Wildland/Urban Interface: Fire Department Wildfire Preparedness and Readiness Capabilities Phase One Report Prepared by: Hylton Haynes, M.S. Angela Garcia, PhD. Rachel Madsen, NFPA Bentley University PhD. Candidate Brandeis University © November 2015 National Fire Protection Association Abstract Wildland and wildland/urban interface fires are a major problem in many parts of the country, and are increasing in frequency. These fires typically require more resources in terms of personnel and equipment than any one department has available, and so by their nature require cooperation and coordination between multiple departments, agencies, and organizations. Historically fire departments have focused primarily on fire suppression/control responsibilities, however increasingly the need for greater effort in wildfire risk reduction is becoming important. This report based on 46 fire chief and senior line officer interviews describes how some fire departments are addressing the wildfire peril and making the transition to becoming better prepared and ready to control and mitigate a wildfire incident in their communities. For some departments these conditions require only minor adjustments in their organization, procedures, and activities, while for other departments a major shift in outlook and approach may be required. Keywords: WUI, wildfire, wildland fire, wildland/urban interface, local fire departments, fire response, community risk reduction, fire apparatus, wildland fire training, wildfire dispatch protocols, personal protective equipment, preparedness, mitigation, Acknowledgments NFPA is grateful to the fire chiefs and senior line officers who participated in the interview process. There candid responses, enthusiasm for the topic and professionalism is greatly appreciated. A special thanks to the International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Fire Committee who helped facilitate the first 6 interviews of this study and Sarah McCaffrey, PhD., U.S. Forest Service for her assistance in the research study. The authors would also like to thank the members of NFPA staff who worked on this research study, including Albert Scott and Faith Berry for scheduling and conducting the interviews; and Emily Daly and Paula Levesque for transcribing the interviews; Richard Campbell, ScD. for assisting with the IRB application process and Christina Holcroft, ScD. in guiding the research process. For more information about the National Fire Protection Association, visit www.nfpa.org or call 617-770-3000. To learn more about the One-Stop Data Shop go to www.nfpa.org/osds or call 617-984-7451. Copies of this analysis are available from: National Fire Protection Association One-Stop Data Shop 1 Batterymarch Park Quincy, MA 02169-7471 www.nfpa.org e-mail: [email protected] phone: 617-984-7451 NFPA No. USS106 Copyright© 2015, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA Table of Contents Page Executive Summary iii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Equipment 8 Chapter 3: Training 43 Chapter 4: Communicating with the Public 56 Chapter 5: Community Risk Reduction 79 Chapter 6: Relationship Building and Cooperation 104 Chapter 7: Conclusion 116 Appendix A: Interview Survey Form 121 Appendix B: Interview Guide 125 WUI Fire Department Phase One Report 11/15 i NFPA Fire Analysis & Research, Quincy, MA List of Figures Page Figure 1. United States Census Regions 5 Figure 2. Percentage of fire departments interviewed that work that work with the following organizations/stakeholders and how these organization contribute to fire protection activities 9 Figure 3. Percentage of the departments interviewed that have mutual aid cooperative fire response agreements and do fire response mutual training like classroom and simulation exercises with other organizations 10 Figure 4. Percentage of the departments interviewed that devote more of their fire response time to either wildland fire or structural fire response 11 Figure 5. Percentage of fire departments interviewed that devote more of their time to either wildland fire or structural fire community risk reduction activities 79 Figure 6. Percentage of fire departments interviewed who have a wildfire Community risk reduction program that include the following programs/activities 84 WUI Fire Department Phase One Report 11/15 ii NFPA Fire Analysis & Research, Quincy, MA Executive Summary The purpose of this pilot study is to review and assess the current preparedness and readiness levels of local wildland/urban interface (WUI) fire departments that have experienced a significant wildfire event in recent years. Through this process we have captured some insights that are tantamount to “best management practices” because many of the fire department’s interviewed had WUI fire response and community risk reduction capabilities. To accomplish this research goal two research approaches were deployed. The first approach involved a pre-interview survey comprised of a set of closed-ended questions (see Appendix A). The research objective for this approach was to provide the interviewer an overall profile of the interviewee prior to the interview to help guide the semi-structured interview and to illicit close-end responses that would complement this qualitative study. The second research was a semi- structured interview that included a set of open-ended questions (see Appendix B). The qualitative component is the main research method of this study. Due to the volume of the data collected the project has been divided into two phases. In the first phase one only 25 of the 46 interviews were analyzed for the following themes – equipment (apparatus, PPE, radios), dispatch protocols, training, communicating with the public, community risk reduction and relationship building and cooperation and is only focused on the first 25 interviews: WUI/wildland fire equipment (apparatus, radios, PPE) There is considerable variation in perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of apparatus. A number of departments seemed to be managing budgetary limitations by thoughtful choices about apparatus that could be used for a variety of different purposes (example: Type 3 ‘hybrid’ engine), and by strategic dispatching to maximize the effectiveness of resources they have. We did not find evidence for “one best” approach to dispatch protocols, rather the individual departments interviewed adequately developed protocols appropriate for local conditions. In terms of wildland/WUI fire PPE, we were impressed with the reported high rates of compliance, but feel that further study into the various factors that brought compliance rates below complete compliance is needed. Issues around timing of use, location of transitions in gear (i.e. changing from traditional bunker gear to wildland WUI Fire Department Phase One Report 11/15 iii NFPA Fire Analysis & Research, Quincy, MA fire gear), staffing and policies need to be further investigated to determine best ways to raise compliance rates. In terms of radio technology, there was evidence of broad awareness of the potential for communication problems due to incompatible radio systems or frequencies. It is clear from these data that while technology can ameliorate some of these problems, training and logistical issues will remain regardless of the technology used. For example, investing in multiple radio systems to provide more flexibility solved some problems but produced other problems for those who took this path. In short, there is no “one size fits all” solution to radio communications problems, since individual circumstances (such as geographical constraints, budgetary constraints, or the type and nature of relationships between units or agencies needing to communicate during incidents) will vary. Decisions about new radio equipment purchases should always be made in consultation with other agencies/departments that the department works with, in order to minimize potential radio incompatibilities and have a plan to deal with those that are inevitable. Further investigation into the merits of the Type 3 ‘hybrid’ engine and its application in the WUI and rural settings is warranted. Research should also investigate how widely adopted wildland chainsaw PPE is applied in practice and determine the scope of deficiency in field application. Training Several problems regarding Wildland and WUI Fire training have been identified. i. The first was the need to transition from traditional training practices which emphasized structural as opposed to Wildland/WUI fire training. ii. Second, Wildland/WUI fire training may be adopted inconsistently, with local and regional variations in the level and adequacy of training. iii. Fitness levels may not always be adequate to the rigors of Wildland/WUI fire events. Interviewees described a wide range of strategies to improve wildland/WUI fire training. Some departments were in states which had instituted state-wide systems, or took advantage of interagency simulations and drills to add wildland/WUI training, WUI Fire Department Phase One Report 11/15 iv NFPA Fire Analysis & Research, Quincy, MA added wildland/WUI training to refresher training programs or continuing education programs, conducted training needs assessments, encouraged personnel to participate in external complex wildland/WUI fire assignments, or created wildfire divisions and programs within their departments. Urban, rural and volunteer fire departments increasingly manage fire in the WUI. Wildland firefighter training, although separate from the traditional (structural)