Press Alt + R to read the document text or Alt + P to download or print.

No preview available

The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutC10-139 Annual Fire Operating PlanANNUAL FIRE OPERATING PLAN FOR EAGLE COUNTY 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. PLAN APPROVALS .......................................................................................................................... ..1 I. JURISDICTION .................................................................................................................................. ..2 II. AUTHORTIES ............................................................................................................................... ..2 III. PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................................... .. 2 IV. RECITALS ..................................................................................................................................... ..2 V. TERM AND TERMINATION ...................................................................................................... ..3 A. Term ............................................................................................................................................... .. 3 B. Termination Without Cause ........................................................................................................... ..3 C. Termination For Cause ................................................................................................................... ..3 VI. DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................... ..3 A. Fire Protection Responsibilities ..................................................................................................... ..3 B. Mutual Aid ..................................................................................................................................... ..4 C. Mutual Aid Dispatch Areas ............................................................................................................ ..4 D. Special Management Considerations ............................................................................................. ..4 a. Denver Water Board Lands ....................................................................................................... ..5 b. Federal Lands ............................................................................................................................. ..5 E. Repair of Wildfire Suppression Damage ....................................................................................... ..5 F. Other Definitions ..........:................................................................................................................. ..6 VII. RESOURCE LIST ......................................................................................................................... ..6 VIII. PROTECTION AREA MAP ......................................................................................................... ..6 IX. FIRE READINESS ........................................................................................................................ ..6 A. Fire Planning .................................................................................................................................. ..6 B. Wildfire Training Needs and Coordination .................................................................................... ..7 C. Inspection Schedule ....................................................................................................................... ..7 X. WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION PROCEDURES .............................................................................. ..7 A. Incident Command System &Multi-Agency Coordination .......................................................... ..7 B. Detection ........................................................................................................................................ .. 8 .C. Notification About Fires ................................................................................................................ ..8 D. Mutual Aid Dispatch Areas ............................................................................................................ ..8 E. County-wide Initial Attack ............................................................................................................. ..9 F. Dispatching and Resource Qrdering Procedure ............................................................................. ..9 G. Reinforcements and Support .......................................................................................................... 10 H. Interagency Procurement ............................................................................................................... 10 I. Interagency Use of Communication System/Frequencies ............................................................. 10 J. Wildland Fire Decision Support System ........................................................................................ 10 K. State Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) ................................................................................................. 11 L. Traffic Control ............................................................................................................................... 12 M. Law Enforcement and Fire Investigation ....................................................................................... 12 N. Post Incident Action Analysis ........................................................................................................ 12 O. Jurisdictional Assignments ............................................................................................................ 12 P. Fire operations in Bark Beetle Killed Stands ................................................................................. 12 XI. AVIATION PROCEDURES ......................................................................................................... 13 A. Aviation Requests and Operations ................................................................................................. 13 B. CSFS Single Engine Air Tankers (SEAT) ..................................................................................... 13 C. Leadplane/Air Attack Activation ................................................................................................... 