U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE Annual Fire Activity Report 1996 cÜxÑtÜxw uç W|ä|á|ÉÇ Éy exyâzxá Y|Üx `tÇtzxÅxÇà UÜtÇv{ UÉ|áx? \wt{É TABLE OF CONTENTS 1996 Fire Statistics Regional Map . i National Fire Summary . 1 Regional Fire Summary . 2 Wildfires . 15 By Cause . 16 By Size Class . 16 No Page . 17 By State . 18 10 - Day Period . 20 Wildfire Occurrence Map (missing). .21 Prescribed Burns . 22 Burn Plan Objective . 23 By State . 24 Prescribed Burn Occurrence Map (missing). 26 1992 - 1996 Statistics Region 1. 27 Region 2. 29 Region 3. 31 Region 4. 33 Region 5. 35 Region 6. 37 Region 7. 39 Regions 1-7 . 41 5-Year Average . 43 False Alarms . 45 Support Action . 45 1987 - 1996 Statistics Wildfires. 46 Prescribed Burns. 47 Department of Interior Wildfires. 48 Prescribed Burns. 49 U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE Regional Map i NATIONAL The 1996 wildland fire season was a The Service burned 261,268 acres, with challenge for firefighters for many 157,994 acres being the 5-year reasons. Major fire suppression activity average. All Regions had higher occurred for almost 10 months, numbers of personnel in the field - either beginning in the Southern States as on Service incidents or providing early as January and continuing in support to our cooperators, with a southern California in late October. This mobilization range from 12 to 114 marathon season left geographic areas personnel out at any one time. There competing for national resources were 111 non-fire funded to battle blazes on their fronts. personnel made available, with a Although challenged by a long fire number of these filling law season, firefighters worked enforcement/security assignments diligently and with a passion for on major incidents. Regions also safety. As a result, no Federal cooperated by exchanging engine firefighters lost their lives on crews and other personnel to firelines while battling a blaze. support Service pre-positioning Wildland urban interface problems needs. Fire assignments and continued to be a problem, with exchanges of personnel always 800 structures destroyed in 14 benefit the receiving and sending States. A few national statistics: units by allowing employees to learn new ways of doing business 6,065,998 acres were and refresh themselves from the affected by wildland fires - routine of their normal work. the most since 1952, when 6,690,000 acres burned. Prescribed fire activity suffered due to the weather and the national fire 93,363 fires were reported to season. The Service burned 164,263 NIFC. The 10-year average is acres, with 189,290 acres being the 72,869. 5-year average. As a new initiative within the Fire Management Program, Federal agencies spent a several students from the Student combined $721 million on fire Conservation Association were trained suppression. in prescribed burning operations, and worked in Regions 6 and 4. These Miller's Reach fire in Anchorage, students learned about two separate Alaska, claimed 344 structures ecosystems while providing extra help to after burning 37,336 acres during burn more acreage. We will use this the first 2 weeks in June. approach again this year, with the hope of expanding the program. Two military battalions were mobilized to support suppression activities during the latter part of August. 1 REGION Fire activity for 1996 was relatively light Rehabilitation plans were completed and on Region 1 refuges in comparison to approved for two fires on the Minidoka other agencies, especially in Oregon and for five fires on Mid-Columbia River and California. The most significant NWRC. activity was increased inter-refuge use of fire crews for prescribed burns. This Inter-regional sharing of fire crews occurred both Regionally and nationally continued in 1996. Region 1 crews saw again this year. action on St. Marks and Florida Panther NWRs in Region 4, and Bitter Lake and As usual, Regional fire staffing is in a Buenos Aires NWRs in Region 2. state of flux. FMO Additionally, refuge crews Joette Borzik was participated in 181 support hired at our new San action fires to other Diego NWR to agencies, both in and out of handle interagency the Region. coordination, planning and fire Prescribed fire continues to history for southern be strongly emphasized in California. She will the Region. Refuge have an engine crew this coming personnel were able to complete 89 season. San Luis NWR (California) had burns, for a total of 22,574.4 acres. This a new crew and worked closely with is a reduction from usual prescribed fire Bakersfield BLM (through Kern NWR) acreage due to intense wildfire activity in and the Sierra and Mendocino National Oregon and California during the normal Forests. About 50 percent of the crew's prescribed fire season and the fact that time was spent doing large fire support. nationally, we were in Preparedness Both career-seasonal engine bosses at Level IV and V for an extended period of Malheur NWR moved on to new time. positions (Jeff Casey to