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Federal Wildfire Activities: Current Strategy and Issues Needing Attention

RCED-99-233 Published: Aug 13, 1999. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 1999.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed how the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manage their wildfire programs, focusing on the: (1) process the Forest Service and BLM use to determine the amount of funds needed to prepare for fighting fires; (2) roles and responsibilities of the National Interagency Fire Center in mobilizing firefighting resources; and (3) types of agreements reached among federal, state, and local firefighting organizations.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Forest Service To ensure that firefighting resources are adequate to protect federal lands and the public from the catastrophic effects of fires, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior should work together to develop a combined strategy to rebuild their firefighting workforce. In developing this strategy, they should consider ways to increase their firefighting resources, from using contract firefighting crews to requiring that all employees become qualified, in some manner, to contribute to fighting fires.
Closed – Implemented
The Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have developed the National Fire Plan. Working with states, local governments, and other interested parties the agencies are developing a comprehensive strategy to implement the Fire Plan. Key aspects of the Fire Plan include adequate preparedness, hazardous fuels reduction, and community assistance. These actions are aimed at ensuring that adequate firefighting resources and procedures are in place now, and in the future. Congress has appropriated about $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2001 for wildfire fighting activities and gave the agencies the authority to hire an additional 4,500 firefighters.
Department of the Interior To ensure that firefighting resources are adequate to protect federal lands and the public from the catastrophic effects of fires, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior should work together to develop a combined strategy to rebuild their firefighting workforce. In developing this strategy, they should consider ways to increase their firefighting resources, from using contract firefighting crews to requiring that all employees become qualified, in some manner, to contribute to fighting fires.
Closed – Implemented
The Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have developed the National Fire Plan. Working with states, local governments, and other interested parties the agencies are developing a comprehensive strategy to implement the Fire Plan. Key aspects of the Fire Plan include adequate preparedness, hazardous fuels reduction, and community assistance. These actions are aimed at ensuring that adequate firefighting resources and procedures are in place now, and in the future. The Congress has appropriated about $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2001 for wildfire fighting activities and gave the agencies the authority to hire an additional 4,500 firefighters.
Forest Service Given the uncertainties surrounding the conversion to narrowband radio technology, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior should develop a strategy for converting to narrowband radio technology that ensures radio communications between firefighters will not be affected by the conversion. This strategy should be communicated to all firefighters. If Project-25 equipment will solve the communication problems between narrowband radio technologies and between narrowband and wideband radio technologies, the Chief and the Secretary should delay the purchase of Project-25 equipment until the equipment has been fully developed and tested.
Closed – Implemented
The technical issues surrounding the incompatibility of radios has been resolved. Currently, all radios being purchased by the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have the capability of operating in either the narrowband or wideband mode. The agencies are on target to meet the congressionally mandated date of January 2005 for converting to narrowband radios.
Department of the Interior Given the uncertainties surrounding the conversion to narrowband radio technology, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior should develop a strategy for converting to narrowband radio technology that ensures radio communications between firefighters will not be affected by the conversion. This strategy should be communicated to all firefighters. If Project-25 equipment will solve the communication problems between narrowband radio technologies and between narrowband and wideband radio technologies, the Chief and the Secretary should delay the purchase of Project-25 equipment until the equipment has been fully developed and tested.
Closed – Implemented
The technical issues surrounding the incompatibility of radios has been solved. Currently, all radios being purchased by the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have thecapability of operating in either the narrowband or broadband mode. The agencies are on target to meet the congressionally mandated date of January 2005 for converting to narrowband radios.
Forest Service To ensure that firefighters' safety is not compromised by inadequate physical fitness tests, the Chief of the Forest Service should issue policy direction on how the work capacity test will be administered as soon as he receives the results of the Board of Review's investigation into a firefighter's death last January. In developing the agency's policy on how to administer the work capacity test, the Chief of the Forest Service should consider using BLM's screening process.
Closed – Implemented
On January 1, 2000, the Forest Service reinstituted the Work Capacity Test as the exclusive test for the physical fitness element of the Wildland Fire Qualifications System. As part of the Work Capacity Test, possible candidates will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their current physical activities.

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Topics

Emergency preparednessstate relationsFire fightersInteragency relationsWildfiresMedical examinationsPerformance measuresFire managementRadioNarrowband