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:
Jackson County Fire District 5
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
(541) 535-4222
(541) 535-4226
jcfd5@mind.net
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
716 South Pacific Highway, Talent OR 97540
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Scott Traina, Captain
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Jackson County Fire District 5
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
(541) 535-4222
(541) 535-4226
s.traina@charter.net
Project Information
Project Title:
Water Tender Operations for the Wildland Urban Interface
Proposed Project Start Date:
Proposed Project End Date:
July 2003
December 2004
Federal Funding Request:
Total Project Funding:
$340,000
$340,000
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
NO
Brief Project Description:
Purchase two (2) 2100-gallon water tenders that will be capable of operating in the Wildland Urban
Interface. The purpose for the specifications, bidding and purchase of these support vehicles is to
integrate and enhance water supply operations with National, State, and structural fire fighting
organizations; Fire District 5 is the water resource manager for South County’s Wildland Urban
Interface and Structural Task Forces as required by the Jackson County Mobilization Plan.
Jackson County #5 has been active in providing multi-gallon holding tanks through out the Urban
Wildland Interface, and the proposed Water Tender Operations Program will support these 10 tanks
holding 98,000 gallons of water. These tanks are for operations that support reducing fire spread
and increasing fire suppression operations and interagency cooperation.
Project Location (latitude/longitude if applicable):
County:
Congressional District:
Jackson
2nd
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
115 square miles of mostly rural
and Wildland Interface land in Southwest Oregon, with approximately 35,000 residents. We protect thirty
miles of I-5 corridor with access to the cities of Phoenix, Talent, and Ashland. Fire District 5 is responsible
for the Ashland watershed, Dead Indian Memorial Road and Hwy 66 to the summits of each.
If the applicant is an unincorporated area, define the geographic area being represented:
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:
It is the goal of Jackson County Fire District #5 to prevent fires from starting and to quickly confine and
extinguish all hostile fires. This year, like preceding years, Jackson County will continue to have drought
conditions and will lead the state with the highest temperatures. Lightning will impact Southern Oregon, and
increased fuel loads with abnormally low moisture content will contribute to fire spread, costing Oregon
millions of dollars unless they are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Jackson County Fire District #5 provides fire protection to 115 square miles of mostly wildland urban
interface that Boundaries State and Federal forests. Agency cooperation and collaboration is a priority and
integrating equipment and training is essential. District Five is a vital water resource on all task force
assignments and auto-aid agreements.
The water tender operation program will:
1. Provide water to gravity tanks in the wildland urban interface (10 tanks holding 98,000 gallons).
2. Assist agencies and district patrons with water operations for fuel reduction program / burning.
3. Increase Interagency coordination with fire suppression, our goal being to reduce fire growth and
provide an added resource when forestry crews are pulled away to other parts of the state or nation.
After the devastating fire season of 2000, the President of the United States directed the Secretaries of
Agriculture and the Interior, with input from state government, to develop a list of the urban wildland
interface communities with the highest risk of catastrophic wild fire. This list was based on three very
specific criteria: Fire Behavior Potential, Values at Risk and Infrastructure. As we have known for many
years, Southern Oregon is at the top of the list – Jackson County Fire District #5 is responsible for protecting
and extinguishing fires in the Ashland water shed and providing support to BLM, ODF and USFS, whose
protection area borders and overlaps our own district.
The community of Ashland most closely represents a community in the classic wildland urban interface
setting. The city contains a high density of homes, businesses, and other facilities that continue across the
interface. There is a lack of defensible space from which firefighters can safely work to provide protection.
Our community watershed for municipal water is at high risk of being burned compared to other watersheds
within the geographic region. There is a high potential for economic loss to the community and potential for
high loss of houses and businesses. There are also unique cultural, historical and natural heritage values at
risk.
As other major wild land urban interface fires have all too frequently demonstrated, the greatest loss
potential for our community would be the death or injury of our firefighters and citizens. It should be the
priority of responding agencies to quickly isolate and extinguish all hostile fires – the water tender operations
in the wildland urban interface will support that ideal.
