FEBRUARY 5, 2007
Pacific Southwest Region 5, Fire and Aviation Management
operates as
Wildland Fire and Aviation Management Leaders,
Safely Sustaining,
Protecting
and
Restoring Ecosystems.
Leaders in applying science to the ground to successfully restore and maintain healthy fire dependent ecosystems.
Accomplished in safe planning and execution of FAM operations.
Active participants who provide leadership and support of the National Natural Resource Agenda and National Fire Plan as well as all aspects of the Forest Service Mission.
Innovators in developing interagency cooperation and partnerships.
Leaders in conservation education.
Appreciative of team members who work for a common goal and reward those who ensure and increase efficiency at all organizational levels.
A well trained, educated, smart, multi-talented, multi-skilled, diverse, driven and motivated workforce who enjoys our work and are proud to serve the nation as Forest Service employees.
This Strategic Plan is an enduring document that provides the vision, principles, and frame of reference used to guide all Region 5 Fire, Fuels, and Aviation Management (FAM) actions, decisions, and behaviors. It is our "Operational Doctrine", built upon the National Foundational Doctrine for FAM. It is dynamic and responsive to the mission of FAM in the Pacific Southwesrt Region and the times in which it is carried out.
These areas are built upon the operational principles and form the operational agenda for achieving the Regional Fire and Aviation Management vision for the future.
· Fire and Aviation Management will attack the root behavioral causes of accidents and hazardous situations to create a culture of success in safety.
· Fire and Aviation Management will collaborate with other regional resource disciplines to help accomplish the Natural Resource Agenda, emphasizing sustainable forest ecosystem management, forest roads, recreation, and watershed health and restoration.
· Fire and Aviation Management will operate as an effective team to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.
· Fire and Aviation Management will continually strive to give taxpayers the best value for their money.
· Fire and Aviation Management will promote excellence in fire training programs and consider training an integral part of all aspects of the program.
· Fire and Aviation Management will promote education - beyond fire qualifications - to give employees a larger framework of knowledge and to help make employees more valuable and marketable.
· Fire and Aviation Management will recruit and retain a diverse workforce of qualified, skilled, and motivated employees.
· Fire and Aviation Management will maintain an effective Regional Aviation program with the highest of standards in safety, training, certification, operating procedures, equipment and program management in support of the Forest Service mission, goals, and objectives.
· Fire and Aviation Management will stay current with the latest technology, evaluating its effectiveness and training our workforce to use it to its full advantage.
topThe Program of Work is divided into Vision Focus Areas, with strategies identified for each.
Strategies are elements of a Vision Focus Area (VFA), and are supported by a series of cohesive and coordinated tactics that suppport and contribute to reaching the Vision. Strategies are intermediate in timeframe.
Tactics are short-term, measurable, and accountable actions that contribute to achieving the intent of a strategy. Each tactic is identified with a due date to display commitment ot accomplishemnt.
This plan uses a numbering scheme to track tactics and accomplishments. The tactic is assigned a number corresponding to the year it was developed; the numbering sequence is xx.n1.n2.n3
xx is the year the tactic was developed and adopted
n1 is the vision focus area
n2 is the strategy
n3 is the tactic numbered sequentially
For example, tactic 98.1.1.1 was introduced in 1998 and is the first tactic that works toward Strategy 1, which supports VFA 1.
This appendix lists the members of the strategic planning team, along with the roles and responsibilities of the members, the Fire and Aviation Management Board of Directors, chartered committees, and task groups.
This appendix lists all the chartered committees, who they report to, and the Board of Directors representative for each.
Included in this appendix are acronyms commonly used in the Strategic Plan, along with explanations.
Once a tactic is complete, it is moved to the archives to retain corporate memory.
top STRATEGY 1.1 - Ensure safety standards and guidelines are kept current. |
|||
1998.1.1.2 |
Adopt Medical Aid First Responder DOT standard of training as recommended by the division chiefs as the regional standard. Reissue letter to Forest Supervisors. |
Project Manager: |
Status: Peter Tolosano will work on
a manual supplement to be drafted by 9/01/07 |
2001.1.1.2 |
Review, update, and amend the 1993 Medical Surveillance, Blood-Borne Pathogen, and SCBA programs. |
Project Manager: |
Status: SCBA is complete as of 7/1/03. Currently
being updated. |
STRATEGY 1.2 - Ensure that Forest Service personnel understand and practice safety standards. |
|
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 1.3 - Attack the root behavioral causes of accidents. Create a culture of safety excellence. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 1.4 - Ensure that all personnel understand their role in safe FAM program implementation, organizational planning, funding, and incident staffing. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
· Fire and Aviation Management will collaborate with other regional resource disciplines to help accomplish the Natural Resource Agenda, emphasizing sustainable forest ecosystem management, forest roads, recreation, and watershed health and restoration.
STRATEGY 2.1 - Provide leadership, planning, and support for the management of fire in restoring and sustaining healthy ecosystems. |
|||
2006.2.1.5 |
Improve LFML course by further incorporation of prescribed fire line officer role and expectations. | Project Manager: Kathy Murphy Due Date: 12/30/06 |
Status: Ongoing |
STRATEGY 2.2 - Involve the public as a partner to support the management of fire in restoring and sustaining healthy ecosystems. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 2.3 - Establish and maintain predictive service units in support of fire management for restoring and sustaining healthy ecosystems. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 2.4 - Ensure that air quality issues enhance progress in the management of fire in restoring and sustaining healthy ecosystems. |
||||||
2006.2.4.3 |
Develop smoke management forecast, including long range cumulative effect forecast, for support of Wildland Fire Use analysis and prescribed fire. | Project Manager: John Snook Due Date: 06/07 |
Status: ONGOING | |||
STRATEGY 2.5 - Establish and maintain integrated, interdisciplinary support for management of fire in restoring and sustaining healthy ecosystems. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 2.6 - Provide assistance to other disciplines in support of the Natural Resource Agenda in the following areas: · Watershed health and restoration · Sustainable forest ecosystem management · Forest roads · Recreation. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
· Fire and Aviation Management will operate as an effective team to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.
· Fire and Aviation Management will continually strive to give taxpayers the best value for their money.
STRATEGY 3.1 - Develop operating plans to provide the best customer service possible. Use these plans to deliver services, maintain and boost staffing levels, increase resource availability, and make efficient funding decisions. Keep these plans current with customer expectations, technological changes, and budget trends. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 3.2 - Change budget and operational systems to create management incentives for safer, smarter, and more cost-effective decisions. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 3.3 - Ensure appropriate expenditure of funds and proper implementation of Fire and Aviation Management programs. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 3.4 - Make resource allocations, funding, and procedural decisions based on economic criteria to maximize output per dollar expended. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 3.5 - Upgrade the inventory and database of R5 fire facilities, integrate this work with other R5 facilities and funding programs, and advocate for appropriate. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 3.6 - In each identified program area, Identify, Analyze and where determined appropriate by BOD, Implement cost savings measures that will enable the Region FFAM to continue to provide 5376 FFPC while "living within" our allocated WFPR funding levels. |
|||
Program Area 1: Administration |
|||
No tactics identified at this time. |
|||
Program Area 2: Aviation |
|||
No tactics identified at this time. |
|||
Program Area 3: Communications Objective |
|||
2005.3.6.3 |
Develop Regional standards and most cost efficient method of delivering cell phones, pagers, handheld radios, and satellite phone services for identified FFAM users. |
Project Manager: Phil Schafer Team Members: Peter Tolosano, Chere Ward, Eric Martinez, Tom Rios, Jim Reed, Captain Committee Chair, Prevention Committee Chair, Dispatch Committee Chair, IHC Committee Chair. Due Date: 06/07 |
Status Report: ONGOING |
Program Area 3: Communication GOALS for Objective 2005.3.6.3 |
|||
2005.3.6.3.1 |
Review existing cell phone and pager contracts, their rate structure, users, and coverage areas. Determine appropriate FFAM users, as well as accessories needed. |
Team Members Assigned: |
Status Report: |
2005.3.6.3.2 |
Review existing handheld radios by users and standard module types. Determine appropriate FFAM users, as well as accessories required. Develop regional standard number of handheld radios by standard module configuration. |
Team Members Assigned: |
Status Report: |
2005.3.5.3.3 |
Review use of existing satellite phones. Identify appropriate FFAM users for this type of technology. Determine appropriate accessories. Develop a regional standard module configuration and a cost efficient method of delivering services to FFAM users. |
Team Members Assigned: |
Status Report: ONGOING |
Program Area 4: Dispatch |
|||
No tactics identified at this time. |
|||
Program Area 5: Facilities |
|||
2005.3.6.8 |
Identify opportunities within each Forest to combine existing Fire stations. Determine effect on Initial Attack efficiency vs. facilities costs (deferred maintenance, new construction, WCF etc.) Develop a cost analysis/efficiency review to determine feasibility and savings from the consolidation plan. |
Project Manager: Jerome Caston |
Status Report: |
Program Area 6: Fleet |
|||
2005.3.6.9 |
Identify all existing vehicles in FFAM by module type, base location and vehicle class. Develop a regional standard for number of vehicles and equipment for vehicles by class by module type and base locations. |
Project Manager: Don Feser |
Status Report: |
Program Area 7: Operations |
|||
2005.3.6.10 |
Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of centralizing the Fire
Budget for R5 by retaining funding in the Regional Office and allocating
staffing resources, services and supplies to the Forests rather than funds.
