U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service FY2010 Fire Division Report USFWS/Josh O’Connor U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southeast Region Fire Management Organization Southeast Region Fire Managment Organization Introduction Region 4 Wildlife and Treatment Acres on FWS lands Reported 2001-2010 1 Hello and thanks for 2 taking the opportunity to read the FY2010 7 3 Annual Narrative for the Southeast Division of Fire Management. This document is the first in what will hopefully be a continued documentation of annual wildfire and fuels work, training,and 4 5 a snapshot of our staff. Southeast Regional Fire Office (Atlanta) Pocosin.Lakes.NWR. Reg.Fire.Management.Coordinator: Refuge.FMO:.vacant................... The table and graphs seen Bob.Eaton Fire District 2 on this page provide a Deputy.Reg.Fire.Management. FMO:.Rob.Wood data look at the history Coordinator:.Pete.Kubiak of wildfire and prescribed Reg.Prescribed.Fire.Coordinator: Savannah.NWR.District.WUI. Glen.Stratton Specialist:.Keith.Penrose 6 fire. The season of wildfire Reg.Wildland-Urban.Interface.(WUI). District.PFS:.Greg.Askins table is interesting when Coordinator:.Rick.Struhar Carolina.Sandhills.NWR.Refuge. considering that many Reg.Fire.Program.Assistant.(Budget): FMO:.Mark.Parker of our refuges conduct Sherrie.Matthews FPU Fire Season for FWS Region 4 FPUs Fire District 3 prescribed fire or manage FPU Start Date End Date Reg.Fire.Office.Assistant:.Margaret.Hale FMO:.Mike.Housh a wildfire every month Reg.Fire.Ecologist:.Vince.Carver Okefenokee.NWR.AFMO:.vacant. Mississippi.......................................1/12......................11/4 of the year. It is indeed a Puerto.Rico......................................1/22......................5/11 Fire.Management.Specialist.(Planner): Piedmont.NWR.PFS:.John.Mason year round workload. Josh.O’Connor 6 Southern.Ozarks.............................7/19......................4/19 Fire District 4 Eastern.Arkansas..........................7/24......................4/22 Fire.Office.Assistant:.Yolanda.Smith. FMO:.Greg:.Titus FY10 R4 Treatment Acres North/Central.Louisiana...............8/4........................5/28 Southern Area Coordination Center (SACC) St..Marks.NWR.District.PFS.(WUI): PFS.(FPR):.Greg.Suszek Tennessee-Green.Rivers................8/12......................4/21 SACC.Assistant.Coordinator:.Pat.Boucher Jennifer.Hinckley Caribbean.Islands.NWR:.James.Padilla North.Carolina.Piedmont..............9/3........................5/30 SACC.Meteorologist:.Kevin.Scasny Lead.Fire.Tech:.Joey.Lord National.Key.Deer.NWR.Fire. South.Carolina.Midlands...............9/9........................6/9 Tallahassee Regional Fire Office (TLH) Lower.Suwannee.NWR.Refuge.FMO: Management.Spec.:.Dana.Cohen 37,094 Victor.Doig Central.Georgia..............................9/18......................6/24 Prescribed.Fire.Training.Center. Fire District 7 Alabama/Florida.Panhandle.........10/4......................7/5 Director:.Mike.Dueitt Fire District 5 FMO:.Tony.Wilder Louisiana.Delta...............................10/6......................6/30 Fire.Planner:.Phil.Weston FMO:.Patrick.Pearson Mississippi.Sandhill.Crane.NWR.AFMO: SE.Mississippi................................10/16....................7/3 Slidell Regional Fire Staff (SLI) Merritt.Island.NWR.Reg.Aviation. Sami.Gray Reg.Fire.Ecologist:.Sue.Wilder Coordinator:.Glen.Cullingford District.PFS:.Scott.Saucier Southern.Appalachian...................10/16....................6/21 *Season.start.and.end.dates. PFS.(MIR):.Michael.Good Southwest.Louisiana.Complex.FMO: SE.Georgia/NE.Florida................10/30....................8/14 were.created.to.capture. Fire District 1 100,194 90.of.historical.wildfire. Wildland.Fire.Suprs..Off.:Rob.Vernachio Matthew.Johnson Florida.Big.Bend............................12/3......................9/1 FMO:.Tom.Crews ignitions.within.the.season. Central.Florida...............................12/9......................8/27 Alligator.River.NWR.PFS:.vacant ARM.Loxahatchee.NWR.PFS.(LXR): Southeast.Louisiana.Complex.FMO: range..This.represents.the. Jon.Wallace David.DeMeyere South.Florida..................................12/19....................8/24 District.WUI.Specialist:..... 90th.percentile.of.fires.and. Kelley.Van.Druten Fire District 6 Noxubee.NWR.FMO:.Paul.Roberts SW.Louisiana/NE.Texas.Coast....12/27....................10/28 not.the.90th.percentile.of. FMO:.Cass.Palmer Felsenthal.PFS:.Bobby.Schat North.Carolina.Coast.....................12/31....................8/14 fire.days.. From the Chief District 1 I.am.very.thrilled.to.announce.the.first. Year overview-Alligator Aerial ignition of a prescribed fire at Cedar Island NWR - USFWS annual.narrative.for.the.S.E..Region’s. River, Pocosin Lake, Mackay Fire.Management.program..We.are. Wildfire AD.hiring);.Eric.Meekins.