Enclosure 3A - Project Summary Form
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Wildland Urban Interface Fuels / Education and
Prevention / Community Planning for Fire Protection Projects
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Oregon Department of Forestry
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
503.945.7341
503.945.7454
Sboro@odf.state.or.us
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
2600 State Street Salem, Oregon 97310
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Lena Tucker, Assistant to the Area Director
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Eastern Oregon Area, Oregon Department of Forestry
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
541.447.5658
541.447.1469
ltucker@odf.state.or.us
Project Information
Project Title:
Development of Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans in Eastern Oregon
Proposed Project Start Date:
Proposed Project End Date:
November 1, 2003
September 30, 2005
Federal Funding Request:
Total Project Funding:
$117,000
$207,600
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
Yes – Priority # 1 in Community Assistance Category
Brief Project Description:
Eastern Oregon Area (EOA) of the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is developing a
coordinated fire intelligence program which will ultimately enhance fire fighter safety, provide for the
efficient use of public funds, allow for greater safety of the public and rural landowners, and will
enable fire protection agencies to better meet their respective fire suppression program objectives.
Funding this grant request will allow the three Fire Protection Districts within the EOA of Oregon
Department of Forestry to develop Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans for the various
management areas in EOA. Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans will be the culmination of an
intensive effort underway in EOA to upgrade and modernize the approaches the Department is
utilizing in terms of gathering predictive and assessment information on fire danger. The
Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans will be a tool to produce a coordinated understanding
among agencies and rural cooperators regarding fire danger thresholds, adjective fire danger rating
breakpoints, staffing levels and dispatch levels.
Project Location (latitude/longitude if applicable):
County:
Congressional District:
East of the Cascade Mountain Crest
Eastern Oregon Counties
District 2
Project Type: Check appropriate project type. More than one type may be checked. If only Box (4) is checked, use Enclosure 4.
(1)
(2)
Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Project
Wildland Urban Interface Education and Prevention Project
(3) X Community Planning for Fire Protection Project
(4)
Fuels Utilization and Marketing Project
If the applicant is an unincorporated area, define the geographic area being represented:
Inclusive of the ODF cooperators on the eastside of the Cascade Mountains.
Enclosure 3B (Page 1 of 3) - Project Narrative Description
Applications for funding must include a narrative response that describes the proposal. Please do not submit responses longer than one page,
single space, 12-pitch font.
Describe project including, but not limited to:
 project location
Address these
 project implementation
items as
 anticipated outcomes
applicable:
 measures and reporting
 interagency partners





project relationship to community or natural landscape fire plans
project time frames and income
specify types of activities and equipment used
amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc)
environmental, cultural and historical resource requirements
Response:
The purpose of the Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plan grant proposal is to develop and
provide insightful information to fire decision makers – from firefighters to agency administrators –
enabling informed decisions that will accomplish interagency fire management objectives.
Firefighter safety, more effective and efficient use of resources, and the resulting lower suppression
cost and loss will be the true, long-term benefits.
This proposal will provide funding for an ODF fire intelligence specialist located within the three Fire
Protection Districts within the Eastern Oregon Area. The funding in this grant will enable the fire
intelligence specialist to devote additional time to the development of coordinated Interagency Fire
Danger Operating Plans with department fire staff and with our interagency partners. Current
budget levels do not contain sufficient funding for the completion of these plans, leaving a gap in
interagency fire danger assessment that diminishes firefighter and community safety. All three of
the Fire Protection Districts in EOA have developed Interagency Initial Attack Analysis, Fire Danger
Pocket Cards and are involved with training concerning the National Fire Danger Rating System
(NFDRS). Funding through this grant will enable the department in eastern Oregon to pull together
these various predictive and management tools into a comprehensive, coordinated Interagency Fire
Danger Operating Plan. These plans will aid the Fire Protection Districts and all of our interagency
cooperators in developing coordinated public prevention programs and public-use restrictions and
in determining appropriate staffing and dispatch levels.
