NORTHERN ROCKIES
MULTI-AGENCY
COORDINATING GROUP
OPERATING HANDBOOK
2015
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NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
INTRODUCTION AND MISSION
The purpose of the MAC group is to provide a forum to discuss actions to be taken to ensure
that an adequate number of resources are available to meet anticipated needs and to allocate,
reallocate or reassign those resources most efficiently during periods of shortage.
The primary purposes of the MAC group are to:
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Establish protection objectives and priorities
Develop criteria and set priorities for the geographic area Zones, incidents,
and/or Area Commands in order to meet protection objectives
Direct, control, allocate, and reallocate resources among or between Zones,
incident management teams (IMTs), and/or Area Commands to meet
geographic area priorities
In addition, when convened, the MAC group may:
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Assist with State and federal disaster response
Provide information to media and agency heads
Identify and resolve issues common to all parties
The MAC Group is generally activated at Northern Rockies Preparedness Level 4 or above
when wildland fire activities are affecting multiple Zone’s or there is competition for critical
incident resources. There may also be a need to activate MAC when the National Fire
Preparedness Level is at 5, enabling Geographic Area response to requests/direction from the
National MAC Group.
MEMBERSHIP
It is typical that the Northern Rockies Coordinating Group (NRCG) board members serve as the
Multi-agency Coordinating Group (MAC) for the Northern Rockies. MAC group members are
authorized through delegation from their respective agency administrators, to commit their
agency to actions agreed upon during MAC Group deliberations. Such delegation of authority
shall be in writing by their respective agency administrators and shall specify any limits to this
authority (Appendix 1).
MAC Group representatives are from each agency of NRCG:
Representative
Brian Tonihka
David Hall
Robert LaPlant
Ken Schmid - Chair
Michael Haydon
Ken Ockfen
Tam Kolar
Agency
BIA-NW
BIA-GP
BIA-RM
BLM
USFWS
IDL
MT DES
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Representative
Ted Mead – Vice Chair
Bill Colwell
Rick Seidlitz
Vern Burdick
Ryan Melin
Jesse Duhnkrack
Patti Koppenol
Agency
MT DNRC
MT Fire Chiefs
MT Firewardens
MT Peace Officers
ND FS
NPS
USFS
A MAC coordinator will be identified if needed.
Agencies may choose to have others designated as their MAC group representative, either as a
primary or as an alternate. The alternate should have the same agency status, background
and skills as the pre-designated individuals they are replacing. They must also be delegated
the same authority as the primary MAC group member.
If an agency chooses to use an alternate they should make every effort to ensure continuity and
consistency in their agency’s representation. It is incumbent on that agency’s representatives
to communicate among themselves on what happened at previous meetings and prior
decisions that were made. It is not the responsibility of the rest of the MAC group to inform
alternates on previous activities or to revisit decisions that were made and concurred by a
different MAC representative from that agency.
Under certain circumstances, MAC Group members may also include representatives from
other agencies with jurisdictional responsibilities not represented by one of the MAC agencies.
The need for these additional representatives will be reviewed by and agreed to at the time of
activation of the MAC Group or as the situation warrants.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR ACTIVATING THE MAC GROUP
Since the function of a MAC Group is to prioritize incidents make allocation decisions, at PL4
and above the Coordinating Group members can determine whether they need to formally
activate MAC to some extent or just engage in a higher level of information exchange,
situational awareness, and interagency coordination through more frequent conference calls
and/or briefings but not go into onsite MAC configuration.
It is possible for some of the geographic area’s zones to be extremely active. However, the
trigger for MAC activation and to some extent for Preparedness Level determination is the need
to prioritize incidents due to competition for scarce resources. The NRCC and the rest of the
dispatch system is capable of supporting a high level of fire activity in multiple zones as normal
business without having to prioritize fires at the geographic area level.
During periods of normal fire activity the Northern Rockies Interagency Mobilization Guide
provides direction to the manager of the Northern Rockies Coordination Center (NRCC) and
Northern Rockies Operations Officer on the movement of resources between agencies and
units to support wildfire suppression needs and maintain response capabilities within the
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Geographic Area. Similarly, State mobilization plans provide direction to agency managers for
movement of state resources and maintenance of statewide response capability when there is
little competition for resources and priorities may be established relatively easily. Typically one
of the keys to making the decision activate as a MAC group is that the NRCC Coordinator and
Operations Officer cannot routinely handle the incident prioritization and request more input
from the agency representatives.
With activation of the NR MAC Group, the Northern Rockies Coordination Center Manager will
contact the pre-designated agency representatives as listed in the Northern Rockies
Interagency Mobilization Guide. If pre-designated individuals are not available, the Manager
will contact the appropriate agency administrator through the agency fire program manager and
request that a MAC Group member is provided.
If the decision is made to activate the MAC Group the next decision is whether to conduct MAC
business through conference calls and web briefings or in person with face to face meetings. A
continuum of options is available depending on the situation. The need and frequency of MAC
calls or meetings will be determined on the first call and as part of each subsequent MAC
agenda.
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During heightened situational awareness or at lower levels of activity the MAC Group
may only want to stay engaged via conference calls two or three times per week. This
may be done when the level of fire activity is high but fairly routine.
During periods of extremely high levels of fire activity MAC Group members are urged to
travel to Missoula to participate in face to face meetings. Face to face meetings are very
useful for dealing with the volume of interagency business, information flow, and
problem-solving necessary to strategically manage the situation and deal with the issues
that are created by the elevated fire occurrence.
The group may find it useful to start with conference calls but periodically come together
for face to face meetings as the situation escalates or start with a face to face meeting
and then disperse again and conduct business by via conference call once it becomes
more static or routine.
Any agency that believes a higher level of MAC engagement is needed should contact
the NRCG Chair or MAC Chair and request that a conference call be held to discuss the
appropriate level of engagement.
Whenever the MAC Group is activated but is not meeting face to face the use of an
Acting MAC Chair position should be considered (see description below.)
INCIDENT PRIORITIZATION
Geographic Area priorities are established for the next 24-hour period to give the NRCC
guidance on where to assign or draw down scarce resources. When priority decisions are
distributed they also inform Zone dispatch offices, IMTs, Area Commands, the National Incident
Coordination Center (NICC), agency national offices, and the public of the current priorities.
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Method of prioritization
 Initial prioritization is done by the Coordinator, Operations Officer, and Intelligence
Coordinator using the prioritization criteria list or formal computer scoring matrix
