9215 (MT925) P EMAIL TRANSMISSION – 08/11/2011 Instruction Memorandum No. MT-2011-069 Expires: 9/30/2016 To: All Montana/Dakotas Employees From: State Director Subject: Certification of Agency Chainsaw Operators DD: 08/12/11 Program Area: Training and Qualifications Purpose: To provide the Montana/Dakotas policy and clarification for training and certification of chainsaw operators. Policy/Action: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) issues policy from the Montana State Director regarding the training and certification of chainsaw operators. The BLM chain sawyer operator Certification Process, Responsibilities, Risk Assessment, Chainsaw Incident Report Form, and Task Book for the faller positions and are provided in Attachments. BLM employees who would like to become chainsaw operators or who have lost chainsaw operator currency for any of the faller positions must complete the training and certification requirements established by this IM. BLM employees who are qualified and maintain currency in any of the faller positions will retain their qualifications based on previous BLM direction. These employees are not required to complete the additional training and certification requirements established by this IM. Timeframe: Effective immediately. Budget Impact: None Background: The Montana/Dakotas BLM has lacked a consistent policy regarding the type of training, level of review, and documentation process to be used for the full range of chainsaw operations. This IM establishes training and certification standards for all levels of chainsaw operators. Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: BLM Manual Handbook 1112-1 Safety and Health Management, Chapter 5 Training & Certification BLM Manual Handbook 1112-2 Safety and Health for Field Operations, Chapter 12.3(J) