Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group

Operations Committee

Meeting Notes February 16, 2017

Attendees: Call-in

Steve Rawlings-USFS-Chair Aaron Schmidt-WA-DNR

Lonnie Click- WA Fire Service Jason Loomis- NPS

Ted Pierce– NWCC John Szulc – BIA

Joe Krish- BLM

BrianGales-USFWS

Today’s objectives: Share high points of PNWCG workshop

Review Task Orders

Confirm 2017 meeting dates

High Points of PNWCG workshop:

·  Incident Business has a new web site for one stop shopping.

·  Brenda Johnson is retiring with replacement unfilled

·  Agreements are the next big challenge. Agreements continue to be a hot topic with the “hours worked” on the radar screen.

·  Training committee helped the dispatch centers with lots of trainees in 2016.

·  Training committee assisted with rewrite of S-420 and are helping run the beta sets this year.

·  IMT’s have been selected with the Region 10 level of participation still up in the air.

·  Communications, Prevention and Investigations committee had lots to report. See Workshop attachment.

·  Technology committee is doing a lot of work with GIS data fields.

Review of Task Orders:

·  All-hazard complexity analysis is being addressed by PNWCG Steering committee

·  Wildland Fire Modules- Warm Springs is looking at utilizing this make-up. Thoughts on OPS embracing the concept.

·  Template completion for Deliberate Risk Assessment.

·  Identified a subcommittee to work on a Strategic Capabilities assessment spread sheet. Spread sheet for teams, DO’s, briefings and updates. Aaron to share the DNR format. Steve, Aaron and John on subcommittee.

·  Review Charter next meeting and update living task table.

Meeting dates for the remainder of the year:

·  Committee calls- Feb. 16; Mar. 16; May 18; June 15; Nov. 16.

·  Committee meetings- Apr. 11; Oct. 4; Jan. 18, 2018.

Agency Updates:

GACC:

·  Numerous vacancies-

·  BLM working on prioritization of vacancies

·  Mob guides and 2016 annual fire report out soon

NPS:

·  A few GS-11 vacancies.

·  Mt. Rainier helicopter manager vacancy

·  Jason asked to have NPS included in captains meeting outreach.

BIA:

·  Unofficial selection of program manager in regional office.

·  NeWICC agreement for aviation in process.

·  Yakama frequency clarification

·  FMO meeting April 11-13, 2017.

·  FOS and meteorologist positions closed.

BLM:

·  Nothing reported.

USFWS:

·  No report.

USFS:

·  Permanent Fire Hire event completed for 400+ positions.

·  IHC, Jumpers and Engine Captains meeting Hood River.

WA-DNR

·  Seasonal hires underway

·  Regional academies being planned.

WA-Fire Service

·  Mobilization pre-stage, Pre-Mobe aircraft legislation

·  Legislation for all hazard passed last year

·  Lots of agreement work for the coming IMT season

·  Nearing completion of an apparatus data base with all available mobe resources identified.

End of notes

LC 2/27/2017