14 D. Wildfire Emergency Response Fund ............................................................................................. 14 XII. FIRE PREVENTION ..................................................................................................................... 14 A. Information and Education ............................................................................................................. 14 B. Burning Per~nits ............................................................................................................................. 14 C. Burning Restrictions/Closures ....................................................................................................... I S XIII. FUELS MANAGEMENT AND PRESCRIBED FIRE CONSIDERATIONS .............................. 15 XIV. COST REIMBURSEMENTS ........................................................................................................ 15 A. Reimbursable Costs ........................................................................................................................ 15 B. Reimbursement Procedures ............................................................................................................ 16 C. Resource Use Rates ........................................................................................................................ 16 XV. GENERAL PROCEDURES .......................................................................................................... 16 A. Periodic Program Reviews ............................................................................................................. 16 B. Annual Review ............................................................................................................................... 16 C. Resolution of Disputes ....................................................................................................:.............. 17 XVI. DIRECTORY OF PERSONNEL ................................................................................................... 17 XVII. COOPERATIVE RESOURCE RATE FORMS ........................................................................ 17 A. Cooperator Resource Rate Forms (CRRF) .................................................................................... 17 B. Engine Equipping and Staffing ...................................................................................................... 17 C. Equipment Availability .................................................................................................................. 17 XVIII. PERSONNEL AND PERSONNEL COMPENSATION .......................................................... 17 A. Personnel ........................................................................................................................................ 18 B. Compensation ................................................................................................................................. 18 C. Personnel Qualifications ................................................................................................................ 18 EXHIBIT A Maps EXHIBIT B Mobilization Plan Personnel Directory Radio Frequencies EXHIBIT C EFF, Emergency Fire Fund Fires and forms EXHIBIT D Fire Operations Guidance in Bark Beetle Stands EXHIBIT E Wildfire Emergency Response Fund (WERF) EXHIBIT F Fire Restriction Implementation Process EXHIBIT G Cost Sharing EXHIBIT H Cooperator Reimbursement Forms EXHIBIT I CRRF's I. PLAN APPROVALS Plan Approvals. This Plan will remain in effect until May 1, 2011, or until superseded. Participants will meet prior to fire season each year to review and update the Plan for official approval. Eagle County, Colorado Date By and through its Board of County Commissioners Attest: County Clerk Date Eagle County Sheriff Date Colorado State Forest Service Date U.S. Forest Service- White River National Forest Date Bureau of Land Management-Colorado River Valley Field Office Date Bureau of Land Management- Kremmling Field Office Date This Plan may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which, when taken together, shall constitute but one and the same Agreement. I. JURISDICTION This Annual Wildfire Operating Plan for Control and Extinguishment of Wildland Fires ("Operating Plan") is made and entered into this 151 day of May, 2010, by and between the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, the Colorado State Forest Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. II. AUTHORTIES Colorado Interagency Cooperative Fire Management Agreement BLM #CCFMA060001 USFS #06-F1-11020000-048 NPS #F1249060026 BIA #AG06M000002 FWS #14-48-60139-K001 CSFS - No Agreement Number Used Emergency Fund Contract for Forest and Watershed Fire Control CSFS form #108, April 27, 1991 Agreement for Cooperative Wildfire Protection in Eagle County CSFS #109, March 12, 1990 III. PURPOSE The purpose of this Annual Operating Plan (AOP) is to set forth standard operating procedures, agreed upon procedures, and responsibilities to implement cooperative wildfire protection on all lands within Eagle County. IV. RECITALS 1. The parties recognize that the public health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of their respective jurisdictions will be best served by providing the highest quality of wildland fire control and extinguishments services, including coordinated back-up services should the need arise. 2. Each party desires to be able to provide assistance to each other party in a coordinated fashion, and to receive assistance from each other party in a coordinated fashion, in the event the circumstances of a fi-•e renders the jurisdictional agency unable to timely or effectively control and extinguish the fire. 3. Pursuant to SS30-IS-512, 513, the Eagle County Sheriff shall act as fire warden in case of prairie or forest fires, and shall assume charge of such fires or assist other governmental authorities to control and or extinguish such fires. 4. In performance of those responsibilities, Eagle County has entered into certain agreements with the State of Colorado, which in turn enters into agreements with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, providing resources for and procedures for coordinating those resources for control and extinguishments of wildland fires. Through these agreements, Eagle County secures for the benefit of the parties to this Agreement wildland firefighting resources of the Colorado State Forest Service, USFS and BLM. Hereinafter, these, individually and collectively, are refe~7•ed to as the "Umbrella Agreements." 