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The Northern Rockies Cache (NRK) is one of eleven National Interagency Support
Caches (NISC)
organized across the United States. Their purpose is to acquire, store,
issue and refurbish supplies used primarily in the suppression of wild fires.
Located in
Missoula, Montana,
, the Northern Rockies Cache serves a wide-range of federal, state, local and
tribal government agencies within the
Northern Rockies Geographical Area
, an area that extends roughly 235,654 square miles. The Cache’s ability to
serve this large expanse is enhanced by partnership with two Local Area Interagency
Support Caches at
Billings, Montana
and
Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.
Northern Rockies Cache, being a National Cache, is a crucial partner in supporting the
ten other Geographical Areas and their associated
National Interagency Support Caches.
That partnership is mutually beneficial: As the fire season progresses across
the country, so goes the flow of support among Caches.
Although its primary focus is to support fire suppression activities in the Northern
Rockies Geographical Area, Northern Rockies Cache may also lend support to any other
type of emergency response, such as flood, earthquake and other natural disasters,
in every part of the country. Beginning in the late 1990s, support has also
been extended to Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico: NRK is now the designated Cache to
support activity in Alberta and Saskatchewan when tasked by the US Department of State.
The Northern Rockies Cache maintains an inventory valued at approximately $12,000,000.
It is capable of immediately supplying up to 5000 firefighters and support personnel
plus ten 250-person Mobile Cache Vans (NFES 82069) for the first 48-hours. Support
is sustained with a steady flow of replacement supplies from vendors and other Caches.
NRK has simultaneously supported upwards of 25,000 people and 60-plus major incidents.
Current staffing consists of twenty-four people holding permanent career, career
seasonal and seasonal temporary positions. This highly skilled core group
provides the leadership, knowledge and abilities to direct a total workforce or
upwards to 200 personnel.
Except for January, the Cache is open for business year-round. Employees have
a myriad of tasks to process new stock, package, ship, refurbish, and restock items,
manage the extensive records, sharpen employment skills, and keep abreast of new
products and ideas. The January shutdown occurs to take stock of the inventory,
reconcile documentation and closeout the previous year’s business.
Business varies year-to-year. Averaged over 10 years, the Cache issues
$19.1 million to 208 customers on 1,056 orders for 11,271 items using an inventory
valued at $11.9 million. The average Fire Loss/Use rate is 7.8%. In 2007,
172 customers checked out 16,077 items valued at $28.2 million with a net loss of 15.3%.
Look here for a brief history of the
Northern Rockies Cache.
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