US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service International Programs Technical Assistance Trip to the Republic of Ghana In Support of the Forestry Commission of Ghana Wildfire Management Project in the Forest Transitional Zone: Identification of Fire Engines, Hand Tools and Fire Lookout Towers REVISED FINAL REPORT February 6, 2006 Mission Dates: October 2-15, 2005 Sections of the report were compiled and edited as follows: Introduction, Summary Fire Lookout Tower Wildfire Suppression and Conclusions Assessment Tools and Engine Blessing Etim Asuquo Christopher Shields Clay Fowler Africa Program Specialist Structural Engineer Fire Operations Supervisor US Forest Service US Forest Service Bureau of Land Management 1099 14th Street N.W 1323 Club Drive 2815 H. Road Washington, DC 20005 Vallejo, CA 94592 Grand Junction, CO 81506 (202) 501-2581 (707) 562-8863 (970) 244-3108 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Acronyms……………………………………………………………………...….3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..……..4 Summary……………..……………………………………………………………..…….4 I. Fire Lookout Towers – Tasks and Conclusions……………………………….........6 II. Wildfire Suppression Tools and Engines - Findings and Recommendations.......11 Conclusions......………………………………………………………………………….14 Appendices Appendix 1: Scope of Work………………………………………….….….…..15 Appendix 2: USFS Team Agenda………………………………………………18 Fire Lookout Tower Example Drawings Appendix 1: Standard Steel Lookout Tower…………….…………….Attachment Appendix 2: Standard Treated Timber Lookout tower…………….….Attachment Appendix 3: Standard 14’ x 14’ Lookout House…………..……….…Attachment Appendix 4: Standard 7’ x 7’ Lookout House…………………...……Attachment Appendix 5: Lightning Protection System…………………………….Attachment Appendix 6: Lookout House Utilities……………………...………….Attachment Tools and Engines Example Photos Appendix 1: Fire fighting hand tools……...…………………………..Attachment Appendix 2: 668 Wildland Ultra XT “Heavy”…….…………………..Attachment Appendix 3: 662 Light Engine on Hummer H1 “Light”………...….....Attachment Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….20 2 LIST OF ACRONYMS BLM Bureau of Land Management (US) CFO Community Fire Organization DIFO District Interagency Forest Organization FGC Forestry Commission of Ghana GDP Gross Domestic Product GPS Global Positioning System GNFS Ghana National Fire Service KNUST Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology MLFM Ministry of Lands Forests and Mines NADMO National Disaster Management Organization RMSC Resource Management and Support Center USDA United States Department of Agriculture USFS United States Forest Service USFS/IP United States Forest Service International Programs 3 INTRODUCTION A three-member team of USDA Forest Service (USFS) arrived in Ghana at the request of the Ghana Forestry Commission to assist in the implementation of the second phase of the Wildfire Management Project in the Forest Transitional Zone. This mission was the first in a series of missions which the USFS will conduct until 2008 when this phase of the project and the agreement between the US Forest Service and the Ministry of Lands, Forest and Mines (MLFM) will expire. The MLFM in response to increasing threat of wildfire to Ghana’s forest reserves and surrounding farmlands has embarked on a strategy to reduce wildfire occurrences through community education, forestry staff training, replanting in degraded areas, and acquisition of proper fire fighting equipment. The project is concentrating on the Forest Transitional Zone of Ghana where fire-prone, northern savannah is expanding and encroaching on the southern high forests. The southern high forest is where Ghana’s valuable timber concessions are found, accounting for 6% of Ghana’s annual GDP. The USFS promotes sustainable forest management internationally and maintains a unique wildland fire management program that integrates technology with social practices and needs. In the assessment phase of the Wildfire Management Project, USFS findings and recommendations were integrated in the Manual of Procedure which currently serves as the guiding principles for this phase, implementation. The USFS role in the implementation phase is focusing on equipment procurement and training in fire suppression for technical and volunteer staff. SUMMARY The objective of the first mission was to assess the status of the Wildfire suppression project through meetings, published documents, field visits and dialogue with community fire volunteers as they relate to the need for fire look-out towers, fire fighting gear, hand tools and suitable fire engines. Sites visits were made to the following reserves: • Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary (Bobiri District, Ashante Region) • Afram Headwaters Forest