o Initial attack fires are always the highest priority and will not be prioritized
o Extended attack fires will generally be prioritized after a 24-hour initial
attack period (unless containment appears so imminent that it should be
maintained as an initial attack fire.)
o Zone input on priority of fires in their zones will be used in Geographic Area
prioritization
o Area Command will prioritize fires within their area of responsibility. The
Area Commands themselves will be prioritized along with the other fires
o Critical “Management Action Points” that require resource allocation may
be prioritized along with other incidents/Area Commands.
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This prioritization is presented to and validated or changed by the MAC
o It is essential that agency representative bring intelligence on
considerations that should be considered to adjust the prioritization at this
time.
Decisions and rationale for prioritization will be documented daily and these
written decisions archived in annual records of MAC activity.
Timing of prioritization considerations
 When necessary, wildfire incidents within the geographic area are prioritized for the next
24 hours each evening. This timing is important because:
o Is based on the latest initial attack and large fire activity which occurs during the
burning period rather than rely on information that is 12+ hours old
o Allows the dispatch system to have a clear set of priorities as each day starts.
This allows them to give advance notice to those resources that will need to start
moving at the beginning of an operational period
o Allows the Northern Rockies to accurately report fire priorities for display in the
following day’s national Incident Management Situation Report.
Resource Allocations
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Priorities will be distributed to the floor of the NRCC and the Zone dispatch centers to
guide assignment of resources. However, it must be made clear that the highest priority
fire will not get all the resources. Fires with no suppression objectives are not prioritized
by the MAC; all the others that are have some suppression objective and need some
resources. The prioritization leads to more of a proportional distribution system, not an
all or nothing situation. There are also operational considerations that must be weighed
such as the capabilities of the resources needed, especially in relationship to the fire’s
objectives and situation.
The Operations Officer and MAC group must consider that some low priority fires still
have critical needs which, if met, will prevent the fire from growing and causing problems
later. It frequently occurs that a low priority fire will get scarce resources in order to meet
critical management objectives. Agency MAC members must bring information on these
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types of critical needs, including the objective to be accomplished, the type of resource
needed, the duration of the commitment, and the consequences of not meeting this need
to the prioritization discussions.
Reallocation of Resources
 Resource allocation decisions are usually accomplished by either filling or not filling open
resource orders placed by incidents. While it is rare, it may be necessary for the MAC
group to reallocate resources by requesting or directing a fire give up resources so they
may be moved to a higher priority fire. For example, if helicopters are unavailable or in
extremely tight supply and a high priority fire has a critical need for one, the MAC group
may direct a lower priority fire to release a helicopter and send it to the other. This type
of reallocation can be disruptive to the fire and is sometimes contentious regarding the
ability of the MAC to command and control forces. Other alternatives and negotiations
should be explored first and it should only be done when there are compelling reasons
present and documented. However, ultimately the MAC group does have the authority
to reallocate resources.
COMMAND AND CONTROL
The MAC group is not responsible for command and control of incidents, strategy, or tactics
used by incident resources. The group should strive to remain operating at a strategic level and
as a MAC group focus on prioritization and allocation of resources. A table of command and
control responsibilities is attached in Appendix 7.
As part of Coordinating Group business the board members may discuss and encourage an
individual agency to reconsider its management objectives for a wildfire, and an individual
agency may choose to direct the responsible agency administrators to follow a specific direction
for management of a fire, but the main option the MAC group has for dealing with this is to
allocate resources to support a fire due to its priority or to lower the priority and decrease
resource allocation for a fire because of the poor chance of success or unrealistic objectives of
the fire.
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PRIORITY SETTING CRITERIA
The current explanation of the prioritization criteria is found in Appendix 4. These are
summarized as:
IA Emerging incidents
1. Values at Risk
a. Communities
b. Infrastructure
c. Commercial
d. Historic and Cultural Resources
e. Principal Residences
f. Non-principal Residences
g. Natural Resources
2. Probability of Success
a. Meeting Incident Objectives
b. Fire Behavior
c. Resource Availability
ORGANIZATION
The Northern Rockies Multi-Agency Coordination System will consist of the designated MAC
Group members, the Northern Rockies Coordination Center Manager, the NR Operations
Officer, NR Aviation Operations Specialist and a MAC Coordinator. Support specialists will be
requested as the situation dictates.
During the activation of MAC, many of the positions at the Aerial Fire Depot (AFD) serve as a
support function; this function is called the AFD Expanded ISO (Incident Support Organization)
(see Appendix 2). In addition Zones provide large fire assistance, such as staging and
equipment contracting.
MAC Group responsibilities:
Prior to face to face Activation:
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Develops and updates the NR MAC Operations Handbook.
Conducts preseason exercises, with Agency Administrators if necessary, to
familiarize participants with MAC processes
Determines need for and, if necessary, activates a face to face NR MAC and
determines MAC Group operating location.
Determines need for additional MAC group representation beyond the agencies
with a role in wildland fire.
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During Physical Activation:
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Establishes priorities for allocation of resources between incidents within the
Geographic Area.
Identifies and resolves issues common to all parties.
Brings information to the table on internal agency situations, needs, and concerns
for consideration by the MAC group in their prioritization process.
Develops procedures to implement National MAC decisions.
Reallocates resources between incidents when necessary due to shortages within
the system.
Initiates special actions to alleviate resource shortages to meet anticipated
demands. Keeps agency administrators informed of the situation and of MAC
decisions.
Keeps cooperating partners (e.g., state fire marshal, state emergency
management, National Guard, neighboring states, landowner interest groups)
informed of the situation and of MAC decisions.
Maintains a dialog with the Incident Unit Agency Administrators.
Maintains coordination with neighboring Geographic Area MACs as the situation
warrants.
MAC Chair responsibilities (in addition to the above responsibilities):
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Supervises MAC Coordinator.
Signs correspondence on behalf of the MAC Group.
Represents the NR MAC at national meetings and conference calls.
Shares information with MAC members
Provides a conduit for the National MAC geographic area liaison.
MAC Coordinator
At any level of activity higher than just having conference calls to share information while at PL
4, a MAC Coordinator may be used. The main duties of the MAC Coordinator are to provide
