NRGA FPAC CONFERENCE CALL
Date: 3/2/2012 1100 MST 1-866-917-0154; pass code: 9730653#
Participants:
□
Brad Gillespie (SWT)
√
Jesse Duhnkrack (NPS)
√
John Barborinas (BIA)
√
Kevin Knauth (BLM)
□
Linda Kerr (NPS),
□
Paul Mancuso (NPS),
√
Richard Sterry (FWS),
√
Shane Del Grosso (FWS-
Chair), √ Eric Fransted (BLM),
√
Mark Wilson (FS),
√
Shari Miller (FS)
OTHER PARTICIPANTS:
√ signifies the participant was on the call (□ = not on the call)
□ Information
□ Discussion
□ Decision
MEETING OBJECTIVES
Roll call and any additional agenda topics.
Current Status where everyone at and when do we start the calibration review process.
Agenda Topic #1 Highlights from National FPA Call
□ Information
□ Discussion
□ Decision
Info from 3/1/12 National Call
I.
II.
Line Officer Briefs
Topics for the IAT (consistency in constructing budget options, adjustments to preparedness options and etc.)
III.
IV.
SWT update
Update on Reviews for 2012
V. Other FPA Project up-dates
Agenda Topic #2 SWT Updates
Status □ Information
□ Discussion
□ Decision
Agenda Topic #3 FPAC Business
?? □ Information
□ Discussion
□ Decision
Agenda Topic #4 Round Robin
Shane Del Grosso
Shane Del Grosso
Brad Gillespie
Shane Del Grosso

NOTES:
□ Information
□ Discussion
□ Decision
Agenda Topic #5 Other
□ Information
□ Discussion
□ Decision
Please add topics that aren’t on agenda here
All
Calibration Review process – Where is everyone at? The Bitterrrot is done, ND will be done next week, and Jesse also has one that is completed. Based upon the last call there was some confusion as when everyone should be doing them (i.e. now verses before the end of April). Process should not be technical or lengthy, it is designed to 15-20 minutes in length and document the engagement of SWT participation, it captures where agreements exist and also identifies any problems encountered during the calibration process. Consensus is to get them done sooner rather than later, FPU will have an opportunity to do a voluntary final review (discussed later in these notes). Once completed the FPAC liaisons need to send them to the GA Lead so they can be posted on My Fire Community website.
Thursday 3-1-12 Management Advisory Team Notes
Executive summary: Not much new to report. Communications is still working on getting the List Serve up and running. The biggest issue is trying to figure out how to repopulate the List Serve with appropriate users.
Line Officer Briefs: Several questions were submitted to the IAT.
1.
Who is the current MAT chair? Answer –don’t have a chair but we do have liaisons (Marty
Dumpis)
2.
Has the Chair attend any oversight group meetings? Answer Reiterated Marty Dumpis and Rob
MacWhorter are Liaisons
3.
Who is the IAT Liaison? Answer Scott Bradshaw
Line Officer Briefs: During the last 1
½-2 years FPA gone through a lot of changes. The line officer briefs need to be repackaged be a high level executive summary of what FPA is (recommend 1 page, be simple and give a brief synopsis of where we are today.
FPAC Members discussion
• We will not be required to participate in Line Officer Briefs. We have no obligation to set these up.
• They will be done at the highest level because FPA usage will be at the National Level not the local level.
• If local Agency Administrators want the information they will have to go to the Fire Directors or the Department level to obtain this information.
• Our job is to be a liaison or intermediary between the National Office and the Field

• Shane as the NRCG-FPA Lead will have to Brief NRCG on FPA – Jesse thought the communication role of FPA needs to be improved at the higher levels. They have only done one webinar throughout this whole process, and everyone thinks more outreach and communication is needed.
• The bottom line is the correspondence needs to come from the top down and not from the field. This is a real paradigm shift from previous years.
Interagency Analysis Team Discussion on Budget options and alternatives : The plan is not to make changes to the budget options. They will simple recalculate based upon the enhancements of the model and apply the +/-20% budget levels to the calibrated models. The oversight Group and IAT recognize that using the 2009 data will not be totally correct. However, to make data changes to include the 2010 or 2011 data may not be worth the return on the investment.
In the Budget options cooperators will stay at the calibrated levels (no +/- 20%). This topic was discussion item. Our cooperators are a big part of the agencies suppression capability. Concerns included:
• Having the cooperators stay at the calibrated levels is not realistic.
• FPU’s were required to use Resources that did not have a cost because many fires would outrun containment efforts.
• There is a fear that the model will shift greater use to nonfederal resources.
• Everyone throughout the FPA process has heard keep the previous data-“No Change”.
• This guidance is not clear and concise.
• Co-chair Lichtenstein decision that cooperators will be held constant although may not be the best decision it is a decision and it will be consistent across all FPU’s.
• Many are concerned holding the contractors at the calibrated level CAL Fire this past year experienced a $34 million dollar budget cut.
SWT Update – A total of 115 FPU have selected a ESL and the Subject Matter experts have been updating fuel treatments. The SWT are heavily engaged and working with the FPA Leads. The SWT are keeping copious amounts of notes and these notes will probably be used in the final review.
Discussion:
• Currently no money for a final analysis AAR
• The field needs to have a voice and the opportunity to submit a final Review
• Lengthy discussion then followed, that nobody needs a paper exercise. If a voluntary process was developed it must have value and be meaningful. Jesse shared with the FPAC members a draft template he had composed. Shane e-mailed it to the conference call participants for discussion purposes.
• There is not a lot of real confidence that even if we collect this information that it will be used.
• Whatever is developed needs to be voluntary or optional for the field.
• One advantage identified is that if we collect this information and can synthesize common themes and bring these items to the attention of NRCG, they will have a bigger voice than the individual FPU’s.
• The challenge will be not to make it more tedious work, but to try and pull in the FPU Leads, the GA Leads, and the SWT (if possible) to complete final analysis review form.

• Action item: Recommend everyone get there comments and edits back to Shane Regarding
Jesse’s draft template before March 12, 2012. Then and Jesse and Shane will work to try finalize the review form. The tentative plan is get the form out before March 19, 2012.
FPAC members can work with FPU Leads regarding the purpose of the review and introduce them to the form.
• Discussed having another conference call if needed.
2013 FWA Boundaries (Federal –vs-nonfederal ownership)
• No guidance document will be available this year, simply because there is not enough time to get any guidance together.
• Currently it is open season for anyone needing to make FWA adjustments.
• On the FPA Website they have developed the FWA shapefile validation tool and a power point to walk you through the process.
• May 1 st FPU’s can submit FWA shapefiles. Units wanting help and or feedback are encouraged to submit them May 1, 2012. It should also be noted that anyone who has FPU or FWA changes will have to run validation before June 1.
• Nationally a 10 FPU boundary changes were submitted.