Develop potential cost savings of reducing the budget formulation and
execution from 19 units to one. (i.e., Fire Management Officer (FMO),
and other Fire staff hours spent performing budget functions that would
no longer be performed at the Forest level, the extra time FMO and fire
staff would be able to spend on program operations etc.). Identify other
residual costs savings to consolidated budgeting in addition to the obvious
savings to the Forests. |
Project Manager: |
Status Report: |
Program Area 8: Training |
|||
2005.3.6.11 |
Identify all mandatory (SA, FFAM, HR, ADMIN) training by module type.
Identify the needs for all fire and fuels career development training
by next logical position/function (including IFPM). Develop a reoccurring
annual process that determines Forest and Regional training ‘needs’
vs. ‘wants’. Develop an effective and cost efficient delivery
system that is based on the needs analysis. Consider the following cost
savings measures in the delivery system: |
Project Manager: |
Status Report: |
· Fire and Aviation Management will promote excellence in fire training programs and consider training as an integral part of all aspects of the program.
· Fire and Aviation Management will promote education - beyond fire qualifications - to give employees a larger framework of knowledge and to help make employees more valuable and marketable.
· Fire and Aviation Management will recruit and retain a diverse workforce of qualified, skilled, and motivated employees.
· Fire & Aviation Management will maintain an effective Regional Aviation program with the highest of standards in safety, training, certification, operating procedures, equipment and program management in support of the Forest Service mission, goals, and objectives.
top
STRATEGY 4.1 - Promote excellence in fire training. |
|||
2002.4.1.3 |
Continue a partnership with the US Fire Administration, National Fire Academy to develop interactive computer based NWCG couse simulation exercises. The plan is to expand this partnership to inculde a financial partnership on projects of mutual benefit. | Project Manager: |
Status: Ongoing |
STRATEGY 4.2 - Improve Fire and Aviation Management employee retention. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 4.3 - Improve recruitment of a high-quality and diverse workforce by expanding candidate pools at both entry and merit promotion levels. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 4.4 - Establish standards to ensure Fire and Aviation Management employees are well trained and highly qualified |
|||
2002.4.4.4 |
Develop administrative training (personnel, budgeting, etc) for Module leaders as key developmental experience for chief officer positions. |
Project Manager: |
Status: Suggest this would be a good tactic for Division Chiefs. May be incorporated into regional fire leadership academies |
STRATEGY 4.5 - Provide necessary staffing to safely and efficiently manage incidents using F&AM employees, other personnel, and private sector resources. |
|||
2006.4.5.1 |
Update and standardize classification for district/zone fuels positions. Update position descriptions to reflect the increasing complexity of duties that currently are imposed by externally driven factors (e.g. National Fire Plan) | Project Manager: Kathy Murphy Due Date: 06/07 |
Status: Initiated (6/06) |
STRATEGY 4.6 - Ensure that all incident facilities are accessible to enable physically challenged employees to participate. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 4.7 - Realign Aviation Management workforce, skills, abilities, and resources to effectively maximize and support the Forest Service mission with current technologies. |
|||
No tactics identified at this time. |
|||
· Fire and Aviation Management will stay current with the latest technology,
evaluating its effectiveness and training our workforce to use it to its full
advantage.
top
STRATEGY 5.1 - Evaluate and plan for the effective use of computer-aided information management technology to support Fire and Aviation Management jobs. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 5.2 - Train employees to implement current market technologies available for Fire and Aviation Management operational use. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 5.3 - Realign Fire and Aviation Management workforce skills, abilities, and cultural values to maximize computer-aided technology. |
No tactics identified at this time. |
STRATEGY 5.4 - Use technology to reduce employee risk and exposure to Fire and Aviation Management operational hazards. |
No tactics identified at this time. |