–.Taskforce. excited.to.share.some.of.the.success. Island, Mattmuskeet, and The.refuges.in.North.Carolina.staffed. Leader;.Mike.Morse.–.Biologist;.Bobby. stories.of.our.Program.as.well.as.some.of. Cedar Island NWR for.156.Preparedness.Level.3.days,.22. Govan.–.Biological.Assistant;.Jon.Powers. the.challenges.that.we.face.every.month. PL4..and.18.PL5.days.this.past.year,. –.Biological.Assistant;.Lisa.Borel.–. of.the.year.. The.district.implemented.the.use.of.a.new. helicopter.contract.an.“Indeterminate. primarily.in.the.spring.when.drier. Biological.Assistant;.Kelley.Van.Druten.–. Here.in.the.Southeast.Region,.there. Delivery,.Indeterminate.Quantity”. conditions.prevailed..Wet.conditions. Helibase.Operations.and.Administration. used.to.be.two.very.distinct.fire.seasons,. (IDIQ)..This..contract.is.for.a.five-month. from.the.previous.fall.and.early.winter. (Check-in/Status,.Dispatch).plus.a. spring.and.fall,.but.as.we.have.witnessed. period.with.Heloair.out.of.Richmond,. turned.suddenly.dry,.causing.most.of. weekend.stint.as.Plans.Section.Chief.to. over.the.last.dozen.years,.our.fire.season. Virginia..Rather.than.having.the. the.prescribed.burn.plans.to.be.halted.. relieve.an.individual.who.went.on.R&R;. has.transpired.to.a.year.round.season.for. helicopter.stationed.at.Alligator.River. This.was.due.to.fire.danger.suddenly. Ryan.Nordsven.–.Biologist;.Mike.Morse.–. fighting.unwarranted.wildland.fires.and. for.the.duration.of.the.contract,.it.was. increasing.in.March.and.April..Energy. Biologist;..Jay.Eddy.–.Law.Enforcement. treating.hazardous.fuels.and.improving. on-call.with.a.12-hour.notice..This.allowed. Release.Component.(ERC).values. Officer;..Melvin.Walston.–.Biological. wildlife.habitat.through.prescribed. for.a.substantial.savings.(50-70%).for.a. reached.record.highs.during.this.time... Technician;..Anthony.Davis.–.Biological. fire.and.mechanical.manipulation..We. comparable.period.over.the.exclusive.use. Fuels Management Technician;..Vince.Carver.–.Incident. are.treating.more.acres.in.the.growing. type.contract..This.is.the.first.time.that. Most.of.the.prescribed.burning.was. Commander;..Kenney.Powell.–.Biological. season.which.extends.our.season.to. this.type.contract.has.been.used.for.a.fire. completed.at.Pocosin.Lakes.and.Mackay. Technician;..John.Stanton.–.Biologist;.. a.12.month.period.and.we.are.also. control.helicopter.in.the.Southeastern. Island.NWR..This.was.accomplished. Rose.Railey.–.Biological.Technician;.. responding.to.an.increasing.number.of. U.S..by.a.federal.agency... earlier.in.the.year.prior.to.the.increased. Chris.Smith.–.Law.Enforcement;..Frank. All.Hazard.Incidents.(hurricanes,.floods,. fire.danger..Other.district.refuges.were. Simms.–.Law.Enforcement;..Howard. ice.storms,.oil.spills,.ect.).which.adds.an. District.1.refuges.helped.organize,. Phillips.–.Law.Enforcement plan.and.facilitate.the.Annual.NC.Fire. initially.too.wet.to.burn..Once.these. additional.strain.and.workload.to.our.ever. refuges.dried.out,.fire.danger.became.too. Staffing Changes decreasing.workforce.. Management.Cooperator’s.meeting.in. Winston.Salem.in.January..This.was.the. severe.to.initiate.any.burning..Alligator. This.past.year.we.saw.several.changes.in. As.budgets.decrease.and.demands.from. first.state-wide.fire.cooperator’s.meeting. River.fire.staff.prepared.and.reviewed. the.fire.staff.in.North.Carolina:.. the.public.on.our.natural.resources. in.which.Agency.Administrators.from. 30.Prescribed.Fire.Plans.for.30,000.acres. n Fire.Program.Administrative.Assistant. increase,.we.realize.that.to.be.successful,. each.organization.attended... of.treatments.for.NC.Refuges..Staff. Helen.Czernik.was.promoted.from. we.have.to.build.“relationships”.with.our. also.peer.reviewed.30.Prescribed.Fire. GS-6.to.GS-7... other.Federal,.State,.and.Local.partners. The.district.administered.RFA.grants.to. Plans.for.approximately.25,000.acres.of. in.order.to.address.the.tough.issues.and. rural.volunteer.fire.departments.in.seven. treatments.in.District.7. n Fire.Control.Officer.Donnie.Harris.was. do.the.“right.thing”.for.the.resource..This. counties.in.northeastern.NC. promoted.to.Fire.Operations.Specialist. District Staff Assignments GS-9... narrative.will.illustrate.some.of.these. n Alligator.River.NWR.recieved.the.first. The.East.Lake.Operations.Dispatch. challenges.that.we.face.and.will.continue. phase.of.funding.for.construction.of.a. Office.at.Alligator.River: n Prescribed.Fire.Specialist.Greg.Suszek. to.face.over.the.upcoming.years. fire.facility.located.at.the.East.Lake. was.promoted.from.GS-9.to.GS-11... Operations.Center..This.includes.a.new. n Dispatched.23.refuge.staff.and.57. We.have.a.very.dedicated.Regional. Administratively.Determined.(AD). n Jordan.Black.was.selected.as.the.Fire. and.Field.Staff.of.Fire.Management.