5. The parties hereto have firefighting equipment and personnel, including equipment distributed to them by the State pursuant to its Agreement with Eagle County, and have primary firefighting responsibility within their respective political boundaries. 6. The parties hereto desire to set forth the terms and conditions by which they will provide and receive mutual aid to and from each other and to and from the parties to the Umbrella Agreements to control and extinguish wildland fires and certain non-wildland fires on private property outside the jurisdictional boundaries of the municipal and fire protection district parties. V. TERM AND TERMINATION A. Term The initial Term of this Operating Plan shall commence on the execution by all parties hereto and shall end on May 1, 2011, unless sooner terminated as provided below. B. Termination Without Cause Any party may terminate this Operating Plan, without cause, by giving sixty days written notice to each of the other parties. C. Termination For Cause A party asserting it is aggrieved by a breach of this Operating Plan may serve on the party responsible for the alleged breach a written notice describing the breach. If the alleged breach is not cured within thirty days of giving notice, the aggrieved party may immediately terminate this Operating Plan by giving written notice to each of the other parties. VI. DEFINITIONS A. Fire Protection Responsibilities Each jurisdictional agency has ultimate responsibility for wildland fire protection on its own lands. The fire protection responsibilities of the County Sheriff and the Colorado State Forest Service on state and private lands are outlined in the 1973 Colorado Revised Statues. The U.S. Forest Service has responsibility for fires on national forest lands and the Bureau of Land Management has responsibility for fires on BLM public lands. Responsibility for wildland fire control or suppression on state and private land within Eagle Comity is shared by the Sheriff and the various local resources. Reimbursable costs shall be covered as mutually agreed upon by the County Commissioners, Sheriff and participating agencies. The Sheriff is responsible for wildland fire suppression on all non-federal lands in Eagle County. Within Fire Protection Districts, the Fire Chief is responsible for fire protection on non-federal lands, until that responsibility is transferred, by mutual consent, to the County Sheriff. It is clearly and mutually understood that the Upper Colorado River USFS-BLM will respond wildfires and follow through on all necessary suppression actions on Denver Water properties in Eagle County. B. Mutual Aid "Mutual Aid Period" is defined as: 1. Not to exceed 24 hours 2. Will end at midnight of the first burn period when the Incident Commander determines that the fire cannot be controlled within 24 hours of the original ignition Primary Purpose The parties hereto respectively pledge their good faith in attempting to assist each other based on their needs, requests for mutual aid, and the circumstances of a wildland fire. Each party will take appropriate actions to manage all wildland fires during the mutual aid time period and thereafter, and agrees the primary concern is the extinguishing of wildland fires, and none will delay extinguishment efforts while deciding ultimate responsibility for such fires. County-wide Mutual Aid Mutual Aid has been established county-wide without regard to jurisdictional boundaries. Agencies are responsible for their own costs during the mutual aid time period. The BLM helicopter stationed in Rifle is considered a mutual aid resource, and if not assigned to another fire, is available without charge to county fire agencies during the mutual aid time period. It is understood that no agency will be required or expected to commit its forces through mutual aid to assist another agency to the extent of jeopardizing the security.or responsibilities of its own jurisdiction. Severity Resources Severity Resources of the UCR will be available for mutual aid response. This does not include smoke jumpers, heavy airtankers, or heavy helicopters. C. Mutual Aid Dispatch Areas Mutual aid wildfire protection has been established Countywide between all signatories to this Plan, see section I. EXHIBIT B shows mutual aid resources available from cooperating agencies. D. Special Management Considerations Aerial Retardant Use -The use of aerial retardants on all lands is restricted within 100 feet of lakes, rivea•s and live streams. 4 a. Denver Water Board Lands Notification - When a wildfire occurs on lands owned by Denver Water, the CSFS Granby District representative must be notified. The CSFS representative will respond, at their discretion, to serve as the landowner's representative on the incident and to facilitate reimbursement. Use of Mechanized Equipment -Use of mechanized, earthmoving equipment such as bulldozers, graders, etc., will not be permitted on Denver Water lands without the expressed approval of CSFS or Denver Water. b. Federal Lands Use of roads on federal lands, presently closed to vehicular travel (outside of wilderness or wilderness study areas), is hereby authorized to all parties to this Wildfire Annual Operating Plan as follows: Access for detection and suppression is allowed on established roads behind locked gates Access for suppression only is allowed on roads which have been designated as "closed." Detection and reporting within areas marked as "D polygons" on the White River National Forest Wildland Fire Response Areas map is authorized. Suppression efforts should not be taken unless authorized by the U.S. Forest Service. Detection or suppression within designated wilderness, wilderness study areas and/or "roadless" areas, as designated on the White River National Forest Wildland Fire Response Areas map, is authorized as follows: The use of mechanized equipment (vehicles, chainsaws, pumps, etc.) within wilderness areas is prohibited, unless specifically authorized by USFS. Non-mechanized detection and suppression efforts are authorized in those portions of wilderness areas that are not part of a "D polygon" area. Detection and reporting only is authorized within wilderness areas that are also within a "D polygons" area. Natural ignitions in these areas will be evaluated for, and may be managed for multiple management objectives. E. Repair of Wildfire Suppression Damage Repair of wildfire suppression damage is the responsibility of the jurisdictional agency/agencies (land manager/owner) unless otherwise agreed to