Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group
To:
September 10, 2020
Dean Vendrasco – NW Oregon
John Giller – ORCA
Chris Hoff – Central Oregon
Bret Ruby – Blue Mountains
From: /s/ Ken Snell, Chair PNWCG
Subject: Management of Type 2 Incident Management Teams in Oregon
To improve oversight of Oregon’s four interagency Type 2 Incident Management Teams, PNWCG
proposes to develop a statewide geographic governance board. The rationale for developing this
statewide board is as follows:
1. Team rosters show approximately 33% of team members are ADs; there have been indications
that agency employees are being passed over in favor of experienced AD’s.
2. Teams struggle to maintain succession planning efforts and team members should be
encouraged to apply for membership on teams that are short of key positions.
3. To help maintain a balance of assignments between teams.
4. It would match the model used in Washington where teams are managed by a statewide board
that have helped establish succession plans; the use of ADs has dropped to approximately 10%.
PNWCG members have had numerous meetings and discussions with sub-geographic members about
the pros & cons of developing a statewide board. Believing the benefits of a statewide board outweigh
the cons, it is time to start this process.
The SC does not propose to change the 2009 Master Cooperative Wildland Fire Management and
Stafford Act Response Agreement, Page 9, Recital #12 which states in part:
Local interagency incident management teams (IMTs) are managed by local geographic boards. PNWCG will provide
oversight for interagency incident management team geographic boards (or Steering Committees). Local geographic
boards will establish charters for management, and document major decisions in local operating plans.
But rather exercise its oversight responsibilities by helping to create a one geographic board that can
better address the 4 opportunities listed above.
To this end, we are asking each sub-geographic board in Oregon to nominate 3-4 people that can best
represent their interests and participate on a statewide effort to develop a geographic board for Oregon.
Team members should represent Line Officers, Fire Management Officers, and Agency interests. The
primary objective of the first set of statewide meetings will be to craft a charter, establish the
membership of the board, and elect a geographic board chair. To help get started, the Forest Service
2
Fire Director, BLM Branch Chief for Fire, and the SORO Operations Assistant Director will join as
non-voting members. Once the board is functioning, these members may very well drop off.
Please send your nominees to the chair of PNWCG (ksnell@fs.fed.us ) by Nov 1, 2010 in preparation
for a first meeting to be scheduled before the end of CY 2010.
If you have any questions, please contact myself (503-808-2145) or any PNWCG member.