienced difficulties with grant administration. The Panel believes that the current federal-aid system supporting wildfire programs—not just grants to local fire departments, but all the grants available for fuels reduction, fire planning, communities-at-risk, training, equipment, and so on—needs to become more reliable, more accessible, and less burdensome to states and communities. Assistance to local fire departments might work in conjunction with the mitigation funds addressed in the Panel’s January 2004 report, Containing Wildland Fire Costs: Enhancing Hazard Mitigation Capacity. Among other things, this report develops a strategy to promote the development of one-stop shops and widespread adoption of electronic grants. The Panel envisions one-stop websites that include a comprehensive list of all related federal-aid and state-aid programs; detailed program descriptions; electronic application capability; an electronic checklist for applicants to effectively and efficiently determine their eligibility for each program; a single application for grants with the same purpose; and information on how to obtain grant-writing assistance. At the same time, provisions will be included for alternative means of access to federal aid for applicants who are unable to use electronic means. Because of the large cost and complexity of ensuring widespread interoperability among electronic communications systems for local and other wildfire suppression forces, joint efforts may be required by the land management agencies; the Department of Homeland Security; and the leadership of state, local, and tribal governments.