by a unified command group. The state Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) is strictly a fire suppression fund and cannot pay for rehabilitation. Repair of damage directly related to suppression, i.e., water bars on dozer lines, may be authorized by the CSFS line officer only when part of the Incident Action Plan during the EFF period. Repair of wildfire suppression damage on Denver Water lands is the responsibility of Denver Water, unless otherwise agreed to by the unified command at the time of fire close out. All efforts will be made by agencies involved in suppressive action to minimize damage through the use of "light on the land" techniques, or through rehabilitation activities conducted at the time of the incident. Examples of these rehabilitation activities would include: water bai-~•ing firelines; placement of logs or rocks across firelines; etc.... F. Other Definitions "Assisting Party" or "Agency" means and refers to the agency party rendering firefighting assistance outside of its jurisdiction to another agency party to this Operating Plan pursuant to the terms herein. "Jurisdiction" means and refers to the physical boundaries of a party hereto together with the extra boundary lands for which it contracts to provide fire protection services. Jurisdictional boundary lines for USFS, BLM, and Eagle County (state and private lands) are shown on the USFS White River National Forest Map. Fire protection districts as shown on FPD maps. "Requesting Party" or "Agency" means and refers to the agency party to this Operating Plan in need of and requesting firefighting assistance within its jurisdiction. "Wildland Fire" means and refers to a forest or prairie fire as referred to in SS30-10-512, 513, CRS "Umbrella Agreements" means and refers to authorities for this plan VII. RESOURCE LIST Resources available for Wildland fire suppression or support are listed by agency or department on Cooperative Resource Rates Forms in EXHIBIT I. VIII. PROTECTION AREA MAP The Eagle County Wildland Fire Response Areas map shows jurisdictional boundaries for the purpose of this Plan attached in EXHIBIT A IX. FIRE READINESS A. Fire Planning Eagle County has developed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). This operating plan will become an addendwn to the CWPP, which will have a primary purpose of planning and 6 prioritizing wildfire mitigation and protection in the county. B. Wildfire Training Needs and Coordination Standardized, NWCG approved fire training courses are provided periodically by the UCR and CSFS, other agencies. As these courses are scheduled, all participants will be informed and invited to participate. Local cooperators are encouraged to participate with UCR training committee. C. Inspection Schedule Each party is responsible for inspecting its own equipment annually for use and road worthiness pi°ior to listing it as available for interagency use. X. WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION PROCEDURES A. Incident Command System &Multi-Agency Coordination The Incident Command System will be utilized on all wildfires. All extended attack multi- jurisdictional incidents will utilize unified command. Under unified command affected Federal, State, and County jurisdictions will provide on scene representation. These designated representatives will communicate direction and objectives to ONE incident commander who has no collateral duties. The incident will have ONE fireline operations section chief to implement strategy and tactics. All requests for fire information will be approved by the IC utilizing a single fire information officer. A local Multi-Agency Coordination group may be initiated when two or more agencies are experiencing incidents requiring a significant commitment of county resources. INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAMS a. Northwest Colorado All-Hazard Incident Management Team The Northwest All-Hazards Emergency Planning Region and the Northwest Council of Governments has established an Incident Management Team (IMT) which is made up of qualified personnel fi-om various local agencies who are available to respond at the request of any of the 10 Northwest Counties or fi•om the State of Colorado. The team fiscal agent is the Town of Vail. This IMT can assist the host agency, or support another IMT. The Northwest Colorado IMT can be requested through the Vail Public Safety Communication Center. h. Regional Type 3 Incident Management Teams Type 3 (local, extended attack) IMT is organized and dispatched for the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit area through Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center. This cadre is staffed by NWCG qualified personnel at the Type 3 level from federal, state, and county agencies in the zone. This IMT is available to assist all jurisdictional agencies within the area, and is available to staff an incident for up to 7 days. The Type 3 IMT can be used to handle the coordination of medium-sized incidents, or to serve as an interim team on larger incidents before a Type 1 or Type 2 IMT can assume management duties. c. Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams (IMT) For incidents that exceed the capability of Type 4 or Type 3 IMTs. All Eagle County requests for Type 1 ar Type 2 IMTs must be placed through the Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center. B. Detection All reports of actual or potential wildfires will be made to the appropriate dispatch. All wildland fire reports will be forwarded by the appropriate dispatch to the appropriate jurisdiction and Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center with a preference to the use of Northwest NET, with a back up of landline communication. The participating agencies that can take the quickest effective fire size-up or appropriate management action will be dispatched for initial attack. The jurisdictional agency will respond and establish command at the earliest possible time. If fire dispatch requirements exceed the ability of Vail Dispatch (Eagle County Communications Center) or impede other functions of local dispatch centers, an expanded dispatch center may be designated to assume dispatch responsibilities for the incident. C. Notification About Fires Assisting agencies making initial attack on fires outside their jurisdiction will ensure, through Vail Dispatch, that the jurisdictional agency is promptly notified. The actual UCR size up report per 2010 Incident Organizer should be made by the initial attack incident commander directly