Texas coast refuges [AFMO] and Andy Renc to a maintenance position at Malheur NWR). These vacated positions are presently being advertised. There were 62 wildfire starts on Region 1 refuges in 1996, with 65 additional threatening the refuges. The 62 wildfires burned 8,975.2 acres of FWS land. 2 REGION refuges. This jump-started the request As the R-2 fire season turned out this and activation for emergency year, the hottest dispatch was presuppression funds throughout the supporting the interagency fire Region to preposition engine crews. As community in the Southwest, Northwest, the Southwest fire season came to an and Northern area large fires. Resource end, support for the Northwest fire mobilization from refuges consisted of season began. At the height of the engines and an array of interagency Northwest fire season, only two engine overhead assignments, to include air crews remained in Region 2 - one at operations, dispatch, single resource, Lower Rio Grande Valley and one at safety officer, and line operation Buenos Aires. positions. Approximately 650 staff days were devoted to interagency support. With emergency presuppression engine During Region 2's 360-day fire season, crews in place and the Southwest area 135 fires burned approximately 30,500 fire season off to a fast start, the acres with wildfires prescribed fire burn occurring in each month program was left in a of the year. This was state of flux. State-wide the second busiest fire burn bans and season in terms of acres restrictions occurred in burned, and the highest late winter in Oklahoma number of incidents in and Texas, continuing the past 10 years. throughout Arizona and Human-caused and New Mexico in the late lightning-caused starts spring and early were split at summer months. By 78/22 percent, respectively. Nearly half mid-August, with a national the acres burned were attributed to Preparedness Level of V, one-third of human-caused fires from 2 refuges in the targeted FY96 prescribed burn acres the Region (Wichita Mountains and had been accomplished. Region 2 Bosque Del Apache). ended up with 49 prescribed burns, for a total of 19,220.8 acres burned. Aransas The 1996 wildland fire season in and Brazoria contributed to 37 of the Region 2 began in January with a wind- prescribed burns, for a combined 15,223 driven 8,000-acre grass fire on Wichita acres. Several refuge fire stations with Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The fire a fire management staff were able to started 8 miles southwest of the refuge assist in conducting prescribed burns in and consumed 10,000 acres of their designated intra- and interagency grassland off-refuge. Ongoing drought zone areas. The Region certified one conditions, along with extreme weather Type 2 Burn Boss and three Type 3 conditions, would be the mainstay of fire Burn Boss positions this season. behavior influence throughout the late winter in parts of Oklahoma and Texas One of the season's highlights in terms of rehabilitation needs was the San Pedro fire on Bosque Del Apache NWR, 3 which burned 4,100 acres between management staff to discuss and June 8 and June 12, 1996. DI-1202 fire develop decisions in the areas of: report occurrence remarks were: “In FIREPRO budget submissions/requests, terms of magnitude and behavior, this fire training issues, personnel hiring was the worst fire in the 57-year history issues, prescribed burn crew of the refuge. In a matter of hours, developments, prescribed burn plan some of the finest riparian forest in the project submissions, emergency middle Rio Grande Valley was presuppression/severity funding destroyed. This native riparian requests, primary and secondary community supports one of the most firefighter retirement coverage status, diverse wildlife assemblage of any and equipment maintenance and habitat in the southwestern United acquisition. In November, the Region States, and is invaluable to neotropical hosted the national Regional Fire migrating songbirds and several Management Coordinators’ meeting in endangered species." Albuquerque, New Mexico. Discussion highlights in this 2-day meeting included: Refuge fire management programs review of the 1996 fire season by throughout the Region conducted Region, fire engine training details, wildland firefighting safety refresher emergency presuppression detail courses, several 100 and 200 level guidelines, fire program manager’s suppression courses, and basic aviation course, FY97-and-beyond budget safety. The Region was able to update, SCA RX Burn Crew, Wildland squeeze in an FMO meeting in late Fire Policy implementation, and August at Austin, Texas. The 3-day fire standardized PDs for fire positions. management meeting provided the opportunity for national, Regional and ***ALL FIREFIGHTERS HAVE THE refuge fire management staff, refuge RIGHT TO A SAFE ASSIGNMENT*** project leaders, and Regional personnel 4 REGION Fire activity in Region 3 was about as part of interagency crews, especially average in intensity for 1996.