The time frame for this grant will be from October of 2003 to September of 2005. It is anticipated
that five to seven Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans will need to be developed to cover the
management areas in the Eastern Oregon Area. The deliverable for this grant will be at least five
operating plans across the Area. The department will cost-share this project at approximately 45%.
The area covered with this grant is approximately six millions acres of state protected lands and a
similar sized land based with cooperating agencies. The Department will coordinate with both
federal and non-federal fire protection agencies in the development of the Interagency Fire Danger
Operating Plans.
The elements within each Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plan will include the following:
 Identification of roles and responsibilities for field managers, program manager and dispatch
centers.
 A summary of the fire danger rating inventory, including historic fire activity, weather stations,
fuels summary, topography, climate class and fire danger rating areas.
 Fire danger indices.
 Fire danger based decision guide, which includes daily staffing levels, preplanned interagency
dispatching, public prevention and public use restrictions, and industrial restrictions.
 Operational procedures.
 Program needs in terms of additional training, equipment and weather station sites.
Enclosure 3B (Page 2 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following four criteria. Within each criterion, subcriteria are listed in descending order of importance. Limit your responses to the areas provided.
1. Reducing Fire Risk. (40 points))
A. Describe how the proposal promotes reduction of risk in high hazard areas or communities, or natural landscapes.
B. Describe how the proposed project benefits resources on federal land or adjacent non-federal land, or how it protects the safety
of communities.
C. To what extent does the project implement or create a cooperative (1) fuels treatment plan or (2) community fire strategy
(include evidence of the plan if it already exists)?
D. Explain to what extent the affected community or proponent has been involved or plans to involve the affected community in a
qualified fuels education program (e.g., FIREWISE).
E. Explain how the proposal (1) leads to, enhances or restores a local fire-adapted ecosystem, and/or (2) mitigates or leads to the
mitigation of hazardous fuel conditions.
F. How will the proposed treatments or programs be maintained in future years?
Response:
The Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans will be a planning tool that promotes broad,
interagency coordination. By-products of this plan will be the identification of high hazard areas and
areas of critical fire concerns. These areas will include wildland-urban interface areas, and areas of
high concentration of public values. Firefighter safety and the safety of the public will be enhanced
through better training, accurate dispatches, the development of appropriate staffing levels and
through firefighter education. Fire prevention activities and approaches will also be identified,
communicated and coordinated during plan development.
Once completed, the Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans will be an iterative tool to refine and
improve as additional insights, observations and information dictate. A formal, comprehensive
review will occur on a six- year basis.
2. Increasing local capacity. (30 points)
A. How would the proposal improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and sustainable economic
activity? How many jobs are expected to be created or retained and for how long (please distinguish between essentially yearround and seasonal jobs)? How will this proposal link to other projects (or proposed projects) to create year-round jobs?
B. To what extent will this project be offered to serve as a model for other communities or natural landscapes?
C. Will biomass or forest fuels be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much?
Response:
The development of effective Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans will enhance the
coordination and education of fire fighting personnel across the Area. These plans will provide
useful information to decision makers and will promote firefighter safety, more effective and efficient
use of resources and will result in lower suppression cost through a reduced cost plus loss concept.
Reduced loss will be in terms of less private and federal forest resources destroyed by fire, fewer
homes burned, and reduced impacts to commerce during large fire events. Upon completion, these
plans will serve as a model to all fire protection organizations throughout the State and Region.
Fire danger operating plans will identify appropriate staffing levels, which will in turn dictate adding
contingency or severity firefighting forces. Many of these resources are hired within the local
community.
Enclosure 3B (Page 3 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
3. Increasing interagency and intergovernmental coordination. (15 Points)
A. Describe how this project implements a local intergovernmental strategy or plan, or creates such a plan. Describe the plan if it
already exists.
B. Explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning through a “Local Coordination Group” for wildland fire
activities, or among federal, state, tribal, local government and community organizations. List the cooperators (a detailed list
of cooperators will be required for projects that are funded).
Response:
Funding this grant will create interagency strategies. These plans will develop a consistent and
coordinated approach to addressing fire prevention planning, fire suppression responses and
firefighter safety.