to GJC if possible. UCR size up report can be found in EXHIBIT B. The initial attack incident commander is responsible for ensuring that Vail Dispatch notifies GJC of all fires reported on USFS, BLM and Denver Water lands. It shall be the responsibility of the Upper Colorado River USFS-BLM to notify the Colorado State Forest Service if Denver Water lands are involved or threatened. D. Mutual Aid Dispatch Areas Mutual Aid will be exchanged between the participants regardless of jurisdictional boundary lines. Each agency or department is responsible for providing Worker's Compensation Insurance for its own personnel. a. County-Federal Mutual Aid Mutual aid is exchanged between the County, participating municipalities and fire protection district parties hereto, in the aggregate, and the United States parties. As to such mutual aid, the jurisdictional boundaries are those on the White River National Forest Map, delineating the boundaries of USFS, BLM and "Eagle County" (representing all state and private lands) without regard to the boundaries of individual municipalities and fire protection districts. b. Intra-County Mutual Aid Mutual aid is exchanged between the County, participating municipalities and fire protection district parties hereto. As to such mutual aid, the relevant jurisdictional boundaries are those of the municipalities, the fire protection districts and the County. c. County-wide Response When dispatched, participants will respond to wildfires in the County regardless of jurisdiction. The level of activity or involvement by assisting agencies making a response may vary. At a minimum, assisting agencies will send such personnel and equipment necessary to size-up the fire and report the situation to the jurisdictional agency. Upon arrival, the initial attack incident commander will determine legal description and the need for appropriate jurisdictional fire investigator. E. County-wide Initial Attack The closest forces should be dispatched without regard to jurisdiction. Participants will initiate suppression activities regardless of jurisdiction when it is within their capability to do so. Assisting agencies will not initial attack fires on another jurisdiction if initial attack puts personnel at unreasonable risk, such as a remote fire discovered at night, or if asked to stand down by the jurisdictional agency. Agencies taking independent action within another agency's jurisdiction should notify that agency as soon as possible. The jurisdictional agency should assume responsibility for suppression at the earliest possible time, or as otherwise agreed. No party to this agreement shall be required to make resources or assistance available to the requesting party if by so doing would impair the party's ability to provide effective emergency services within its own service area. F. Dispatching and Resource Ordering Procedure Once the IC has determined need for additional resources beyond the scope of county resources those resources will be ordered through the identified Interagency Dispatch Center. The Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement between all Eagle County fire protection districts allows resources to be dispatched anywhere in the county, at the request of a fire protection district representative acting as incident commander. Coordination with Eagle County OEM for additional resources is available and recommended in order to avoid duplication of resources ordered. The sequence for request for wildland resources for an Eagle County incident will be: Incident Commander -> Vail Dispatch or Pitkin Dispatch -> Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center -> Providing Agency Dispatch Center The sequence for request for air resources will be: Incident Commander -~ GJC NOTE: GJC will advise Vail Dispatch or Pitkii2 Dispatch of air reso~irces in Eagle County The sequence for request for Eagle County resources for an out-of-county response will be: Incident Commander ~ Their Dispatch Center -> Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center -~ Vail Dispatch or Pitkin Dispatch ~ Requested resource G. Reinforcements and Support All requests for additional resources beyond initial attack will be made by the applicable agency representative, using the ordering procedures outlined under section XI.F above. Vail Dispatch will ensure Eagle County OEM notification when resources are sent out of county. It shall be the responsibility of the Upper Colorado River USFS-BLM when responding to a wildfire on Denver Water lands to order needed assistance, or acquire replacements to relieve their initial attack crews or the crews of assisting agencies. H. Interagency Procurement Non-federal participants to this Plan may purchase fire suppression supplies through General Services Administration. Any other loaning, sharing, exchanging or maintenance of facilities, equipment or support services will be considered on a case-by-case basis as mutually agreed to by the concerned parties. I. Interagency Use of Communication System/Frequencies Federal, State, and County radio systems are largely incompatible at this time; however, all fire agencies in Eagle County are equipped with the Fire Emergency Radio Network (FERN-1) and 800 MHz capabilities. FERN-1 (154.280) and 800 MHz system channels may be used for interagency communication on a wildfire if one agency's operational channels are not compatible with another agency's radios. For the purpose of conducting business authorized by this Operating Plan, all parties to this Operating Plan agree that assisting agencies may use the jurisdictional agency's radio frequencies as needed to conduct emergency communications on fires. No participant to this Operating Plan will use, or authorize others to use, another agency's radio frequencies for purposes beyond the scope of this Operating Plan. Radio frequencies specifically authorized for use on wildfires are shown in EXHIBIT B. J• Wildland Fire Decision Support System Federal agencies will complete a Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) on all fires on federal lands or Denver Water lands that escape initial attack to determine appropriate response. A Decision Support System (DSS) may be completed for fires that have the potential to be designated as an EFF fire or that affect multiple jurisdictions and have the potential to go into extended attack. CSFS may assist with anon-EFF DSS, but has no authority to sign on non-EFF fires. CSFS requires that a DSS be completed for all fires that receive a FEMA declaration and recommends