Cleveland National Forest

Cedar Fire Report Q&As

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Q1: What prompted the development of this report?
A1: Between October 21st and October 26th, 2003, 14 fires burned in six southern California counties, initiating one of the largest mobilizations of firefighting resources in state history. The Cedar, Paradise, and Otay fires occurred within San Diego County and were among the major incidents occurring within this fire siege period. When the three fires were finally suppressed, the statistics were sobering: 17 people lost their lives; 3,241 structures were destroyed, and suppression costs topped $43,000,000. The Cedar fire was the largest fire in California history totaling 273,246 acres.

Q2: Who requested that this report be completed?
A2: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, San Diego Unit; the Regional Forester, Pacific Southwest Region, US Forest Service; and the Forest Supervisor, Cleveland National Forest authorized an interagency team of wildland fire experts to conduct a review of the management of the Cedar, Paradise, and Otay fires.

Q3: Who was on the review team?
A3: Representatives from the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; Los Angeles County Fire Department; California Office of Emergency Services; and Marin County Fire Department were on the team.

Q4: What was the review team asked to do?
A4: The team was directed to review Fire Safety during the management of the 2003 San Diego County fire siege. The team's report identifies issues, summarizes findings, and presents recommendations.

Q5: What process was used by the team to gather facts and review the management of the fires?
A5: The report documents issues, findings and recommendations from a meeting held on November 20, 2003. Additional information for this report was derived from over 121 interviews with firefighters and support personnel from the Otay, Paradise, and Cedar fires; incident documentation and reports, photos, maps, and other references.

Q6: Who participated in the meeting?
A6: The November 20th meeting provided a forum for all agencies that took part in response actions related to the San Diego County incidents. Participants included personnel from city, county, state and federal firefighting agencies, and law enforcement personnel, CALTRANS, FEMA, and the United States Marine Corps. Discussion groups focused on what worked well, needed improvements, and recommendations for the future.

Q7: Did the team look at other reports and references that had been completed as a result of past wildfires in the county?
A7: Yes. The team reviewed recommendations and findings from other reports that were completed as a result of past wildfires in San Diego County. In many ways, previous fire siege incident scenarios which prompted earlier reports were very similar to that which occurred in 2003. Many circumstances have changed, however. Technology and incident management techniques have advanced and improved with time. Regional demographics have changed, population has expanded significantly and the number of people living in the wildland/urban interface has increased dramatically.

Q8: What topics are discussed in the report?
A8: The following areas are discussed:

• Incident events and operations
• Incident safety
• Wildland fire coordination policies and procedures
• Procedures, system and coordination with other organizations
• Organizational management, leadership and the use of Incident Management System model to address firefighter and public safety
• Pre-incident preparedness, including plans and agreements
• Environmental biological and social conditions which may have contributed to the severity and effects of the fires, as well as those which may have prevented/mitigated fire's effects
• Possible interagency strategies to reduce the probability and consequences of future catastrophic fires

Q9: Does this report cover the civilian and firefighter fatalities?
A9: No. The fatalities are being investigated separately and are not part of this report.

Q10: Does this report cover the investigation of how the Cedar, Paradise, or Otay Fires started?
A10: No. The investigation of the cause of the fires is being conducted separately and is not part of this report. The Cedar fire is being investigated by the US Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Paradise and Otay fires are being investigated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Q11: How will the report be used?
A11: The report will be given to the Governor's Blue Ribbon Fire Commission, other agencies, organizations, and elected officials for review and consideration.

Q12: How will the report be used by the Cleveland National Forest?
A12: The Forest Service will consider and implement, as appropriate, any recommendations that can be immediately implemented without policy or fiscal changes. Recommendations needing policy changes or fiscal considerations will be forwarded through the Regional Office to the respective specialists in the Washington Office, for assistance in developing steps to implement recommendations specific to the Forest Service. The Cleveland National Forest will coordinate and work with other agencies, organizations, county, and elected officials to find solutions to other related recommendations.