leadership, maintain a focus on the details of ensuring that the MAC group functions in an
organized manner, and that the MAC has the information needed to fill their role of prioritizing
fires and allocating resources.
MAC Group Coordinator Duties
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Serves as facilitator in organizing and accomplishing the mission, goals, and
direction of the MAC group.
Provides expertise on the functions of a MAC organization and the proper
relationships with dispatch centers and incidents.
Arranges for and manages facilities and equipment necessary to carry out the
MAC Group functions.
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Ensures adequate and timely identification of specialists needed to support MAC
Supervises the MAC support organization (if activated)
Coordinates with GACC Intelligence sections to assure that required information
is being provided to the MAC Group within the timeframes specified.
Identifies issues needing MAC Group attention.
Assists the MAC Group decision process by facilitation of the group’s conference
calls and / or meetings.
Documents and distributes MAC decisions.
Ensures that MAC activities are documented and that a permanent record is
maintained
Skills needed:
A position of MAC Coordinator (MCCO) has been identified as a IQCS/ROSS mnemonic.
However, this is not an NWCG position. Depending on the level of MAC involvement the MAC
members may request that individuals with demonstrated skills and abilities fill the MAC
coordinator position. The traits desired in a MAC Coordinator include:
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Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
Is respected by all agencies
The ability to facilitate and develop consensus between agencies
Has the ability to supervise MAC support positions
Highly skilled in incident management and NIMS
Prior MAC experience is essential. Experience in an Area or Zone Coordination
Center, or as an Incident Commander, Planning Section Chief, and/or completion
of the National MAC training is desirable.
If individuals possessing these skills and traits are not available within the Northern Rockies a
MCCO may be resource ordered nationally.
Acting MAC Rep
Experience has shown that during periods of elevated, but not extreme, fire activity most MAC
Group members will be reluctant to travel and be physically located together to conduct MAC
business. In those situations it is very helpful to the group that at least one MAC member
remain at the NRCC to represent and act on behalf of all the others. A variety of either MAC or
Coordinating Group issues typically arise every day which do not rise to the level of needing to
consult the entire MAC group. If no MAC members are present, these issues require the
Operations Officer or NRCC manager to handle them, which is not their role and distracts them
from their focus of supporting wildfires. The MAC Chair may be able to handle some of these
functions either in person or remotely. However, if someone is not physically present at the
NRCC they will miss out on much of the interaction and information flow that one gets through
multiple daily interactions with NRCC and Aerial Fire Depot staff. Additionally, creating the
expectation that the MAC Chair must be physically present any time the MAC Group is
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activated is unrealistic since it places an undue burden on one individual. Designating one
board member as the Acting MAC Rep, either by an individual volunteering or being appointed
by the MAC Group, spreads the responsibility for filling this role among the entire group.
Duties of the Acting MAC Rep position:
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Functions like a cross between a MAC Coordinator and the Chair when the entire
MAC is not in full face to face mode
Fills the on-site role so everyone else doesn’t have to be in place
Takes care of MAC business so that NRCC Coordinator and Operations Officer
can do their job without having to do it, such as:
o Daily point of contact with NMAC
o Point of contact for all other board members for information and issue
resolution
o Arranges for distribution of public information from the MAC group,
conducts interviews with media reporters, etc.
o Is sensitive to political issues, resolving them when possible or referring
them to the appropriate party
o Conduet between NRCC Coordinator, NR Operations and NMAC when
needed.
Acts as a representative of the Board and brings a different perspective to
decision processes
Signs documents and decisions as the Acting MAC Chair when needed
(especially useful for items for which a quick turnaround is necessary)
As the representative of other agencies, notifies or consults with agency members
on issues, either individually or collectively
Has the experience to know when issues need to be bumped up to the full MAC
for decision or when further engagement is necessary.
Participates on IMT or international resources inbriefs and closeouts on behalf of
the entire MAC Group.
The MAC Chair and other members should decide when this position is necessary. When
members determine it is necessary it has worked well if MAC group members take turns filling
this role on a rotating basis of about a week at a time with a period of overlap on each end
between the incoming and outgoing Liaison.
MAC GROUP SUPPORTING SPECIALISTS
The NR Operations Officer and NRCC Manager continue their role in managing day to day
decisions to guide the geographic area’s fire response. When the MAC is activated these
positions interact with the MAC and Coordinating Group closely as advisors to share
information, recommending issues needing MAC action, and advise board members on options
and consequences of alternative courses of action. Once MAC decisions have been made they
work with field units of all agencies to implement MAC decisions.
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The NRCC will typically increase staffing to handle the increased volume of business of
coordinating resource mobilization. In general, the MAC won’t need additional support
personnel, such as operations or aviation specialists, to gather information on items such as
crew locations, aircraft assignments, resource days off and tour of duty schedule, etc. If
additional support is necessary for the MAC the group must be careful to define what the
support person will do, how the information or service will be used, and what the relationship is
between that person’s duties and the NRCC’s duties.
Other supporting specialists may be needed to provide specialized technical information to
assist the MAC members in making their decisions. MAC members need to define the product
or job that needs to have done and then determine the skill needed to do it rather that assume
an NWCG qualification or ICS position is necessary. Some of the support positions that may be
needed include:
MAC Incident Information Officer: Shall be filled with a minimum Type 2 Public Information
Officer. The primary objective of MAC Information is to provide a geographic perspective of the
fire situation within the parameters of the MAC Information Policy (see Appendix 3). Consults
with the Intelligence Coordinator, MAC Planning Section, Joint Information Centers and
individual Incident Information Officers to provide current geographic area information. This
position may only be needed on an intermittent basis for specific tasks.
MAC Fire Prevention Specialist: Coordinates closures, restrictions, and special fire
prevention efforts on an interagency basis. Keeps fire information officers informed of fire
prevention efforts, closures, and restrictions. Utilizes information and situation reports
developed by the Incident Support Organization to avoid duplication of staff and impacts upon
local organizations.
MAC Planning Section Chief: Shall be filled with a minimum Type 2 Planning Section Chief.
When activated, supervises the MAC Decision Support Unit and coordinates requests for
decision support products.
Aviation Operations Specialists: Coordinates with the NRCC Manager and NR Operations
Officer to evaluate intelligence information and make recommendations to the MAC group on
the placement and allocation of resources. Works with all agencies to implement MAC
