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Contributing
Article
Structure Protection Notes - Continued
by Battalion Chief Al Schriver
AFTER
THE THREAT HAS PASSED
-
Do not abandon a Group area completely. ALWAYS LEAVE SOMEONE BEHIND
TO PATROL. Many structures are lost more than an hour or two after
the fire has burned through, and are lost because of hidden fire
that has taken hold in attics, under eaves, or on wood roofs.
- Keep
the Group name in place throughout the remainder of the incident,
even if it is dark (Un-staffed).
- Re-assign
excess resources as soon as practical. Bump them ahead.
- Designate
new SPGs as the need arises.
- PLAN
AHEAD. Don’t wait until the last minute to order and/or
assign resources. It takes longer than you think to make things
happen. Especially if resources are not familiar with the area.
PRE-PLANNED
SPGs. WHY???
- Existing
Pre-Attack plans are limited and have never been updated.
- Future
Aerial Mapping Program may be beneficial but will not be in place
for this fire season.
- Identify
possible SPGs ahead of time on a simple 1-page map that shows
the area, names the group, identifies the Thomas Brothers Map
Grid, identifies the staging area, and estimates the minimum resources
required.
- Can
be accomplished NOW during annual Brush Inspections.
STRUCTURE
PROTECTION LESSONS LEARNED
-
DON’T under-estimate SPG needs for the 2nd or 3rd day.
-
Keep the resources you have assigned, until you are sure that
the threat has been abated.
- Example
on the Foothill Fire.
- Keep
resource orders realistic.
- What
would I like to have vs. what is the bare minimum I need to
get the job done.
- Formulas
may be of no value when you have limited resources available
to you.
- Immediate
Need vs. Strike Teams from the basin.
- Impact
on service delivery in the affected areas.
- If
needed, be firm when you make the request.
- Be
prepared to release some of these companies back to district
as soon as practical.
- Allowing
SP Branch Director to order resources directly from Staging.
- Designate
type of resources he can have.
- Identify
the maximum number of resources to be assigned before further
approval of the OSC is needed.
- Co-ordination
between SPGs and DIVS.
- Equal
authority under the ICS org. chart.
- In
reality, they need to coordinate their activities so that
they do not hinder or prevent the other's planned actions.
- FRA,
SRA, and LRA issues when it comes to Structure Protection.
- Should
not be a factor during the initial Operational Period.
- Structures
in the National Forest are our responsibility
- Structures
on SRA land are our responsibility as agents for CDF.
- Structures
on Contract City land or un-incorporated County land are
always our responsibility.
- May
be a factor on SRA land during subsequent Operational Periods.
- Consider
assigning the Structure Protection Branch to a separate Tactical
Frequency. SP Branch Directors and Group Supervisors will still
need to monitor the Command Frequency.
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