FIRELINE The official publication of the National Wildfire Suppression Association Winter 2022 BATTLE the BLAZE The Latest Tech to Table of Contents Published for: The National Wildfire Suppression Association Physical Address: 228 SW Broadway Mill City, OR 97360 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 169 Mill City, OR 97360 Executive Director: Debbie Miley Tel: (877) 676-6972 Direct Line: (503) 897-6150 Published by: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. 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Up Front 07 A Message from the NWSA Executive Director, Deborah Miley 09 The Role of the National Wildfire Suppression Association in Wildland Fire & Emergency Incident Support 13 30 Years on the Line NWSA Insider 27 Meet NWSA’s Members 37 Meet NWSA’s Instructors 41 Tools of the Trade 42 Index to Advertisers Features 15 A Changing Collaboration 17 The Role of the Fire Management Board 19 The Latest Tech to Battle the Blaze 22 Meet Our Members 25 Who’s Who at the Agencies On the cover: Equipped with the PONSSE Firefighting Equipment, a PONSSE Buffalo Forwarder helps to battle the blaze. Photo courtesy of Ponsse North America.The National Wildfire Suppression Association 7 Up Front As we look ahead to another fire season, there are a lot of challenges that face the Professional Private Wildland Fire Services (PPWFS), including: • Many changes in our contracting vehicles in 2022. • Changes in how resources are dispatched under the Type 2 National Crews, USFS VIPR, and some of the state agencies. • Technical Submittal Process on the Incident Blanket Procurement Agreements with varying processes across all regions. • Changes in vendors at https://sam.gov. • Changes in agency personnel at all levels. One of our biggest challenges over the last 30 years – which will continue to be true in the future – is that, as the agencies’ personnel moves or turns over, our industry stays steadfast. When some of these changes occur, we must go through a continuous cycle of reestablishing our relationship with them and providing education on our industry. There have been some big learning curves for the Professional Private Wildland Fire Services and, as some of these changes have been implemented, our one concern has remained the same – how do these changes affect our ability to provide quality equipment and highly trained personnel in a way that best benefits the teams on the ground. We have seen some cause for concern on these fronts and, going forward, we will continue to fight to find ways to raise the standards in our contracts / and or agreements. What is really the ‘best value’ and the best way to ensure safety for all our firefighters? Is it simply cheapest pricing, or is it providing quality resources at a price that truly reflects the training, equipment, and true cost of providing resources for emergency response? The NWSA hopes that, as we go through all these process changes by the agencies we contract with, they will ensure that we keep the bar high on standards and find ways to put best value on all contract vehicles. We have all heard the stories about resources that are substandard and about less than qualified personnel, and that is NOT what this industry wants, nor what the agencies need. We have worked hard to provide input into the processes, and the industry appreciates the efforts of the agencies to respond to our concerns regarding these changes throughout the nation. We hope that this partnership continues and that they will continue to engage us in the areas that we are subject matter experts. We stand ready to assist the agency with their goals of mitigating wildfires by providing the following services, of which many of our members have a great deal of expertise in: • Hazardous fuels reduction; • Prescribed burning; and • Wildfire recovery. We share the goal of mitigating fire risk to our communities and by doing so helping keep our industry viable. In turn, this will help to provide good paying jobs to the at-risk rural communities that many of our member companies are located. The Professional Private Wildland Fire Services stands at the ready to provide additional resources when the need arises as we have done for more than 30 years. We have proven over those three decades that we are adaptable and can pivot as the need arises to meet the needs of the agencies. When the agencies face budgeting issues or changes in their resources for wildland fire response, as well as rehab and mitigation work, our industry will be here to support whatever their needs are. � A Message from the NWSA Executive Director, Deborah Miley Deborah Miley NWSA Executive Director Looking Back, Looking Forward The NWSA hopes that, as we go through all these process changes by the agencies that we contract with, they will ensure that we keep the bar high on standards and find ways to put best value on all contract vehicles.The National Wildfire Suppression Association 9 Up Front Thirty-three years ago, a group of private contractors were approached by the agencies with a suggestion that perhaps the private industry needed a united voice when dealing with them on contract and training issues. Out of that, the National Wildfire Suppression Association (NWSA) was formed in 1991 at a meeting of 10 companies in Reno, Nevada. Their mission was to provide a voice for the professional private fire services. Braving the smoke, heat, and danger of wildland fires, as well as the aftermath of other national disasters, is a multitude of federal, state, and local agencies. When the magnitude of the event exceeds their available resources, these agencies can call in reinforcements from the professional private fire services through pre-existing agreements and contracts. Today, the NWSA represents over 300 private firefighting companies in 28 states, as well as Canada and Australia. We can field a workforce of over 10,000 trained firefighters, as well as a large contingency of equipment, during the height of wildfire season. These folks provide resources that include water handling resources, heavy equipment, faller modules, 20-person hand crews, and other specialized resources that complement the toolbox of resources the agencies have for wildland fire response. Today, approximately 45 percent of all fire resources are provided by the professional private fire services. When lives are on the line, the agencies must have confidence in all the resources that are part of the fire community. Since 1991, the mission of the NWSA has been to ensure that its members earn that confidence. NWSA advocacy includes working as a cooperator in the wildland fire services to build positive relationships with agency partners, and to advocate for professionalism within the industry, as well as providing an exchange of information on issues related to the industry. Why is there a need for the private professional contract fire services? It was started in the 1980s during an era of The Role of National Wildfire Suppression Association in Wildland Fire and Emergency Incident Support shrinking agency budgets, and a growing number of large fires. By the end of the 1990s, these events led to the first hand- crew agreement between private wildland fire services and the agencies. NWSA has built many working relationships with the federal, state, and local governments as well as national and state politicians, and prides itself on working to resolve issues of concern to create a better working environment for all parties. Not only do NWSA members provide resources for wildfire response, but they also perform a lot of project work for wildfire recovery and wildfire mitigation. NWSA has long held onto the value of protecting the forest through mitigation work rather than protection by wildfire suppression efforts and the industry stands ready to perform that work not only for agency partners, but for many landowners as well. The majority of NWSA member companies are located in rural America and provide family wage jobs to folks in their areas. Most of their employees live, play, and work in these forests and therefore, they have a personal stake in helping to protect these landscapes and take a strong sense of pride in their accomplishments. � Along with providing wildfire response, the NWSA protects forests across the country through its various mitigation efforts.Next >