decisions. Works with the agency Operations leads, incidents, Aviation Safety Specialists, and
field aviation units to provide aviation safety teams where needed.
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NR MAC ORGANIZATION
Agency
Administrators
NR MAC
NR MAC
Chair/Acting Chair
Interagency
Aviation Group
MAC Coordinator
NR Operations
Officer
Aviation Safety
Teams
NRCC Manager
Aviation
Predictive
Services
FBAN
Fire Prevention
Specialist
Intelligence
Fire Prevention
Teams
MAC Information
NR Ground Safety
Ground Safety
Teams
MAC Plans
Decision Support
Unit
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MAC MEETINGS
Afternoon MAC Group meetings will consist of two parts. The first part will be devoted to a
weather briefing and fire situation update, general information sharing, and issue identification
and discussion. The MAC Coordinator shall prepare an agenda prior to MAC Group meetings.
Since time is of the essence, any significant issues need to be brought to the attention of the
MAC Coordinator prior to the meeting to facilitate discussion and ensure the issue is clearly
stated. Participants include, in addition to designated MAC Group members, zone MAC
representatives, agency administrators, public affairs officers, aviation managers,
communication system specialists and other interested parties as may be appropriate.
During the afternoon MAC meeting/conference call, Zone MAC representatives are asked to
provide the following information for their respective zones:
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Zone priorities
Initial attack situation
Information on emerging incidents or significant activity on large fires
Special zone resource needs
Issues requiring NR MAC attention
An evening conference call between MAC group members, incident commanders and area
commanders will facilitate information sharing. During the IC/AC/MAC conference call, ICs/ACs
are asked to provide the following information for their respective incidents:
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Significant events or changes since the last 209 was submitted
Critical resources needed for tomorrow’s operation if different from 209
Injuries or accidents in the past 24 hours
Any community or political issues MAC needs to be aware of or provide assistance for
Obstacles to meeting today’s operational objectives
The second part of the afternoon meeting and the evening meeting will be limited to the MAC
Group members and invited supporting specialists or agency representatives who are not a
part of the MAC Group itself. This part of the meeting will focus on priority setting, gaining
consensus on issue resolution and developing MAC decision documents.
Meetings may be split to address MAC group functions and general NRCG interagency
coordination functions other than incident prioritization and resource allocation. The MAC
group will decide how to split the meetings and who will be responsible for facilitating each
(e.g., MCCO facilitate MAC meetings while the Chair or Administrative officer facilitates the
NRCG portion of the meeting, or the MCCO facilitates both portions of the meeting, etc.)
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MAC GROUP DECISION MODEL
All issues brought before the MAC Group will be acted on by consensus that will result in one of
the following actions:
Option 1: Make a collaborative decision and assign responsibility and expectation of
implementation. If MAC Group cannot arrive at a consensus or agreement then the issue
would be elevated to the next level with the Executive group.
Option 2: Delegate a decision with expectations of intended outcomes or results to a MAC
Group member, the coordinator or staff.
Option 3: Defer decision for consideration at a later date (e.g., defer for more information or
defer for further development of fire situation).
Option 4: Determine that the issue is outside the scope of the MAC Group's responsibility.
Defer issue to the appropriate organization or individual.
RECORDKEEPING AND DOCUMENTATION
Attendance at all MAC Group meetings will be recorded and saved for the permanent record.
All information presented at MAC meetings will be recorded and retained in the permanent
record for the incident period. MAC Group decisions and supporting documentation, including
option selected, will be recorded and retained in the permanent record. All decision criteria
used by the MAC Group to prioritize incidents, etc., will be recorded and retained in the
permanent record. MAC Group members will maintain daily logs of their activity and key points
of conversations. Copies of individual daily logs will be filed in the permanent MAC records.
MAC Group Working Guidelines When Physically Activated:
Routine meetings should begin promptly at predetermined times. Meetings should last no
longer than 2 hours. Adequate coordination/information sharing should take place prior to the
meeting to ensure issues are clearly and concisely described. Individuals presenting issues for
discussion and resolution by the MAC Group will prepare a written summary (no more than one
page) describing this issue in advance of the scheduled meeting. The individual raising the
issue will lead the discussion at the MAC Group meeting. All briefing material presented for
MAC Group consideration shall include a written summary.
Follow-Up Responsibilities:
It is the assigned MAC Group or supporting staff member's responsibility to track assigned
actions or deferred decisions to completion and to notify the entire group of status as
appropriate.
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COMMUNICATING MAC DECISIONS
All MAC Group decisions will be documented in writing. MAC decision documents will be on
Northern Rockies MAC Group letterhead and signed by the MAC Chair (or Acting Chair). MAC
decision documents will be distributed to the involved agency heads, incident commanders or
other individuals responsible for implementation through the Northern Rockies Coordination
Center using the coordination system via email and posting to the website in MAC area by MAC
coordinator or secretary. The MAC Coordinator will share pertinent decisions with the National
MAC Coordinator at Boise.
REQUESTING RECONSIDERATION OF MAC DECISIONS
Local agency administrators may ask for reconsideration of MAC Group decisions. Requests for
reconsideration must be in writing to the MAC Group Coordinator.
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APPENDIX 1
SAMPLE LETTER OF DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY FOR MAC GROUP MEMBERS
(On Agency Letterhead)
Date:
Subject:
To: Agency MAC Representative
As my representative on the Northern Rockies Geographic Area Multi-Agency Coordinating
(MAC) Group, you are delegated the following authorities:
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Establish protection objectives.
Develop criteria and set priorities for geographic area incidents and/or Area Commands
in order to meet protection objectives.
Direct, control, allocate and reallocate resources among or between Area Commands
and Incident Management Teams to meet Geographic Area priorities.
Implement decisions of the Northern Rockies MAC Group.
Further, you are responsible for ensuring that agency policies and procedures are maintained,
agency administrators are informed of decisions and actions, and operational decisions are
implemented. If you have questions regarding this delegation, please contact me.
/s/ Agency Administrator
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APPENDIX 2
AFD EXPANDED INCIDENT SUPPORT ORGANIZATION
An Expanded Incident Support Organization (ISO) is established at the Aerial Fire Depot to
keep pace with increased incident activity and to maintain an efficient level of coordination for
support of major wildland fire activity occurring in the Northern Rockies Geographic Area. The
expanded ISO will operate under the broad direction of the Northern Rockies Multi-agency
Coordinating Group (MAC). The Northern Rockies Coordination Center (NRCC) Manager is
responsible for recommending activation. The NRCC Manager will recommend to the Northern
Rockies Coordinating Group Board of Directors which positions are appropriate to staff and
discuss the transition of normal Aerial Fire Depot (AFD) operations to the expanded ISO. At