a DSS is completed for all EFF fires. All agencies involved in extended attack on private and state lands will provide input to the DSS. The CSFS Line Officer will facilitate completion and review of the DSS for these tires. When a fire is burning on or threatens to burn on multiple jurisdictions, one DSS should be l0 prepared that considers all jurisdictions and their interests. CSFS requires that an Emergency Fire Fund Analysis Form (CSFS-108A, see EXHIBIT C) be prepared on all non-federal fires, including fires on Denver Water land, that have the potential to exceed County control capabilities. The County Sheriff, or his designee, should use this form to help determine if a fire might be eligible for EFF designation. K. State Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) Procedures: Eagle County and Denver Water are participants in the State Emergency Fire Fund (EFF) with CSFS. As a participant to this agreement, the State agrees to come to the aid of Eagle County should suppression resource needs exceed county capability. Following are the roles and responsibilities under EFF: CSFS: A CSFS representative must be on site for an EFF evaluation. CSFS will assist the county sheriff in the analysis of the wildfire's actual or potential condition to exceed the county's suppression capability. This information will be provided to the CSFS State Forester who will make the final decision on EFF applicability. Eagle County Sheriff: as Fire Warden for the County (CRS 30-10-513), the Sheriff will represent the.County in the request for EFF declaration to the CSFS district, and subsequent delegations and assumptions of duty (CSFS #168, #174). The Sheriff will coordinate other County entities in his representation. Eagle County Commissioners: are signatories to the CSFS #168 "Assumption of Fire Control Duty" for fires the State Forester approves for EFF. The Sheriff will facilitate obtaining a signature from the County Commissioners. Delay in signing the #168 may result in increased costs for the county. Federal Agencies: are almost always involved even when the fire is entirely on private or state land. Their policies and concerns must be addressed on all fires. All EFF fires wilt utilize a Unified Command consisting of, at a minimum, the County Sheriff and CSFS. If land administered by another agency is threatened or involved, that agency will provide a member of the Unified Command. Implementation of the EFF can be done only by the Colorado State Forester upon the recommendation of the local CSFS Representative, following a request from the County Sheriff. For this reason, it is important that the CSFS Fire Duty Officer be notified immediately of major fires on private/state lands within the county. Should the fire surpass, or threaten to surpass, the ability of county resources to contain it, EFF implementation can occur only with a CSFS representative on scene. All EFF participating Counties must have identified a minimum county commitment to any incident which has EFF potential. This is not a maximum county resource commitment, and is not the only resources the county is required to use on the incident in order to request EFF implementation. If tactics of a given incident make some of this equipment inappropriate, alternate resources or combination of resources can be negotiated. Eagle County minimum commitment is: 4 Engines 1 Dozer 1 Water Tender 1 Ambulance CSFS will transfer command of an EFF fire back to the county when fire spread has been contained, the Line Officer's objectives have been met, and a written plan has been prepared for the next operational period. The forms listed above, CSFS 108A, 164, 168 and minimum county resource commitment are shown in EXHIBIT C. L. Traffic Control Traffic control will be provided by the appropriate law enforcement agency, upon request, to expedite the routing of vehicles to and from major fires and to exclude unauthorized personnel from the fire area. M. Law Enforcement and Fire Investigation It will be the responsibility of the jurisdictional agency to take appropriate law enforcement action. Law enforcement personnel from non-jurisdictional agencies may assist, upon request, fi•om the jurisdictional agency. The jurisdictional agency will have responsibility for investigating fires and any civil or criminal actions taken. The County will coordinate fire investigation for EFF fires. Assisting agencies will cooperate with fire investigations, upon request, of the jurisdictional agency(ies). Assisting agencies will make every effort to identify, protect and report all evidence to the jurisdictional agency. N. Post Incident Action Analysis Post incident analysis of events and actions taken by suppression forces during wildland fires will be conducted by the jurisdictional agency commensurate with the complexity of the incident. O. Jurisdictional Assignments Incident qualification cards (red cards) may not be required for initial attack of fires within Eagle County; however, firefighters without red cards may be released from an incident by the authorized representative of the jurisdictional agency. The authorized representative of the jurisdictional agency will coordinate the release of assisting agency personnel through the ranking officer/representative of the assisting agency. P. Fire operations in Bark Beetle Killed Stands Due to altered fuel conditions, personnel operating within the bark beetle environment should be aware of the imminent danger presented by dead and dying trees, falling at an increasing rate across a broad forested landscape. Included in EXHIBIT D is the USFS-R2 Fire Operations Guidance iu Bark Beetle Stands 12 XL AVIATION PROCEDURES A. Aviation Requests and Operations All requests for air support resources should be made to the Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center. When aircraft is requested by a~ agency for suppression efforts, the request must include the following: • Name and agency of person ordering • Name and location, geographical or township/range • Ground Contact with air to ground frequency (FM A/G frequencies) Additional information that is helpful: • Lat/Long in preferred datum WGS 84 degrees/minutes/decimal minutes • Elevation of fire • Other aircraft in the area, including radio frequencies in use • Aircraft hazards in the area • Current threats and values at risk Personnel whom are ordering aircraft are encouraged to use the Air Support Request form in EXHIBIT E. Initial orders for aircraft may be authorized by the local on-scene incident commander. Requests for additional air support resources beyond this initial request must be authorized by the jurisdictional agency. The County Sheriff or his designee will notify the CSFS Granby District representative immediately when aircraft is ordered for anon-federal fire. Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center will make a courtesy call to CSFS whenever the county orders air support resources. B. CSFS Single Engine Air Tankers (SEAT) Single engine air tankers may be pre-positioned at the Kremmling or Rifle airport when a combination of factors or events warrant having an aircraft in the area. Requests for pre- positioning will be made by the County Sheriff through the CSFS Granby District Representative. Conditions that may warrant pre-positioning a SEAT include: 13 • Multiple fire starts within a 72-hour period • High occur-ence of dry lightning • Persistent Red Flag Warnings • Local resources are occupied with other assigmments • Other factors as determined by the Sheriff or CSFS Granby District representative Eagle Cotuzty airport will not be used for SEAT operations dcre to performa~zce isst~~es for fir[ly loaded SEATS ~nar2euvering in the harrow valley neur the airport. C. Leadplane/Air Attack Activation Heavy air tankers are dispatched with a leadplane when one is available. Single engine air tankers may be dispatched without a leadplane if the pilot is initial attack qualified. Aerial supervision (Air Attack or Lead Plane) will be ordered when multiple aircraft are over the fire at one time or if requested by pilots on scene. D. Wildfire Emergency Response Fund The Wildfire Emergency Response Fund (WERF) was created by the legislature to provide funding or reimbursement for AIR RESOURCES and GROUND RESOURCES to a wildfire at the request of any sheriff, municipal fire department, or fire protection district. This fund will be utilized to assist on non-federal lands only. The fund will be utilized as outlined in the attached WERF Guidelines, EXHIBIT E. XIL FIRE PREVENTION A. Information and Education Each agency will prepare and release fire prevention material and radio/TV presentations according to their own prevention plans. Coordination with cooperating agencies will be followed in order to prevent a conflict in released material. All releases for fire prevention will car-y USFS, CSFS, fire district and County Sheriff acknowledgements. Eagle County Joint Information Center will be utilized to disseminate information, as needed. Fire prevention signs will be maintained as required by each agency for lands under their jurisdiction. The Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center (GJC) will monitor local fire danger levels. GJC will make fire weather watches, Red Flag warning bulletins and other fire information available to cooperators via the Internet: http://www.fs.fed.ush2/fire/rmacc.html B. Burning Permits Parties to this Agreement have the responsibility of issuing burning permits in their respective jurisdictions. The burning permit shall require the holder to notify Vail or Pitkin dispatch of controlled burning on all land(s) prior to ignition. In addition, all pertinent state and federal regulations will be followed. Permits require both Eagle County and appropriate fire jurisdiction signatures. 14 C. Burning Restrictions/Closures Restrictions governing use of open fires during hazardous periods will be a coordinated effort of cooperating agencies. A flow chart that outlines the procedures for implementing and rescinding fire restrictions is attached as EXHIBIT F. XIII. FUELS MANAGEMENT AND PRESCRIBED FIRE CONSIDERATIONS The participants to this Operating Plan will cooperate in the development and implementation of prescribed burning programs and projects including planned ignitions, wildland fire use and modified control strategies and tactics applied to fires within remote areas. The Eagle County Community Wildfire Protection Plan includes prioritized wildfire mitigation project areas. Wildfires resulting from escaped prescribed fires ignited by a party to this Operating Plan, shall be the responsibility of that party. The party responsible for the prescribed fire will reimburse other parties to this Plan consistent with the terms and conditions contained herein for costs incurred in suppression of such fires. If parties to this Plan conduct a cooperative prescribed fire, details covering cost sharing, reimbursement, and responsibility for suppression costs, should it escape, shall be agreed upon and documented in the burn plan. XIV. COST REIMBURSEMENTS A. Reimbursable Costs Each agency will assume responsibility for its own expenses during the mutual aid period. The mutual aid period is defined as: 1. Not to exceed 24 hours 2. Will end at midnight of the first bm•n period when the Incident Commander determines that the fire cannot be controlled within 24 hours of the original ignition The assisting agency(ies) may request reimbursement for costs incurred after the mutual aid period. The jurisdictional agency will reimburse assisting agencies for costs incurred after the mutual aid period. Costs incurred by an assisting agency for services beyond the mutual aid period shall be considered reimbursable. Services provided by assisting agencies beyond the mutual aid period must be requested by the jurisdictional agency. On Denver Water Board lands, costs incurred by the Upper Colorado River USFS-BLM for the mutual aid period and beyond, and for additional time or efforts which may be requested by the Colorado State Forest Service or Denver Water, shall be considered reimbursable, following approval by the Colorado State Forest Service. Any agency that provides a reasonable initial attack response on Denver Water lands, may request reimbursement from Denver Water. When fire occurs on lands of more than one jurisdictional agency and costs are incurred beyond the scope of mutual aid fire protection, costs will be borne by each agency proportional to the size of the burned area on each agency's jurisdictional area or as mutually agreed upon by the unified 15 command. When a fire is accepted by the State as an EFF incident, the Cost Share Principles agreed to by State and federal agencies will apply. See EXHIBIT G B. Reimbursement Procedures If reimbursement for an incident can best be handled at a local level, the assisting agency may invoice the jurisdictional agency directly. If deemed more efficient, the County may aggregate expenses incurred by the County and local fire departments to suppress fires on federal jurisdictions