The development of Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans requires coordination with all the fire
protection partners within a given management area. These partners currently exist in every Fire
Protection District within EOA. The partners will be many but will include the various National
Forests, BLM Districts, some of the USFWS wildlife areas, BIA, Tribal Fire Departments, National
Weather Service, and numerous City and Rural Fire Protection Districts.
Coordination is an on-going activity in the fire protection business. Funding this plan will enhance
this activity and will create a focal point for specific coordination to address interagency fire
prevention, fire suppression responses and fire fighter safety.
(Specific coordination points and agencies can be provided for each fire danger operating plan prior
to the allocations of funds)
4. Expanding Community Participation. (15 Points)
A. To what extent have interested individuals, groups, and communities been provided an opportunity to become informed and
involved in this proposal?
B. Describe the extent of local support or opposition for the project, including any cost-sharing arrangements.
C. What are the environmental, social and educational benefits or concerns of the project?
Response:
Contacts have been made with many of the fire protection cooperators in EOA. Our Federal
cooperators have developed agency specific Fire Danger Operating Plans. Interest has been
expressed by Federal cooperators to develop Interagency Fire Danger Operating Plans to better
describe the true operational picture of the protection system in EOA. These plans will help in the
development of a ‘complete and coordinated’ fire protection system for EOA. In addition, contacts
have been made with many of the rural fire protection cooperators in EOA. To date, all of these
cooperators have expressed interest in going forward with cooperative fire danger operating plans.
Educational by-products of this grant will come as a result of the fundamental analysis of historic
weather conditions, assessment of fire behavior, and with analysis of historic fires. This thoughtful
and thorough review will educate fire managers and will result in more effective fire responses and
safer firefighting.
This grant is modeled after a funded National Fire Plan grant submitted by Benton Co. #1. Benton
Co #1 is located in south central Washington in the Tri-Cities area.
Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form
Tasks
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Time Frame
Responsible Party
Fall of 2003
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Define Fire Danger Rating Areas
 Geographic or Administrative
Fall/Winter of 2003
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Determine and review weather
station information
 Representative locations
 Is data complete
 Is data accurate
 Is data consistently collected
Winter/Spring of 2004
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Inventory Area of Concern
What outputs are needed?
Personnel Safety
Improved effectiveness
Improved efficiency
Recreate Fire Danger History for a
Spring/Summer of 2004
Management Area based on
NIFMID/ WIMS
Merge Fire Danger with Fire Activity Winter of 2004
within a Management Area.
 Is Fire Activity Data Complete
 Is an appropriate timetable use
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Determine interagency fire business Winter/Spring of 2004/2005
thresholds?
 Calculate current fire danger
indices
Make fire program management
Spring/Summer of 2005
decisions
 Documentable
 Quantifiable
 Repeatable
 Credible
Communicate Fire Danger Status
Fall of 2005
 Develop personnel
understanding
 Safety Considerations
 Improved Effectiveness
 Improved Efficiency
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Interagency Partners with
ODF Lead
Enclosure 3D Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
Total
74,405
ODF
59,790
74,405
59,790
31,995
25,710
31,995
25,710
1,000
500
1,000
500
8,600
3,600
Subtotal
8,600
3,600
Supplies
Misc.
1,000
1,000
Subtotal
1,000
1,000
2,000
117,000
90,600
207,600
Personnel
Fire Intelligence Specialist
Subtotal
134,195
Fringe Benefits
Subtotal-
57,705
Travel
Subtotal
Equipment
Computers, Printers
1,500
12,200
Contractual
Subtotal
Other
Subtotal
Total Costs
Project (Program) Income1
(using deductive alternative)
1
Program income is the gross revenue generated by a grant or cooperative agreement supported activity during the life of
the grant. Program income can be made by recipients from fees charged for conference or workshop attendance, from rental
fees earned from renting out real property or equipment acquired with grant or cooperative agreement funds, or from the sale
of commodities or items developed under the grant or cooperative agreement. The use of Program Income during the
project period may require prior approval by the granting agency.