Planning Level 3, implementation or partial implementation of expanded ISO could begin.
During initial buildup, one person may be assigned more than one job. Until a MAC Group is
established, expanded ISO positions will report to the NRCC Manager.
NORTHERN ROCKIES COORDINATION CENTER
Center Manager: Coordinates Area-wide support operations. Implements MAC priorities.
Keeps Area fire managers informed of the current fire situation.
Predictive Services Meteorologists: Responsible for providing fire weather/ fire
danger outlooks and services to assist in the operational planning decision making
process for prioritization and utilization of resources/
Intelligence Coordinator: Collects, consolidates, analyzes and disseminates
information on incident activity, and resource status. Assembles information in a manner
suitable for major decisions. Keeps Northern Rockies Center Manager as well as MAC
and other managers informed of the overall fire situation through daily briefings. Serves
as Planning Section until a formal Planning Section is activated.
Staff Support Specialist: Responsible for assembling expanded ISO briefing
package. Makes copies for briefing. Prepares final package summarizing day's
activities and insures proper documentation files.
Situation Status: Contacts fire units, agencies, etc. for collection and
organization of incident status and situation information and directs the evaluation,
analysis and display of that information for the Intelligence Coordinator. Provides
summary for daily briefings.
Resource Unit: Gathers and updates current incident resource status and
displays that information for the Intelligence Coordinator. Provides summary for
daily briefings.
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GROUND SAFETY
Ground Safety Coordinator: Coordinates and oversees Geographic Area Safety Teams, and
coordinates with Safety Assistance Teams (SAT) as requested by field units or the MAC Group.
Ground Safety Team Leader: Responsible to assess various factors that may
contribute to unsafe working conditions, such as fatigue, environmental or physical
factors. Assists the field unit in assessment and mitigation of the effects of these factors.
Ground Safety Teams: The role of the ground safety team is to assist field units to
assure safe practices are in place on units during the seasonal increase in the fire
workload. A unit may decide to call on a safety team to assist during normal initial attack
or extended attack as well as for a mix of large and small fires. Also, when managing
several wildland fire use situations, a safety team may be desirable to assist. In fact,
there is often less need when there are one or more IMTs in place working on larger
fires.
The makeup of safety teams will be determined with the aid of the Northern Rockies
Coordination Center or the MAC Group, if activated.
FACILITIES/ADMINISTRATION
AFD Facility/Administration Coordinator: Responsible for coordination of business
management, computer support, communications, and expanded facility and site functions.
Advises and monitors adherence to policy and regulations.
Scheduling Manager: Responsible to the AFD Facility/Admin Coordinator. Organizes
shift coverage for AFD and expanded ISO units to insure adequate staffing and
compliance with established work/rest guidelines. Places orders for personnel with the
NRCC to insure proper ordering and tracking of resources.
Buying Team: Responsible to the AFD Facility/Admin Coordinator. Fulfills obligations as
outlined in the NRCG Procurement Guide.
Computer System Support: Keeps computer system in support of AFD and expanded
ISO. Provides timely user support to all areas of operations. At Preparedness Level 3,
the Information Technology Support Organization will be notified and put on alert.
Security Officer: Responsible to the AFD Facility/Administrative Coordinator. Provides
security to the AFD and staging areas as requested.
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NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
APPENDIX 3
MAC INFORMATION POLICY
The MAC information function is responsible for information to the public, media, elected
officials and other governmental agencies. It will provide summary information from
agency/incident public information officers and be able to identify to the media and other
government agencies, local sources for additional information.
Functions of MAC Information:
1. Prepare and release geographic area-wide summary information to the news
media, elected officials and participating agencies. For example:
a. Total number of major incidents
b. Total number of personnel and suppression resources assigned
c. General geographic location of major incidents and names of assisting
agencies
d. Responsible agencies for each incident
e. Total area involved
f. Costs of mitigation and damage
g. Total number of serious injuries/resource and property losses, etc. reported
to the MAC Group
h. Summary of regional weather picture
i. Individual incident information offices and phone numbers or phone
number of the appropriate agency contact
The above are only examples and the Information Officer should take the initiative to provide
other special interest items.
Tactical or specific operation information will not be released or any other information that might
be sensitive from an agency standpoint.
2. Assist news media that visit the MAC Group and provide information on its
function. Make sure that joint agency involvement is stressed in dealing with the
media.
3. Assist in arranging news conferences, briefings, preparing informational materials,
etc., when requested by MAC Group or MAC Coordinator.
4. Coordinate all matters related to public affairs (VIP tours, etc.). Act as the escort
for agency tours and contact when appropriate.
Information Sources:
Official information sources for MAC information officers(s) are 1) the MAC group organization,
including planning and operations; 2) area command and incident management team
information officers; 3) agency public affairs officers.
“Intelligence gathering” by Northern Rockies MAC IOs and staff will be limited to collection and
consolidation of information from these official sources. Information from any other sources,
NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
20
including unofficial contacts within or external to the ICS organization, will not be gathered or
disseminated on behalf of the NR MAC group. NOTE: MAC supports the IOs’ role in the
correction of misinformation (i.e. rumor control) to the extent that official information has been
misunderstood or misconstrued. These issues should be handled and resolved at the local level
if possible, without MAC involvement.
Key Messages:
Key messages will be prepared to paint a “macro”-picture of the geographic fire situation and to
interpret its meaning and will be developed and updated regularly.
Information Dissemination:
Strategic Messages: Information Officers will ensure that all information disseminated to all
audiences will be supportive and consistent with any key messages, as provided and updated
by the MAC Group.
Official Information: NR MAC Information Officers will not take responsibility for information
dissemination that is the statutory responsibility of a specific agency, i.e. evacuation
notifications. Inquiries for site-specific information will be directed to official sources.
NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
21
APPENDIX 4
NRCG DECISION SUPPORT CRITERIA DEFINITIONS
for the next 24 hour period
Note: the terms “Goal Level” and the other “levels” are related to the Criterium Decision
Plus software model which is a program that facilitates sorting the criteria and
displaying the incident prioritization.
GOAL LEVEL:
Incident/Resource Prioritization
LEVEL 2:
Values at Risk
 What consequences (values) are affected by not taking action?
 Mitigation measures should be considered in the analysis of the Level 3 elements.
 Structural Fire Department Jurisdiction?
Probability of Success
 What's the potential for our management action to be successful?
Success is defined as
o achieving objectives for planned actions.
LEVEL 3:
Communities
The threat that a fire will potentially enter any legally defined city or town.



