Gila National Forest Fire Management Plan 2008 Prepared by: Date: ________________________________ _________ Fred J. Hernandez, Forest Fire Management Officer, Gila National Forest Reviewed by: Date: ________________________________ _________ Shelly Crook, Fire Staff, Gila National Forest Approved by: Date: ________________________________ _________ Richard Markley, Forest Supervisor, Gila National Forest Firefighter and public safety is the principle consideration on every wildland fire response. Gila National Forest Fire Management Plan - 2008 Table of Contents Fire Management Plan ............................................................................................................................ 1 2008 1 SECTION I - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 5 I. Purpose ......................................................................................................................................... 5 II. Collaboration ................................................................................................................................. 5 III. Link to Policy ................................................................................................................................ 5 IV. Link to Land and Resource Management Planning .................................................................. 6 V. Authorities ..................................................................................................................................... 6 VI. Acronyms Used in the Fire Management Plan Format ............................................................. 6 SECTION II – RELATIONSHIP TO LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND FIRE POLICY ................ 7 I. Documents used to develop this Fire Management Plan: ....................................................... 7 II. Management Policies Concerning Fire Management ............................................................... 7 III. 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy: ...................................................................... 8 IV. The Endangered Species Act, 1973 .......................................................................................... 10 V. The National Fire Plan, August 2000 ........................................................................................ 11 VI. Forest Wide Desired Condition, Goals, and Objectives ......................................................... 11 VII. Forest-Wide Desired Conditions ............................................................................................... 11 VIII. Forest-Wide Goals ...................................................................................................................... 12 IX. Forest-Wide Objectives .............................................................................................................. 12 SECTION III – WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ......................................................... 13 I. General Management Considerations ...................................................................................... 13 II. Wildland Fire Management Goals ............................................................................................. 14 III. Wildland Fire Management Options ......................................................................................... 15 i. General Resource Concerns ..................................................................................................... 15 ii. State and Private lands .............................................................................................................. 15 IV. Wildland Fire ............................................................................................................................... 16 i. Wildland fire suppression: ........................................................................................................ 16 ii. Wildland fire use ......................................................................................................................... 17 iii. Line Officer Responsibility (Forest Supervisor and District Ranger) ................................... 18 V. Fire Management Units .............................................................................................................. 20 i. Gila National Forest Fire Management Units ........................................................................... 20 ii. General Resource Concerns ..................................................................................................... 22 iii. Specific Risk ............................................................................................................................... 22 SECTION IV – WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COMPONENTS ................................. 36 I. General Management Procedures ............................................................................................ 36 II. Implementation Procedures ...................................................................................................... 36 III. Wildland Fire Suppression ........................................................................................................ 39 i. Preparedness Actions ................................................................................................................ 42 ii. Training Activities ....................................................................................................................... 47 iii. Detection ..................................................................................................................................... 48 iv. Fire Weather and Fire Danger ................................................................................................... 50 v. Policy and Forest Service Manual and Handbook Direction ................................................. 53 vi. Aviation Management................................................................................................................. 53 IV. Initial Attack ................................................................................................................................ 58 i. Information Used to Set Initial Attack Priorities ...................................................................... 58 ii. Criteria for the Appropriate Initial Attack Response ............................................................... 59 iii. Confinement as an Initial Attack strategy ................................................................................ 60 iv. Response Times ......................................................................................................................... 60 v. Restrictions and Special Concerns .......................................................................................... 61 vi. Social and Political Concerns ................................................................................................... 61 V. Extended Attack and Large Fire Suppression ......................................................................... 62 i. Determining Extended Attack Needs ........................................................................................ 62 ii. Implementation Plan Requirements – WFSA Development ................................................... 62 iii. Complexity Decision Process for Incident Management Transition ..................................... 63 iv. Delegation of Authority for the Incident Commander ............................................................. 63 VI. Exceeding Existing Incident Management Strategy ............................................................... 63 Page 2 of 91 Gila National Forest Fire Management Plan - 2008 VII. Fire Management Activities in Wilderness .............................................................................. 64 VIII. Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST) Requirements ................................................ 65 IX. Other Fire Suppression Considerations .................................................................................. 65 X. Safety ........................................................................................................................................... 67 XI. Wildland Fire Use for Resource Benefits ................................................................................. 68 i. Objectives .................................................................................................................................... 68 ii. Factors Affecting Decision Criteria for Wildland Fire Use ..................................................... 68 iii. Wildland Fire Relative Risk Assessment ................................................................................. 69 iv. Implementation Procedures ...................................................................................................... 72 v. Impacts of Plan Implementation ............................................................................................... 73 vi. Required Personnel .................................................................................................................... 73 vii. Public Information ...................................................................................................................... 75 viii. Records ......................................................................................................................................