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:
Although there will be an increase in prevention programs, there will always be fire – either man made or
natural, and we will have to respond to that threat. This program will enhance firefighting operations with
water support. Tender shuttle operations will provide 2 tenders with portable ponds, and will provide 4,200
gallons of water combined per load. Firefighting operations will support the task of decreasing fire growth.
Fire District 5 participates in several fuels reduction programs:
1) Identifying residences for grant applications.
2) Provide a water resource for fuel reduction open burns
3) Water tank supply for interagency use
4) Vegetation chipper allocated to county for fuels reduction
Each water tender will be engineered to facilitate operations the wildland urban interface. They will be
staffed and stationed at a facility that will be staffed 24 hours 7 days a week. The objective of the water tender
operation program is to mitigate hostile fires and to help keep those fires small – no matter what type of
prevention program is being used, a large fire destroys it and that community.
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:
Jackson County provides for interstate transportation of goods, has several historical cities, provides for
entertainment and recreational activities that are known nationally. Any large fire that either begins in or
spreads into the watershed would be devastating. Southern Oregon University resides within the community,
as does the Shakespearean Festival. These types of institutions are necessary to the economy of the area.
The wildland urban interface program will provide water as a resource and will not add or eliminate jobs.
However, the economic benefit of eliminating large destructive fires is a strategic goal of the community.
During major fires these vehicles are part of a task force that is strategically positioned to provide the best
support to the community – we lack the ability to provide adequate water supplies to the wildland urban
interface.
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:
Jackson County Fire District #5 participates in automatic and mutual aid agreements with all Jackson
County structural fire fighting agencies. The District is a member of Wildland Task Force 5, and provides
leadership, engines and tenders for response. We do not have Wildland Urban Interface engines or tenders.
These tenders are required to assist the Cities of Ashland, Phoenix, Medford, and Talent. We also work
closely with the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry and U.S. Forest Service.
The Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association has adopted the Rogue Valley Mobilization Plan. The purpose
of the plan is to establish an organizational structure and operating guidelines for the mobilization of Jackson
and Josephine County fire service resources in the event of large-scale emergencies. Each agency is
responsible for the deployment of its apparatus in accordance with the specified team assignment. Our ability
to maintain that resource has been diminished.
Cooperators with Jackson County Fire District 5 are every fire protection agency in Jackson and Josephine
Counties, including BLM, USFS and ODF. A detailed list of these agencies will be provided.
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:
Our community, our customers and cooperators are in favor of this Water Tender Operation Proposal. The
community has been involved in all apparatus and equipment replacement decisions through our elected
officials, public meetings and hearings, the Budget Committee, neighborhood groups and interagency
cooperators such as Ashland Fire & Rescue, Phoenix Fire Department, Oregon Department of Forestry, US
Forest Service, and BLM.
Because of the past two devastating fire seasons, property owners in our district are more concerned than
ever about the Wildland Interface areas surrounding them, but because of economic issues, even priority
programs such as this are a struggle to fund; Oregon taxpayers have resoundingly said “NO” to tax increases.
Jackson County Fire District 5 feels very strongly that, in order to responsibly accomplish our Mission
Statement to promote life safety and property conservation, we must exhaust every effort to creatively
implement this program.
Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form
Tasks
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Review, research and develop
apparatus bid specifications.
One month
Apparatus Committee
Meet with representatives from other
fire agencies to investigate the
purchase of apparatus compatible with
North Jackson County departments.
One month
Apparatus Committee
Gather bids and purchase apparatus.
3 months
Fire Chief / Board of Directors
Apparatus Manufactured per
specifications.
10 months
Manufacturer
Apparatus testing, acceptance,
training, put in service.
3 months
Fire District 5 representative /
Training Officer
Enclosure 3D Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
Total
Personnel
0
0
Subtotal
Fringe Benefits
0
0
0
Subtotal
Travel
0
0
0
Subtotal
Equipment
1 Water Tender
1 Water Tender
Subtotal
170,000
170,000
340,000
170,000
170,000
340,000
Supplies
Subtotal
0
0
0
Contractual
Subtotal
0
0
0
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.
0
0
0
340,000