High: There is direct and immediate threat (within 24 hours) to the priority in question
from the incident due to location, uncontrolled line, or highly erratic fire behavior.
Moderate: There is a potential threat (within 48 hours) to the priority in question from the
incident.
Low: There is low (40% or less) threat to the priority in question from the incident.
Infrastructure
The threat that a fire will potentially destroy municipal watersheds, power lines, bridges, etc



High: There is direct and immediate threat (within 24 hours) to the priority in question
from the incident due to location, uncontrolled line, or highly erratic fire behavior.
Moderate: There is a potential threat (within 48 hours) to the priority in question from the
incident.
Low: There is low (40% or less) threat to the priority in question from the incident.
NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
22
Commercial
The threat that a fire will potentially destroy businesses (this can include commercially important
timber and range values).



High: There is direct and immediate threat (within 24 hours) to the priority in question
from the incident due to location, uncontrolled line, or highly erratic fire behavior.
Moderate: There is a potential threat (within 48 hours) to the priority in question from the
incident.
Low: There is low (40% or less) threat to the priority in question from the incident.
Historic and Cultural Resource
The threat that a fire will potentially destroy significant historic or cultural resources.



High: There is direct and immediate threat (within 24 hours) to the priority in question
from the incident due to location, uncontrolled line, or highly erratic fire behavior.
Moderate: There is a potential threat (within 48 hours) to the priority in question from the
incident.
Low: There is low (40% or less) threat to the priority in question from the incident.
Principal Residence
The threat that a fire will potentially destroy year-round homes.
Mitigation measures should be considered in the analysis.



