NRCG – EMTZ – Spring Meeting 2012
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NRCG – EMTZ – Spring Meeting 2012
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ICS types everything else – to identify experience level. Critical part of the ICS
system.
REVIEW MEMBERSHIP & COMMITTEES
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NRCG E.MT Zone Committees: (provide reps to the N.Rockies Committees)
Training Committee: Fonda Knox is rep and also is the chair per charter for this zone
standing committee. Rotation is addressed in the charter.
Business Committee: Joyce Anderson Rep to the NRCG Business Committee.
Aviation: (rep to this NRCG committee is necessary as a voting member: Kevin Gapperd
– Rep; Bob Flesch Vice Rep)
NAC: Kevin Weaver is chair and they also have a charter for this zone standing
committee.
Ops: Paul Pallas. Have been really concentrated on getting members on NR teams. And
supporting/establishing TY3 IC’s and teams. MAC or Mini-MAC calls: identify issues that
may need to be taken forward to the zone boards.
Equipment: (Mark Sherman Rep & Paul Palie? Vice Rep) Respond back to the chair by
May 18th.
Fire Prevention & Restrictions: Karly DeMars Rep. (Carmen Thomason vice rep.)
Task groups can be formed at the NRCG E.MT zone level, to address issues raised within
the zone and/or to elevate those issues to the various NRCG committees.
Any current tasking? Not at this time.
SEASONAL OUTLOOK
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N. Rockies – July dry – August we will have fires… – Uncertain of the status re the La
Nina / El Nino switchover, and weather Sept is wet or dry. We will have some activity this
year… Without some moisture on the ground we won’t have any thunderstorm activity…
TY3 TEAM & TY2 IA CREW
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Has been a BLM effort for the past 2 years, but have had difficulty filling all the positions
so … should it become truly interagency?
If interagency – should the zone board be involved?
Interagency input on development if truly interagency; or still BLM with a few interagency
members… ~ looks like primarily BLM org.
For TY2 IA crew is certainly BLM run.
Would like to make interagency from a partner standpoint, but will the board be involved
since this crew has the BLM written all over it. Guarantee BLM cannot consistently fill a
crew all by themselves. FS is very interested in participating and getting people this
experience/opportunity. Strong recommendation to have interagency flavor to have both
BLM & FS support. Goal is to get folks crew experience – particularly pre & post
opportunities. Meat of the season – many of the crew members will be supporting their
local and engine responsibilities.
Should also have some zone board coordination; even if the BLM remains the ‘designated’
agency.
Original Intent: a strike team of 5 BLM engines ~ then tried to get IA crew together with the
thought it would be quicker to get out the door.
(Gilman) are you trying to increase you capability within the E.Zone?
Intent is to only status on the shoulder seasons ~ but still to have interagency participation.
May be larger need, in Eastern MT, for 5-10 person squads. BIA already has these in the
NR Mobilization Guide.
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NRCG – EMTZ – Spring Meeting 2012
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A little more structured than a ‘throw together’ crew; i.e. what vehicles, cc support, crew
bosses, eqmt etc…
Maybe SOP is much more important than a ‘charter’ for a crew like this to define how they
will operate.
Big Horn Basin has two crews they stand up all year with a rotation schedule.
E.MT goal would, absolutely, be to have a year round crew stood up and available.
If Militia is included – projection is that you could… stand up on a year round basis.
TY3 IMT leadership probably folks who have little interest in supporting TY2 or above
team.
Cc’s, self-sufficiency, vehicles are key issues – crew boss has to be able to take care of
the crew.
If BLM has x# slots, FS has x# slots, BIA has x# slots, and state has x# slots – make sure
that the numbers are honored in the rotation. If the slots are alluded to when folks commit
and then when the dispatch comes – all slots are filled with BLM folks who want to go out
– then the other agency partners don’t get the opportunity and are not willing to commit in
future years. Critical to honor the intent ~ but, crew boss still has to have a say in filling in
the slots.
IS it possible to stand up, year round, with militia folks? Goal should be to put together a
TY2 IA crew; 7 leadership + 13 ff’s.
[[ Observation: sounds like we are talking about 2 different things: IA crew for local use –
very short duration IA assignments AND… TY2 crew for shoulder seasons for out of
GACC opportunities]] Per Irv – we are creating 1 - TY2 crew and the decision of whether
it will go local or national will be made on case by case basis; and then filling the crew
members will be based on the dispatch location determination for each assignment??
Sounds like for 2012 it will be BLM crew. Goal is to possibly go interagency in 2013.
Mechanics are still pretty variable – let’s let BLM formulate the baseline for 2012 and then
have goal to manage via the zone as interagency crew in 2013.
Monday calls: who is available, do they have vehicle, do they have a cc, are they selfsufficient?
TY3 IMT – may be more functional as interagency run team… (Feds and DNRC/local fire
departments involved would provide broader coverage for necessary positions. Steve
Knox of BLM (Lewistown) is IC. Letter going out from BLM AA to other Fed agency AA’s
to solicit members. With E.Mt Zone board supporting.
(Gilman concurs – these are our recruiting fields for moving up the IMT food chain – mgmt.
of the IMT should be by the board and be interagency…).
IF... the board takes this on, they have to engage the support AA’s to provide staffing to
keep the IMT functional.
? What are the needs and where will the TY3 IMT be used – on whose ground? ~ By the
board taking this on, it would have multi-agency support and potential.
Board could help facilitate staffing & can also provide feedback collaboration with AA’s on
actual participation from IMT members and thru rotations. ‘Assuring the commitment’
County folks via DNRC may be a valuable, un-tapped, pool of folks; but this is going to
vary from county to county. Counties also have time constraints (re commitments: 4 days
ok – 14 NOT). And if counties have fires they are simply not available to support as an
IMT member.