Reserve (Offinso District, Ashante Region) • Mpameso Forest Reserve (Bachem District, Sunyani Region) • Bomfobiri Wildlife Sanctuary (Kumawu District, Ashante Region) • Worobong South Forest Reserve (Begoro Region) Key to the success of the mission was the collaboration with the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Ghana Wildlife Division. At the request of the Forestry Commission, the mission received national media coverage to inform the public of the project’s on-going activities. All data collected in the field were analyzed in collaboration with RMSC technicians to arrive at the following recommendations. • RMSC should procure a mix of light and heavy fire engines, all of which should have extreme terrain capability 4 • Community Fire Organization (CFO) volunteer should be equipped with proper fire-fighting tools and personal protective equipment to prevent the loss of lives • Develop standard drawings for both steel and timber fire lookout towers • Priority should be given to domestic engineering firms for fire tower designs and construction, as their offices would be easily accessible to the project managers for consultations. • Develop MOU with a government engineering branch to act as the engineering agent for the Forestry Commission. 5 I. Wildfire Management Project of Ghana USDA/IP First Mission, October 1, 2005 to 16 October, 2005 Activity: Fire Lookout Tower Assessment Background As defined by the First Mission Scope of Work, the Forestry Commission of Ghana has tasked the USFS International Program to: • Task 1: Review the procedures for the selection of sites for the construction of fire observation towers. • Task 2: Design appropriate tower for design in fire risk forest reserves. • Task 3: Assist in evaluating applications on the construction of fire observation towers. Report Task 1: The USFS Team reviewed the following two RMSC documents on 5 October, 2005: Document 1: “Wildfire Management Project in the Transition Zone”, 29 August 2002 (Ref. 1). This document identified 17 tower sites, interspersed within seven reserves, with each reserve initially receiving one tower. Accessibility, fauna, availability of water sources, and required tower height were also listed for each site. The site selection criteria included: • Locations with wide field of view. • Near areas with high fire frequency and short fire-return intervals. • Areas close to volunteer settlements. • Accessible by road or footpath. • Significant resource value. Document 2: “Implementation of the Wildfire Management Project in the Transition Zone, Achievement for the Period March, 2002 – Dec, 2003”, September, 2005 (Ref. 2). This document, in paragraph 2.1.5, Output 5, identified the need for forty lookout towers within 19 forest and wildlife reserves. Task 1 Conclusion: The selection criteria used in Reference 1 are valid. During the review, RMSC also expressed the desire to place communication antenna on the lookout towers. This will require the lookout towers to be placed at high points that provide a line-of-sight between antennas. This may not be compatible with the other selection criteria used to site the lookouts. A team of USFS/IP communications specialists are scheduled to travel to Ghana in the near future for the second mission. This team will provide antenna location criteria, which may require additional communication towers, in addition to those on the lookout towers. 6 Task 2: On 6 October through 9 October, representatives of the Forestry Commission guided the USFS Team to three forest reserves, and one wildlife reserve. The purpose for the site visits was to inspect one of the proposed tower sites identified in Reference 1, for each of the reserves listed. The sites were selected by RMSC for this initial investigation, and were considered representative of other sites within that same reserve. The following lists the sites visited, and observations made that were in addition to those listed in Reference 1. • Afram Headwaters Forest Reserve, Hill #2. This site is located within a green buffer zone on top of a shallow hill. Excellent field of view. Reference 1 estimated the required tower height to be 5m. The USFS Team concurs with this recommendation. However, if the surrounding hillside is planted with plantation trees in the future, the tower height should be adjusted to rise above the estimated canopy. • Mpameso Forest Reserve, Hill #2. This site is also located within a green buffer zone, but the surrounding terrain is gradual, and the forest canopy is approximately 30m high. Reference 1 estimated the required tower height to be 20m. For the tower to be effective for observing wildfires, the USFS Team recommends a 35m tower to reach above the canopy. This may be an excessive tower height. An alternate