High: There is direct and immediate threat (within 24 hours) to the priority in question
from the incident due to location, uncontrolled line, or highly erratic fire behavior.
Moderate: There is a potential threat (within 48 hours) to the priority in question from the
incident.
Low: There is low (40% or less) threat to the priority in question from the incident.
Non-principal Residence
The threat that a fire will potentially destroy seasonal homes, cabins, outbuildings, barns, etc.



High: There is direct and immediate threat (within 24 hours) to the priority in question
from the incident due to location, uncontrolled line, or highly erratic fire behavior.
Moderate: There is a potential threat (within 48 hours) to the priority in question from the
incident.
Low: There is low (40% or less) threat to the priority in question from the incident.
Natural Resources
The threat that a fire will potentially adversely impact forest and grasslands, wildlife, nonmunicipal watershed, viewsheds, etc.



High: There is a potential (80% or greater) of significant unacceptable resource damage.
Moderate: There is a moderate potential (40% or greater) of several resource values
being unacceptably impacted.
Low: The impacts to the resource are within acceptable limits.
NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
Meeting Incident Objectives
Probability of meeting incident/MAP objectives in a given fuel type:
Effectiveness of resources. Fuel type used as a guide.



Low ( Fuel Models 8-13)
Moderate ( Fuel Model 4-7)
High (Fuel Models 1-3)
Expected Fire Behavior
Fire behavior expected in next 24 hours.
 Low
 Low to moderate
 Moderate to active
 Active to very active
 Very active to extreme
Resource Availability
Resource needs can be met within timeframes required.
 Yes
 Maybe
 No
ALTERNATIVES:
Fire Name (Dispatch Center, State-Agency)
23
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NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
APPENDIX 5
Suggested Daily Meeting Schedule
At low-level PL 4

MAC Conference Calls twice a week
At high-level PL 4



MAC Conference Calls three times a week
Consider periodic face to face meetings if issues arise or to get everyone on the same
page
MAC members listen in on I.C. calls in the evening, followed by MAC validation of
priorities
At PL 5



Sitting MAC group with face to face meetings
Afternoon Briefing and meeting
MAC members listen in on I.C. calls in the evening, followed by MAC validation of
priorities
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APPENDIX 6
You might need to do face to face MAC meetings if:



















Multiple zones are competing for resources
Multiple agencies are competing for resources
Multiple multi-jurisdictional fire are occurring
Fires and IMT commitments will be long duration
Resource “black hole” fires are present
Multiple area commands are in place
Some agencies are overwhelmed
Fire danger/resource needs/GA/national level of activity is high and trending upwards
Predictive Services anticipates an escalating “event”
Information from IC calls is essential to making priority decisions
Fire situation requires ongoing strategic planning
Political situation requires ongoing strategic planning
Ongoing issues require more time to coordinate than can be done on MAC calls
Contingency planning/decisions are necessary due to high percentage of resource
commitment
A higher level of information exchange is needed, e.g. sidebar conversations and
brainstorming sessions
You are considering staffing more than two MAC support positions (e.g. Info, Plans)
Need exists to inbrief and close out with IMTs
IMT or area command liaisons are needed
Regular interaction with NMAC liaison is needed on a regular/daily basis
APPENDIX 7
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Governor
Preparedness Levels
Preparedness Levels
1-3
4–5
Works within legislative processes
to fund essential state and local
programs.






County
Commissioners/Mayors
Establish liaison with key partners.



Geographic Area
Agency Administrator
Support Zone and unit activities for
preparedness initial attack.


(Regional Forester, State
Forester, State Directors
and MACO level)
Zone Level Agency
Administrator
(Forest Supervisor, Area
Manager, Tribal and
County Commissioner
level)
Unit Level Agency
Administrator
(District Ranger, Unit
Manager, Fire District
Trustee level)


Work with interagency partners for
preparedness/initial attack
preseason agreements and
processes.





Assure fire preparedness/initial
attack activities and fire
management plans are completed.




