Forest
Service
Washington
Office
File Code:
Route To:
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Date:
5700
October 18, 2010
Subject: National Rappel Program Update
To: Regional Foresters, Station Directors, Area Director, Regional Fire Directors,
Regional Aviation Officers
The rappel program in the Pacific Northwest Region (PNW) just completed a successful and safe
season. Rappel was used to staff 86 fires with 23 of those fires on one national forest. There
were no lost time accidents related to rappel operations.
In late June, the PNW requested that its portion of the National Rappel Program be reactivated.
After evaluation and recommendation from the National Rappel Quality Assurance Team, Fire
and Aviation Management (FAM) Director Tom Harbour approved the reactivation on July 9,
2010.
An After Action Review (AAR) with the PNW is set following the 2010 season and will review
operational and program objectives, quality assurance processes, SAFECOMs, lessons learned
and rappel operations.
The process to reactivate other rappel programs will require a coordinated regional and national
effort to prepare for the 2011 fire season. The results of the National Rappel Programmatic and
Needs Assessment Review will support planning and reactivation of the other rappel programs.
Preliminary results will be available by December 31, 2010. The review will examine a number
of programmatic issues including but not limited to:
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•
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Evaluate the optimum number of rappel programs
Staffing, base numbers, and locations
Additional standardization areas
Potential types of standardized aircraft
The documents used as a basis to reinstate rappel and the quality assurance documents used in
the PNW are available on the web at www.fs.fed.us/fire/av_safety/assurance . The link also
contains the National Rappel Program Reactivation Process plan with an outline and direction to
begin the process to reactivate a rappel program.
The successes of the PNW rappel season and the established quality assurance process to
reactivate additional rappel programs demonstrate the viability and need for this fire suppression
tool. The Forest Service is committed to managing the risk and ensuring the safety of our
employees during rappel training and operations.
America’s Working Forests – Caring Every Day in Every Way
Printed on Recycled Paper
Regional Foresters, Station Directors, Area Director, Regional Fire Directors,
Regional Aviation Officers
Questions about reactivation of a rappel program should be directed to Tom Harbour, Director
FAM, (202) 205-1483.
/s/ James E. Hubbard
JAMES E. HUBBARD
Deputy Chief, State and Private Forestry
cc: Ron Hanks, John A Nelson, Pat Norbury
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