USFS: Firefighters and Foresters Clearing Roads For #Sandy Aid

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

USFS: Firefighters and Foresters Clearing Roads For #Sandy Aid

Forest Service Firefighters Clear Roads for Delivery of Hurricane Sandy Relief Supplies and for Power Restoration

Posted by Keith Riggs, Office of Communication and Pat Sheridan, National Fire Desk, US Forest Service, on November 6, 2012 at 2:30 PM

US Forest Service wildland firefighters and interagency crews mobilized to assist with Hurricane Sandy response. Rachel Smith ESF4 Lead at FEMA Region 1 Regional Response Coordination Center Maynard, Mass., on Oct. 30, 2012. US Forest Service photo/Rachael Smith.

When Hurricane Sandy arrived in New Jersey and New York, so did the Forest Service and other interagency wildland firefighting specialists filling orders from FEMA and assisting in the massive clean-up effort that is critically needed on the East Coast.

“Our Incident Management Teams bring skills in organization, planning and logistics to meet the needs of communities tragically affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said Tidwell. “Crews are clearing downed trees, providing support to local emergency response agencies and assisting at FEMA facilities.”

The Forest Service’s experience in wildland fire management makes it an ideal partner to help coordinate operations during a natural disaster. The Incident Command System, which governs the actions of everyone involved in disaster recovery, was developed by the Forest Service after years of experience in wildland fire suppression operations.

Currently, over 1200 personnel, 900 of which are Forest Service employees, are providing relief efforts in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and West Virginia.

Nine Incident Management Teams are operating mobilization centers, staging areas, and supporting Emergency Operations Centers. Under emergency support functions that are detailed in theNational Response Framework, the Forest Service assumes responsibility for providing firefighting assets and personnel who coordinate disaster relief operations, oversee distribution of supplies, and provide strategic organizational experts at regional and national coordination centers.

Although Forest Service firefighters are known for their wildland fire suppression skills, they also have experience applicable to all types of hazards and emergency scenarios, particularly in the aftermath of hurricanes and severe storms. Forty three 20-person fire crews from 17 states are now on the ground in the hurricane ravished areas, clearing roads, taking down fallen trees and coordinating local emergency responders.

Normally considered a noise nuisance, the sound of chainsaws is welcomed in the neighborhoods of impacted communities as trees of all sizes are cut, bucked, and moved out the way. Clearing roads are an essential element in relief efforts, allowing power companies access to their lines and expediting the delivery of critically needed materials and supplies.

Ask the crews why are they are there, and you will get the same message each time, ‘Because people need help.’

US Forest Service and Minnesota state Department of Natural Resources crews work in Connecticut on Nov. 1, 2012. The crews are helping to open roads for local emergency responders and distribution of supplies. US Forest Service photo/Suzanne Flory

CFN - California Fire News 2012

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, November 6, 2012