Q13: How will the report be used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, San Diego Ranger Unit?
A13: The San Diego Unit will consider and implement, as appropriate, any recommendations that can be immediately implemented without policy or fiscal changes. Any recommendation that requires policy change or has a fiscal impact will be forwarded to Sacramento through channels for action. The San Diego Unit will work with other agencies, organizations, local government, and elected officials to find solutions to the issues raised by this review.

Q14: What recommendations were made in the report?
A14: Noted Below

Recommendations - Incident Safety

Training and Qualifications

• Develop and implement a wildland fire operations and safety training program for all agencies and departments that support fire incidents, such as San Diego Sheriff's Office (SDSO), animal control, Red Cross, and California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS). All emergency personnel should participate in regularly scheduled joint incident simulation exercises and drills. Disaster and evacuation planning, and accompanying simulations and interagency exercises, are needed at a variety of scales.
• Continue and expand training to target crew cohesion, situational awareness and risk assessment management for personnel who respond to wildland fire incidents.
• Develop a wildland fire-training program for all agencies/department that will be operating within or adjacent to the wildland fire incident. This program should provide initial and continuing training to those individuals responding to or in support of wildland fire incidents.
• Improve training and simulation exercises on wildland urban interface fire operations for local departments.
• Interagency training and simulation exercises like the North County, Camp Pendleton and the Highway 67 Corridor should continue on a regular basis. In some cases, interagency training/simulations would need to expand in scope and context.
• Agencies need to standardize qualification and certification requirements for aviation positions, at the state level.

Evacuations

• Personal protective equipment and other essential safety items should be furnished to and used by all emergency workers engaged in wildland fire activities.
• Develop a comprehensive plan for structure triage and protection standards to include identification protocols, such as flagging.
• Provide evacuation information in both English and Spanish.

Communications

• Explore options to utilize funding opportunities such as Rural Fire Assistance (RFA). Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters grants to upgrade and standardize VHF radio systems for smaller local fire departments. Excess Federal and State VHF radios may be available to local fire and police departments.
• Rehabilitate and maintain the radio network on the Cleveland National Forest.
• Establish at least one cache in San Diego County for radios and related equipment.
• Continue to explore resolutions to excessive international non-fire radio frequency traffic.
• Develop a list of pre-tested extended attack FM frequencies for both air and ground operations that are clear from interference.
• Develop an aviation communications plan to address identified air-to-ground communications deficiencies.

Airspace Management

• Once virtual fences are established, boundaries must be carefully observed; procedures for entry must be thoroughly briefed to all pilots, and appropriately documented on form ICS 220.
• Establish standardized procedures for implementation of and compliance with Presidential Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR). All aviation operations personnel must be adequately briefed. Air operations managers need to understand and appreciate the gravity of non-compliance and the serious consequences (including revocation of licenses) for pilots who are in non-compliance.
• Review conditions at the Ramona airbase facility to determine security deficiencies and needed improvements and fortifications.
• Recommendations - Wildland fire coordination policies and procedures
• Develop a consistent, easily understood aviation resource use policy for State and Federal agencies to address all categories of aircraft use under low-light ambient conditions.
• The current "no divert" policy, and guidelines for implementation need to be assessed. Any revisions would ideally make appropriate distinctions between airborne, actively working resources and those held on the ground, and provide guidance for multiple-incident scenarios.
• If the County chooses to pursue the option of using military resources, necessary pre-season preparations include:
  • Agreements
  • Training, including comprehensive classroom and field training. Existing California National Guard military helicopter training program is one suggested template.
  • Communications retrofit / augmentation, as indicated, for military aircraft
• Examine ways to improve operations and organization at shared helibases, specific to pilot briefings and preparation of daily assignments.

Recommendations - Procedures, system and coordination with other organizations

• The Operational Area Fire and Rescue Group Coordinator should provide a daily resource availability status summary to all four zone dispatch centers.
• All involved agencies should provide a standing representative to the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during major wildland fires that affect multiple jurisdictions.
• Continue early pre-staging of resources during periods of high fire danger.
• Streamline procedures for use of local contracts to procure resources such as sanitation facilities, caterers, water tenders, and other essential services that are readily available. Develop local incident support capabilities.
• Create a local Multi Agency Coordination (MAC) Group for the greater San Diego County area, established by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) Fire and Rescue Coordinator. The MAC group would represent all departments and agencies with fires burning within their jurisdictions. Operational plans would establish triggers for activation of the MAC based on fire activity and current resource drawdown levels.