Plan calls for short duration incidents.
Zone officially votes to support this team ~ immediate engagement; coordinating with
Steve Knox, the IC. Interagency Outreach already going out to each of the agencies for
the 2012 season – Noms to Gabriella. Feds mostly – state folks are already engaged in
the CAT team. (Dispatched out of MCC)
Monday call-ins re availability during the season. (call in if available) List ‘for the week’
then sent to the Dispatch Centers involved.
Zone, as a group, can help with the recruitment effort; solicit names, encourage AA
support (help them with this by clarifying the time commitment for this type of team vs. TY2
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NRCG – EMTZ – Spring Meeting 2012
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IMT’s). Help with development of the pool – then let Steve work with the list on a week by
week basis for availability.
Make sure AA’s are aware of actual support/participation throughout the season.
In the fall begin to review & provide input to the charter & SOP’s…
Also invited for fall IMT call in to the Zone Board post season cc.
State DNRC also has a well-established TY3 CAT team.
Principal Dispatch Center for this TY3 IMT will be Lewistown.
Jay Winfield was approved as IC2(T) for Heintz’s IMT – in the future the zone will have
input for trainees nominated and assigned.
Q – IS THE EASTERN ZONE TOO BIG?
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Is it worth asking the NRCG board to look at the boundaries in EMT? Also transmits into
votes and training numbers authorized.
If the votes and training numbers are the issue – maybe, even if E.MT is a single NRCG
Zone – it is represented by 3 Dispatch zones and should have 3 votes for issues and
training opportunities??
Diversity in E.Mt is much larger in terms of agencies represented, and landownership.
People are the real limiting issue – not enough people to staff out 3 or even 2 additional
zones.
Operationally it is a strong position to have a single zone with everyone represented via a
single organization.
Proposal is to take voting & training concerns to the board.
NEW BUSINESS
None at this time.
AGENCY UPDATES
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SD Wildland fire update (Jim Strand notes) – New Director: Jim Esperance is in place.
Looking for Alt IC for RM Team C out of Black Hills. Looking for recruitment help for C&G
IMT members. IMT’s currently relying way too much on AD’s looking to expand agency
representation. Coal Cyn Investigation is out avail at the Lessons Learned website. SD
supports EMT zone in its effort to be engaged with two TY2 IMT’s.
Fire Chiefs: nothing
CNF: Marty Mitzkus will be AFMO on Helena – Pat Davis will be detailed in behind Marty.
BLM: MCC staffed on all engines except one eng captain (Ekalaka); Fire Business &
Training position was offered and declined – moving expenses not authorized; crew on
21st ; seat on July 15th; N.Cheyenne dispatch for all extended attach & crew orders this
year (jetport still Billings).
Fire Wardens: Big thing with locals is work comp issues – trying to get everyone covered;
trying to get more involved with interagency partners; radios going narrow banding; fire
season projected to be big as far as locals are concerned; meeting with governor midmonth. Fire wardens meeting weekend in June 15th, 16th & 17th in Butte America – Fire
Alliance is putting this on for 2012. Q – Is this open to interagency partners – A. yes.
DNRC: CAT team fully staffed & available. All aircraft is available. Issue DNRC
helicopters have to be pre-approved for FS & BLM/DOI agency personnel to fly on the
aircraft. FS ok for IA only.
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NRCG – EMTZ – Spring Meeting 2012
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BIA: fuels position closing tomorrow; assistant will be out next week; budget cuts finally
caught up and affecting helicopter staffing; rice rogers new to FMO at Crow Agency; FMO
at Fort Peck may be moved to Billings
FWL: now taking over entire state due to budget cuts Kevin _______ managers for the
state – a tech position will be put in some outlying location. Full staff of seasonals 15 ff’s.
NRCG COMMITTEE REPORT-OUTS
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Aviation: no rep present
Business – level of work from the tents is uniformly challenged (not just in N.Rockies); and
finance trainees will be managed as a pool this year assigned to IMT’s – assigned to 1st
out the door.
Equipment: no rep present
Ops – charter finalized, teams filled very well this year, everyone that was agency that
applied got picked up – 11 AD not selected, 3 agency perms not selected due their own
limited availability, but they are on a pool list.
NAC New NAC operating plan – only on the web as PDF
ACTION ITEMS
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Who coordinates the mini-mac? If enough is going on to stand up the mini-mac, dispatch
is probably too busy to fill this role. Would help to have a single person designated to help
with this.
Mark volunteered to help manage this and call for help if he is too busy
Responsibilities will be defined. Gilman will help
Who manages the EMT Zone web? – Webmaster needs to ensure the charter and notes
are posted along with roster of NRCG EMT Zone committee members.
ATTENDANCE
MINUTES SUBMITTED BY: JOYCE ANDERSON, NRCG EMTZ INCIDENT BUSINESS COMMITTEE REP.
ERIC FRANSTED- BLM STATE OFFICE
RANDY SANDERS- DNRC-ELO
CHRIS PILESKI DNRC- ELO
DEREK YEAGER- DNRC SLO
KEN SCHMID- BLM STATE OFFICE
SCOTT SCHUSTER- CNF
ROBERT LA PLANT- BIA
PAUL PALLAS (FOR MIKE GRANGER)- USFWS
MARK HEPPLER- BLM/DISPATCH
IRV LEACH- BLM
ERIC LEPISTO- BLM
BOB GILMAN- NR OPS
RICH COWGER- MSFCA
RICK SEIDLITZ- MT FIRE WARDENS (ON CONF CALL)
JOYCE ANDERSON – BUSINESS COMMITTEE REP
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