Declares state emergencies/disasters
Approves FEMA Declaration requests through
State Forestry
Requests Presidential disasters through
Disaster and Emergency Services (DES)
Approves State-wide closures
Approves use of National Guard, declaration
required
Implements Fire Mobilization Plan (moves
structural resources) through State Forestry
Mobilize county/local resources to support
closure/evacuation needs.
Assign Agency Administrators working with fire
departments, sheriffs departments, etc.
Declares a county/city emergency and/or
requests Governor to declare State emergency
Reconcile political issues at state/federal levels
Approve prioritization criteria for collection of
responses to NR MAC
Approve geographic area protection objectives
Delegates decision making to NR MAC (for
above)
Coordinate closures and restrictions
Reference Resource Allocation Table
Reconcile political issues at local levels
(county, forest, area, etc.)
Delegate authorities and oversees activities of
ACs and IMTs (where 2 or more jurisdictions
involved, unified command)
Maintains open files of communications of NR
MAC, Zone MAC
Reference Resource Allocation Table
Incident complexity analysis and WFSA
Reconcile political issues at local community
level
Incident complexity analysis and WFSA
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NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
COMMAND AND CONTROL

Area Command





IMT (I, II, III)
II or III more likely than I


Prioritize based on GA MAC objectives for 2 or
more IMT’s
Coordinate with all governmental entities
Allocates resources between incidents
Reconciles issues between 2 or more agency
administrators
Respond to GA needs for redistribution of
resources
If appropriate, ensures that all IMT’s operate
with common strategy.
Implement specific strategy and tactics to meet
agency administrator objectives for appropriate
management response for incident(s) and
other delegated responsibilities.
Establish and prioritize criteria for redistribution
of resources within GA.
COORDINATION
Geographic Area MAC
Geographic Area
Coordinating Board of
Directors (e.g., Fire
Director, State Fire
Manager, President
Firewardens Association)
Not usually active but should
ensure processes are established
and understood.







Zone MACs
Zone Board of Directors
(e.g., Forest FMO, Area
Fire Manager, County
Firewarden)

Not usually active but should
assure processes are
established and understood.








Establish and prioritize criteria for allocation of
resources
Establish protection objectives
Establish the need for additional training
Establish reallocation controls when 2 or more
area commands are assigned and multiple
zones are affected
Maintains open lines of communication with
Zone MACs, AAs
Assess need for Geographic Area Prevention
Team
Assess need for Geographic Area Public
Information Team
Reference resource allocation table
Same as above/different in scope.
Serve Agency Administrator needs for
coordination for fire management coordination
issues within the Zone.
Ensure that GA MAC criteria and objectives
are carried out at Zone level.
Monitor and ensure initial attack capability
Assess need for Zone level prevention team
Assess need for Zone level Public Information
Unit
Reference resource allocation table
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APPENDIX 8
The following is an outline that has been useful in the past when briefing out-of-area Incident
Management Teams. This is not technically a MAC group function but this is most often done
at levels of activity that require MAC involvement. For lack of a better place it is included in this
MAC Plan as a reference.
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NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
NORTHERN ROCKIES MAC
GROUP
Date XX-XX-XXXX
NORTHERN ROCKIES GEOGRAPHIC AREA
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM
IN-BRIEFING OUTLINE
This outline is intended to be used to brief all incident management teams that we host from outside the Northern Rockies
Geographic Area. This briefing should be given to the team as soon as they arrive in the geographic area. Typically a team
will arrive at the host unit of an incident directly from their home geographic area.
We realize some of these topics are covered in the “Large Fire Takeover” outline in the Incident Management Team Plan, so
please add these additional topics to your briefing for teams from outside the geographic area:
1.
Provide the enclosed letter from the NR Incident Commanders on expectations.
2.
Provide a map of the geographic area.
3.





Give a general overview of the geographic area.
All involved agencies
All the states
Zones
Local government – fire districts, fire service areas, etc.
Tribes – explain the BIA/Tribal relationship
4.
Summarize Fire/All risk activities in the geographic area.
5.
Number of area commands and overhead teams in the geographic area.
6.
Preparedness level and general fire behavior risks.
7.
General resource availability.
8.
Explain resource ordering procedures and any changes from normal.
Provide handout on finance information.
9.
Explain the importance of best value contract resources (refer to NRCG website).
10. Explain the importance of Type II crew use.
Present our Native America Crew Plan.
11. Present Mobilization of Local Government Forces Plan.
12. Speak to the advantages of having State/County liaisons and resource advisors.
13. Explain cost share agreements and protection jurisdiction (wildland/structure).
NR MAC Operating Handbook - 2015
30
14. Line Officer Expectations – Delegation of Authority or Letter of Intent.
15. Encourage the use of Human Resource Specialists.
16. Provide a list of contact numbers.
17. Provide any other pertinent information or plans.
18. Appropriate Management Summary for the Northern Rockies,
a.
b.
c.
d.
Northern Rockies Geogrpahic Area Incident Management Team In-Briefing – Additional Information,
Appropriate Management Response,
Long-Term Implementation Plan,
Decision Support Tools,
19. Direction for Posting Data to FTP.NIFC.GOV,
20. Cost Efficiency – Items to Consider When Negotiating a Cost Share Agreement.
21. Structure Fire Protection for the Northern Region
22. Key websites for documents and information.
In addition please ensure that all resources arriving from outside the geographic area receive a thorough briefing of the current
and expected situation, especially fuels and fire behavior.
Please close your briefing with our intent that everyone in this geographic area be successful.