and may present an invoice for such expense to CSFS who will then reimburse the County and subsequently bill the jurisdictional federal agency or agencies. Federal agencies may submit bills and statements for reimbursements from County and/or fire districts for federal suppression on non-federal lands to CSFS. CSFS will make such reimbursement and subsequently invoice the County or department as appropriate. Cooperator reimbursement procedures, forms, and examples are contained in EXHIBIT H as_part of this agreement. DENVER WATER LANDS • Payment for reimbursable costs on Denver Water lands require that CSFS be notified of the wildland fire by the responding agency. Payment for reimbursable costs on Denver Water lands must be coordinated through the local CSFS District Office. Contact CSFS Granby District office for assistance in preparing reimbursement requests for Denver Water wildland fire suppression response. C. Resource Use Rates Cooperative Resource Rate Forms (CRRF) should be completed every two years by cooperating agencies. These forms will show the rates of equipment that may be used on a wildland fire. Resources listed on a CRRF are considered Mutual Aid resources and, as such, will not be billed for during the mutual aid period. The use of resources not listed under a Cooperative Resource Rate Form may not be reimbursable unless rates are mutually agreed to, in writing, at the time such resource is requested. See Cooperative Resource Rate Forms, EXHIBIT I. XV. GENERAL PROCEDURES A. Periodic Program Reviews Program reviews will be conducted at the annual fire operating plan meeting. B. Annual Review 16 The parties shall meet at least annually, before the beginning of the wildland fire season, to review and, if appropriate, to propose amendments to this Eagle County Annual Wildfire Operating Plan, with a goal of having any such amendments or replacement plan formally renewed not later than May 1 of each year and be coordinated with the Umbrella Agreements. Proposed amendments shall take effect upon execution by all of the parties hereto. If no changes are made, a statement letter with signatures of all parties to this operating plan will be distributed. C. Resolution of Disputes The primary purpose of this Operating Plan is to ensure prompt suppression of wildland fires. Any interagency dispute arising from these procedures will be resolved on site by the Unified or MACS Command Group. When necessary, following the conclusion of the incident, a panel of agency representatives, other than the parties involved in the incident, will review and resolve the dispute. XVI. DIRECTORY OF PERSONNEL See EXHIBIT B. XVII. COOPERATIVE RESOURCE RATE FORMS A. Cooperator Resource Rate Forms (CRRF) Cooperative Resource Rate Forms, attached to this operating plan as part of EXHIBIT I, as available, set forth agreed upon equipment and personnel rates, conditions of use, and reimbursement procedures. Cooperators that choose not to complete the Cooperative Resource Rate Form as an attachment to this operating plan will be required to complete the Emergency Equipment Rental Use Agreement at time of the incident and will be restricted to the standard state equipment rates. B. Engine Equipping and Staffing Engines will be staffed and equipped according to current NWCG standards. Refer to Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Redbook). C. Equipment Availability Cooperator equipment availability status for out of county use is maintained in ROSS. Cooperators may "self status" in ROSS by requesting a password from Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center 970-257-4800. Grand Junction Interagency Dispatch Center (GJC) will continue to dispatch wildfire resources for out of county assignments utilizing ROSS. Cooperators must change status in ROSS and notify GJC of any unexpected status changes. XVIII. PERSONNEL AND PERSONNEL COMPENSATION 17 A. Personnel Every person employed in or providing services pursuant to this Agreement is the sole responsibility of the party by whom that person is employed on a full-time, part-time or volunteer basis, and no person providing services hereunder shall have any right associated with employment by or provision of services to another party. No party shall be called upon to assume any liability for the personnel performing services hereunder as a result of the employment or provision of such personnel by another party, or any liability other than that provided for in this Agreement. No party shall be liable for compensation or indemnity to any employee or volunteer of another party for injury or sickness arising out of his or her employment or services rendered under this Agreement. B. Compensation Pursuant to SS 29-5-109, 110, CRS, all compensation and other benefits enjoyed by every person employed in their own jurisdiction shall extend to the services they perform under this Agreement, including, without limitation, worker's compensation coverage and pension fund benefits and payments. C. Personnel Qualifications Each agency is responsible for the training and qualification of its personnel for fighting wildfires- Each agency shall dispatch in a mutual aid response only personnel qualified for the incident. If it comes to the attention of the jurisdictional agency or multi-jurisdiction command, as the case may be, that a fire fighter is not properly qualified for an incident (or his/her assignment with respect to the incident), it may require that the fire fighter be withdrawn from the response or assigned to tasks for which he/she may be properly qualified. 18 Eagle County AOP 2010 Signature Page Please return the original signature page from your respective agency to: Colorado State Forest Service PO Box 69 Granby, CO 80446 OR: Hand deliver to CSFS Granby District office at 201 East Jasper, Granby OR: Call 970-887-3121 with any questions I. PLAN APPROVALS Plan A royals. This Plan mee rior t~, fire season ea Eagle Cou plorado By and th ough is Board of oun Commissioners -. _ p~ Attest: County Clerk Eagle County Sheriff Colorado State Forest Service in effect until May ], 2011, or until superseded. Participants will view and update the Plan for official approval. Date ~ ~,~,., ~ `~•, ~~ ~ U.S. Forest Service- White River National Forest tsureau or Lana management-~:oioraao tower vauey rieia ~rnce Bureau of Land Management- Kremmling Field Office f~ Date Date Date Date Date Date This Plan may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which, when taken together, shall constitute but one and the same Agreement.