Recommendations - Organizational management, leadership and the use of Incident Management System model to address firefighter and public safety

• San Diego County agencies and departments should operate under the FIRESCOPE Incident Command System (ICS) as the single incident management system. Specific needs and concerns of agencies and departments would be addressed through regular coordination and operations meetings.
• In preseason meetings, formalize the use of multiple ICS Branches (using local jurisdictional agency as the Branch Director) when developing the incident organization for rapidly spreading wildland fires through multi-jurisdictional environments. Use pre-determined agency/department contacts under unified command. All agencies and departments should participate.
• When possible, co-locate the Incident Command Post and base camps established for law enforcement coordination. - Catalog their locations.
• Local, State, Tribal and Federal agencies along with cooperators, should meet minimum California Incident Command Certifications System (CICCS) standards for wildland fire operations. Appropriate training for local government resources through CICCS should include S290, Intermediate Fire Behavior and S205, Fire in the Interface.
• Training is needed for all participating emergency management agencies on ICS qualifications and certifications.
• Develop written clarification of aviation roles, responsibilities and procedures when incidents are divided into zones.
• Take advantage of all agencies' capabilities and implement the ICS organization (at the Command and General Staff) during either complex or rapidly expanding incidents as staffing qualifications and skills allow.

Recommendations - Pre-incident preparedness, including plans and agreements; environmental biological and social conditions which may have contributed to the severity and effects of the fires, as well as those which may have prevented/mitigated fire's effects

• Current aviation hazard maps need to be jointly developed for San Diego County and be readily available. Multiple copies should be on hand.
• Develop cooperative agreements between wildland agencies and San Diego City and SDSO. Take steps to ensure respective operational guidelines are understood to facilitate full use of the resources when they are available.
• Ensure Tribal residents and adjoining fire departments assign responsibilities and pre-plan procedures for evacuation.
• Review and update the local operating plan. Assess the need for additional cooperative agreements to formalize local response to incidents.
• Develop a greater San Diego County area communication plan for emergency response that is consistent with the California Fire Assistance Agreement. Incorporate radio communications guidelines in the FIRESCOPE ICS-420-1 Field Operations Guide.
• Wildland fire agencies should work with the San Diego County Emergency Operations Center to development of a plan for timely distribution of intelligence information.
• Establish coordinated countywide mobilization plans for emergency incident management and response. Plans should encompass all risk management and represent the needs of all agencies and departments.
• Expand the coordinated countywide evacuation plan to be administered by the Sheriff during emergency and disaster operations that includes all agencies/departments that engage in related direct incident response or secondary support activities. This plan should be specific and detailed, well organized, readily available and easily referenced to provide adequate direction to both staff and field personnel. Pre-incident review of and familiarity with evacuation plans should be encouraged. The evacuation plan ideally would be part of the comprehensive County disaster response plan. Elements of this plan could include:
  • All-Risk (Training for different kinds of disasters)
  • Communication
  • Early Alert Systems
  • Evacuation and Rescue
  • FIRESCOPE ICS
  • GIS/Mapping Products
  • Joint Public Information
  • Mobilization Guide
  • Training
  • Wildland Fire Response

Recommendations - Environmental biological and social conditions which may have contributed to the severity and effects of the fires, as well as those which may have prevented/mitigated fire's effects

