Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group
Operations Working Team (OWT)
November 15, 2012
Operations Working Team: Brian Gales (USFWS), Larry Nickey (NPS), Robert Madden (OR Fire Service), John Szulc
(BIA), Dave Quinn (NWCC), Albert Kassel (WADNR), Joe Kirsch (BLM), Steve Rawlings (USFS), Dennis Lee
(ODF), Randy Johnson (WA Fire Service), Carla Schamber (USFS, Facilitator)
Via conference call: None
Absent: John Ketchum (OR Fire Marshall’s),
Guests: None
Guests via conference call: None
Agenda Items:
Old Business:
S420 – There is a backlog of S-420 candidates with Washington needing 13-plus current IMT members needing S-420
training. Renee was unable to attend the meeting to discuss.
Action Item –John and Albert will complete a letter and further discuss with Renee of either putting on a class room
option or add additional cadre to put on additional field S-420 courses.
Successional Plan Task Order – for both T1 & T2 teams – (Task order 11-11-12) – Discussed the task order and
missing data. Larry attempted to gather information at the IC Council meeting, but still missing several teams. There
was discussion of recommending changes to ICAPS to automatically capture requested information for the 2014 season.
OWT will need to discuss with Dale to try to implement.
Action Item – Larry will contact IC’s that are missing data the week of November 19and try to have spreadsheet
completed by Thanksgiving week and sent to OWT members.
Incident within the Incident – Dave Quinn had sent out a message that there were no further needs of information for
NWCC of incident within the incident. Previously it was thought that additional up-reporting of certain information was
needed, but it appears the PNW Incident within an Incident still captures what was needed.
Action Item – No further follow-up needed.
Alaska sister team support proposal – John Szulc had reported to Steering that no real test of the procedure had
occurred in 2012 and will keep with the procedure for the 2013 season to test the process.
Action Item: None, except to test the proceedure
2013 Type 1 ICs Selections – Recommendations for IC’s, Deputies and trainees were conducted. Letters drafted and
will be forwarded to steering committee for final approval.
PNW Team 2
IC Chris Shulte
Deputy IC Dave Lafave
IC Trainee Robert Allen
PNW Team 3
IC Ed Lewis
Deputy IC Keith Satterfield
IC Trainee Noel Livingston
Action Items: Larry, Carla and John drafted letters and forwarded.
IT support/hosted web – There is a need to post OWT notes.
Dan O’Brien is still working on the IT support issue for teams and working teams. Dan relayed earlier that he will
update progress.
Action Items: John will send Jim Edwards notes from PNWCG OWT for 2012 to be posted. Will discuss whether we
want to send previous years notes.
OWT Charter Review – Began review of charter, making some minor adjustments.
Action Items –Larry will send updates to charter to team members for final review and comments. Comments need to
be back to John by November 30.
New Business:
Task Orders - There are new task orders coming to OWT from Steering concerning teams and other topics. Need to
wait until OWT gets the final task order. Task orders may have a possible due date on January 16.
Task tracking – Steve will share a form that he has used to track tasks, that will date stamp and keep record of actions
taken and decisions made.
Agency updates – Due to time constraints, no round robin on updates was completed.
USFS/BLM NPS –
BIAODF –
WA DNR –
USFWS –
WA Fire Service –
OR Fire Service –
NWCC –
OWT 2012 program of work – comments follow
S520/620 – completed. Letter sent out and Mentor teams assigned. Need to recruit mentees for the next group of
520/620.
Incident within Incident follow up – continue to monitor
T1/T2 Team Successional Planning task order 1111-12
Successional Planning spreadsheet – need to complete in January
Type 1 Team IC – Recommendations forwarded to steering for 2013.
IMT Type 1 team member tenure task order 1104-01- memo was sent out. Will need to insure the next application
announcement spells out that type 1 teams will be on one year
Alaska Share Task Order 1009-04 – see above action item. Need to finalize at next OWT meeting.
Re-advertise for the national teams – in the fall
OWT member to mobilize with Type 1 team
Review Best Value Determination for Crew Contract
Agenda items for next meeting:
TBA
Upcoming meetings of interest:
OWT Liaisons to other PNWCG working teams
Training WT – John Szulc
Contract WT – Albert Kassel
Aviation WT – Larry Nickey
Health and Safety WT – Brian Gales
OWT Schedule of remaining 2012 (0900-1530 approximate times) at Gifford Pinchot NF Supervisors Office
unless otherwise noted:
November 15-16 – Hood River
December – No meeting
January 9-10 – Team Selection Meeting Vancouver Armory
January 14 –Eastside Federal Complex - Meet with ICs for PNW team selection
February 21April 8 – Yakima – in conjunction with WA team meetings
May 16 –
June 20 – Get ICAPS done
September 19 –
October 17 –
November 21-
OPERATIONS WORKING TEAM MEMBER ADDRESSES
2012 Operations Working Team (OWT) member contact numbers and email addresses (Names listed in
order of which agency is next chairperson).
John Szulc – BIA representative (Chairperson)
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Northwest Regional Office
Robert Madden - OR Fire Service representative (Vice-Chair)
Bend Fire Department
Joe Krish– BLM representative
USDI-Bureau of Land Management, OR/WA State Office
Fire and Aviation Management
Albert Kassel – DNR representative
Department of Natural Resources, Resource Protection Division
Brian Gales – USFWS representative
US Fish and Wildlife
Doug Grafe – ODF representative
Oregon Department of Forestry
Dennis Lee – ODF representative (temporary fill in for Grafe until July 2013)
Oregon Department of Forestry
Steve Rawlings – USFS representative
USDA-Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region
Fire and Aviation Management
Randy Johnson – WA Fire Service representative
Spokane County Fire District 4
Larry Nickey – NPS representative
Olympic National Park
John Ketchum – Ad Hoc member
Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Office
David Summer – PNWCG Steering Liaison
USDA-Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region
Carla Schamber – facilitator
Siuslaw National Forest
Dave Quinn – Dispatch Rep.
NW Coordination Center