FSH 5109.18 - WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION HANDBOOK WO AMENDMENT 5109.18-99-1 EFFECTIVE 06/10/1999 CHAPTER 10 - WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION PLANNING 10.2 - Objective. To develop effective and efficient plans of action for wildland fire prevention and education activities. 10.3 - Policy. Ensure that every Region, Forest, and District, and the Area implement and update annually a wildland fire prevention action plan consistent with fire and ecosystem management objectives of the unit's land management plan. 10.5 - Definitions. Following are definitions of terms as used specifically in assessments for wildland fire prevention plans: Assessment. A scientific planning tool of the National Fire Management Analysis System (NFMAS) (FSH 5109.19; FSM 5102 and 5190). The assessment also provides a workload analysis that determines the most efficient staffing needed to accomplish wildland fire prevention programs. Hazard. The degree of resistance of an area to control of wildland fire. Assessment of hazards usually incorporates models of topography and fuels but does not consider weather factors. Risk. The level of possibility that a wildland fire may be ignited in an area by human carelessness or activity; for example, a higher level of risk may be indicated in an area of concentrated public use with a history of human-caused fires and a lack of fire prevention education efforts. Value. Human improvements or natural resources that are affected positively or negatively by a wildland fire. Value assessments include consideration of the benefits or detriments of fire for the entire ecosystem. 10.6 - References. The publications and training courses listed in sections 10.61 and 10.62 can assist in wildland fire prevention assessments and planning. 10.61 - Publications and Other Materials. 1. The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), 3905 Vista Avenue, Boise, ID 83705, 208-387-5104, operates the Publication Management Section (PMS) as a source of interagency materials in fire management, including wildland fire prevention planning. a. Wildfire Cause Determination Handbook, NWCG Handbook 1, NFES 1874, PMS 412-1; this Handbook has been incorporated in the Forest Service directive system as FSH 5109.31. b. Web Site - www.nwcg.gov 2. Publications and fire prevention materials are available from the Symbols Center of Excellence Cache, 402 11th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 (218-327-4282). All materials are listed in a published catalog available in all Regional and Area offices. 3. Internet sources are available on official web sites, including www.fs.fed.gov and www.firewise.org. 10.62 - Training. Introduction to Fire Prevention (P-101) and Wildfire Prevention Analysis and Planning (P-301) courses are developed through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). Further direction on wildland fire training is in FSH 5109.17. 11 - FRAMEWORK. Include the wildland fire prevention action plan as a component of the unit's fire management action plan (FSH 5109.19) and integrate these activities with other fire management activities (suppression, presuppression, detection, and fuels management). The major focus of wildland fire prevention action plans is to: 1. Demonstrate the need for actions to prevent unwanted wildland fires through education programs aimed at the general public and/or specific target audiences. 2. Communicate with the public and specific stakeholders, such as landowners, homeowners, and users, about the role of fire and their fire protection responsibilities. 3. Assess fire occurrence, risk, hazards, and values in selected geographic landscapes, and then target the wildland fire prevention program of education, engineering, and enforcement for areas identified by the assessment. Aim these programs at a specific wildland fire cause and target audience, and implement activities for a finite period of time. Prioritize the fires which present the greatest potential for value loss. 12 - DEVELOPMENT. 1. Use the fire assessment process and objectives in fire and land management plans to develop fire prevention action plans for specific geographic areas. Assessments should include an evaluation of the risk, hazard, and value for the landscape being assessed; these terms are defined in section 10.5. Assessments are the basis for determining the level of need in individual landscapes for the inclusion or exclusion of fire as a management tool. 2. Design the wildland fire prevention programs at two levels of activity. a. The first level of activity is usually long-term and on-going, with messages about individual responsibility in the prevention of wildland fires. This level should provide contacts, materials, and educational programs to individuals; schools; civic and youth organizations; and other established community groups. This level would often provide fire prevention information at parades, fairs, and other public venues and events. b. The second level of activity is usually short-term, with messages targeting specific fire causes and addressing a specific audience in a specific geographic location. The second level would be implemented prior to and during wildfire incidents. 3. Identify the most efficient staffing levels for the actions in the plan based on a workload analysis. In the National Fire Management Assessment System (NFMAS), this workload analysis, which has been based on the fire assessment is incorporated into a mathematical formula along with other values to determine the most efficient funding level for a unit's fire management program (FSH 5109.19). 13 - WILDLAND FIRE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN OUTLINE. The following format is a guide for developing or updating unit wildland fire prevention plans: 1. Identification. a. Unit identification. b. Dates the plan covers. c. Signature blocks for preparation, review, and approval. 2. Assessments. a. Assessment of the current fire situation, including maps and documentation. b. Determination of the unit's fire prevention and fire communications needs, based on an analysis of geographic areas with ratings for risk, hazard, and value. c. Needs identified in the unit's fire management plans and the land and resource management plan. 3. Identification of the unit's fire prevention needs linked to the assessment, the fire management plan, and the land and resource management plan. 4. Identification of opportunities available for addressing the needs. 5. Identification of realistic, measurable fire prevention program objectives. 6. Prevention activities. (Level one and level two activities are further described in sec. 12). a. Level One. Those actions, or activities that serve to reinforce the fire prevention message to the general public; for example, parades, fairs, school programs, civic groups, cooperator inspection, and media releases of a general nature. b. Level Two. Those actions or activities aimed at a concentration of fires (based on the assessment categorization), from the same specific fire cause, aimed at a specific target audience, and planned for a finite time line. 7. Implementation. Delineation of which staff positions are responsible for completing level-one and -two activities, description of actions, and timing for accomplishment. 8. Prevention budget. 9. Evaluation criteria and procedures. a. When actions are to be accomplished. b. What determines success or failure and to what extent. c. When to initiate modifications or adjustments. 10. Listing of related and contingency plans that are affected by or must be coordinated with wildfire prevention plans. a. Restriction and closure plans. b. Sign plans. c. Fire prevention materials required. d. Contingency fire prevention actions planned for extreme fire conditions. e. Disaster or crisis communications plans. f. Evacuation plans of urban interface areas. g. Hazard inspection plans. h. Fuel treatment and land management plans.