• Adopt the vegetation management and the codes and ordinances recommendations from Mitigation Strategies for Reducing Wildand Fire Risks, a report presented to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on August 13, 2003.
• Study the possible correlations between introduced plant species and wildland fire, including studies to determine the extent to which eucalyptus may contribute to fire propagation, spread, and structure loss. Develop vegetation layers for Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis, including locations of eucalyptus trees, to further research in this area.
• Local scientists and researchers, land managers and fire management experts should explore methods to manage open space corridors and preserve areas adjacent to developments. The group would research optimal methods to manage vegetation while preserving view sheds, and sensitive species, habitats, and other resources set aside for conservation.
• Comprehensive fire and fuels planning must be integrated into preserve system management. Such plans should adequately consider periodic drought conditions and accompanying extensive mortality of native vegetation. Also, they would incorporate considerations for the dynamics of vegetation communities on the landscape-scale, including creation and maintenance of appropriate age classes and edges; and appropriate management of Forested areas. Additionally, vegetation management strategies must be formulated that prevent or minimize the proliferation and spread of non-native annual grasses, which can pose an even greater fire hazard than native vegetation.
• A broad suite of fuels management options should be assessed, including mechanical treatments, grazing, and prescribed fire treatments. The County Parks Department and the Department of Planning are currently drafting management plans for the Barnett Ranch and San Vincente preserve areas that include fire management as a central topic.
• Large-scale, cross jurisdictional fuels management is needed as part of a County-wide fuels management plan. Building and weed/brush abatement codes need to be standardized and uniformly enforced. Unmanaged open space areas need assessment and appropriate treatment.
• Develop consistent fire-hazard closure guidelines for Federal, State, and local open space areas and parks within the region. Make closure plans simple and straightforward, with guidelines that are based on easily measured thresholds. Accommodate a wide degree of managerial discretion in closure orders.

Recommendations - Possible interagency strategies to reduce the probability and consequences of future catastrophic fires

Interagency Strategies

• Conduct multi-agency, County-wide disaster drills annually. Encourage wide participation from fire and law enforcement agencies, as well as agencies such as CALTRANS, animal control, Red Cross, and other support functions.
• Examine different methods for wide-scale community notifications systems, such as reverse 911.
• Continue local interagency meetings at the ECC (Emergency Communication Center), Engine Company, Battalion, Division and Command and Executive levels.
• Develop a local interagency Type 2 Incident Management Team (in short team configuration) for the greater San Diego County area for rapid response.
• Develop a comprehensive GIS- based Countywide mapping system available for all agencies and departments during emergency and disaster response and planning. Products would include large strategic planning capabilities and tactical maps.
• Establish a Countywide task force to evaluate San Diego County radio communications issues.

Media

• Coordinated pre-season informational seminars for the media could provide information on safety, operations, and contacts for media inquiries. Abbreviated seminars have been conducted annually in the past, but attendance by local press has been inconsistent.
• Establish a Joint Information Center for all incident management agencies in San Diego County, such as the system implemented by the San Bernardino Mountain Area Safety Task Force. Develop a media communications Operating Plan to serve all the stakeholders during emergency response activities.
• Review and develop opportunities to enhance intelligence-gathering capabilities, including new technologies that reduce exposure to risk, such as remote cameras, satellite information, enhanced aviation-based remote sensing, etc.

Public Perceptions

• Local fire service personnel should engage in post-fire outreach to the community to discuss the incident and answer to the public's questions and concerns.
• Fire departments should provide realistic assessments about home and community survivability and should continue to assist homeowners in finding and implementing strategies to make them more defendable.

Public Education

• Adopt the public education recommendations from Mitigation Strategies For Reducing Wildland Fire Risks, presented to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, on August 13, 2003.
• Educate the public and media about opportunities for, and constraints on, using military resources in wildland fire operations.
• Continue efforts to educate the public about the need for defensible space around homes, and the flammability of local and exotic vegetation planted in open space and yards. Actively include public education resources such as the FireSafe councils in these efforts.
• Continue to seek ways to support the efforts of the Greater San Diego Fire Safe Councils, and their efforts to promote fire prevention education and assistance to residents. Foster support for the FireSafe program as well. Assist councils in obtaining funding and support, such as through National Fire Plan grants that are administered through State and Federal governments.

US Forest Service - Cleveland National Forest
Last Modified: Sunday, 09 November 2008 at 08:44:02 EST