How Fire Suppression Works in the Applegate
Agency Response
Currently, all fires in southern Oregon are suppressed as rapidly as possible, no matter how they start or whose land they are burning on. However, since Congress has required that specially designated wilderness areas must have their own fire management plans, the fire plan for the Red Buttes Wilderness Area could soon contain different fire suppression objectives. At this point, protection of life is the #1 priority in fire suppression for all agencies, with protection of resources #2 for ODF and protection of property #2 for BLM.
Response to a fire in the Applegate does not depend upon whose land the fire started on, but rather on which agency's jurisdiction it lies within. In most of the populated areas, several or all agencies will respond initially and determine jurisdiction later. They don't wait to be asked to respond or to see if one agency is going to turn a fire over to another. All agencies are ready to respond to an emergency call when it comes in, and they all have a set of situational responses which are similar in strategy but may differ according to the type of fire and to jurisdictional boundaries.
Which agency or agencies respond to a fire depends partly upon the time of year. For example, ODF is on full alert during fire season, and though it does not do initial attack in winter, it does respond if there is a genuine threat to wildland resources. The geography where the fire is reported, the fire's behavior, and the current degree of fire danger also influence which agency will respond. In general, wildland fires are answered by ODF or the USFS, whereas Rural/Metro and Applegate Rural Fire District #9 cover first attack and structural calls. During fire season, though, ODF does respond to all reported fires in the watershed, including structural fires. The USFS may respond as well if a fire in a populated area also threatens National Forest lands. The same responses apply in unpopulated areas except that structural fire departments may not respond to fires in remote, unpopulated areas if there is no threat to life or property within their areas of responsibility.
Although ODF and USFS personnel are not trained, equipped, or authorized to enter burning structures, they can take action on the exterior of a structure and will assist structural fire departments in protecting exposures and surrounding vegetation by clearing around houses, setting up pumps and hoses, putting in fire lines, etc.
Under ODF and Forest Service response plans, all lands have been divided into dispatch blocks or compartments based on access, vegetation type, and base locations of initial attack resources. Fire fighting units have been pre-assigned to each block according to the forecast degree of fire danger. When a call is received, the appropriate types of vehicles and crews are dispatched depending on the type of fire danger. The first unit on the scene assesses the situation, then adds or subtracts from the other responding units based on the fire size-up. Each fire has an Incident Commander who is basically in charge. It does not matter which agency the Incident Commander works for; what is important is that this person has the experience and training to manage that particular fire.
The first few hours of a fire, especially in populated areas where lives may be in danger, may be chaotic, as crews try to accurately assess the situation (lives at risk, cause, terrain, access, fuel loads, fire behavior, values-at-risk, other hazards present, weather, safety concerns, etc.). It is important that residents stay away during any fire event, but especially during this initial time! Problems can arise at any time, but particularly when: a) a fire threatens human life or safety; b) the fire grows or changes behavior faster than the crews can get deployed; c) residents refuse to leave areas when there are threats to human life and safety; d) there are multiple lightning strikes in an area; e) there are large-scale catastrophes such as floods that would restrict emergency vehicle access; f) there is a pre-existing condition such as a wildfire and a second condition arises, such as a fire fighter's death or a second wildfire; g) there are large fires throughout the West, so that equipment and personnel resources are low when a new fire starts.
Interagency Agreements
The "Mutual Assistance Agreement" between fire-fighting agencies in Josephine and Jackson Counties that was set up over twenty years ago is well over and above the state's requirement that agencies within one county all have mutual aid agreements This reciprocal agreement allows agencies to immediately help each other, thereby reducing the chances of going beyond their individual resources or capabilities. With this agreement, the fire services don't wait for a jurisdictional agency to go beyond its resources before assisting.
Through the Rogue Valley Fire Chief's Association, a 10-year-old task-force-like agreement exists wherein unit and equipment resources are catalogued. Situations are preprogrammed by the number of alarms, the location, and the number of other concurrent incidents, so that the dispatch center knows automatically which unit next responds to a fire call. For instance, Rural/Metro responds to a call that quickly moves to a third alarm, so R/M asks for outside help via the task force so that their local resources are not depleted. The dispatch center then sends out the best-matched unit for the situation. All local agencies are aware of this request or assignment. If additional help is needed and the request exceeds local capabilities, the request goes through the State Fire Marshall's office for more state aid. This agreement allows all partners in the valley to develop the best response to a wildfire and thereby meet the public's expectations.
For fifty years now BLM has contracted with ODF to suppress fires on BLM-managed lands in Western Oregon. ODF is in charge but utilizes BLM local resources for technical information. BLM reimburses ODF for the costs of fire suppression efforts.
A group of representatives from USFS, BLM, and ODF, called the Southwest Oregon Coordinating Group (SWOC-G), meets monthly to discuss fire issues concerning the Rogue Valley. The representatives also meet with agency administrators during fire season when there are, for example, multiple ignitions or a large fire, to set priorities for the best use of all firefighting resources.
The "Overhead Resource Pool" has been set up within our two counties on a volunteer basis. Members wear special pagers and have specialized job duties. If an agency chief needs a certain resource, such as a dozen EMTs for a large traffic accident, this need is typed into the pagers, and folks just show up to help! This arrangement is not known to exist elsewhere in the state.
Cross-training of fire fighting personnel is common in southern Oregon, with many folks having worked for more than one agency in the past and being familiar with how things are done in several agencies. An effort is made to help maintain the skills of volunteer fire fighters (for instance, Rural/Metro might call on the Williams Volunteer Fire Department's truck if it is not already in use, so that the crew can get more experience).
As much as our emergency services cooperate, there are sometimes limitations. For example, if fire district resources are committed outside their districts to the point that they're unable to respond to emergencies within their districts, they may be held liable for not protecting those who pay for their services. Therefore, the above coordinated efforts help everyone involved.
One other note: all fire fighting equipment in the Applegate is currently compatible - it all connects together, no matter who owns it. This is rare but obviously vital. (Non-compatible equipment proved to be a huge issue in the Oakland Hills Fire of 1991.)
If you would like to take suppression action on fires, you can become a volunteer fire fighter. You can receive the required OR-OSHA training and arrange for equipment required for 1) your personal safety, 2) safety of other fire fighters working in close proximity to you, 3) safety of the general public in close proximity to your actions, 4) coordination with the incident command organization, and 5) overall effectiveness of the suppression effort. If, however, you are physically unable to work in a suppression capacity but would like to help in some other way, you should look into involvement with a fire department auxiliary organization.
The many collaborative agreements described above make the fire services in Jackson and Josephine Counties are among the most advanced, coordinated, pre-planned, and cooperative public safety systems in the country.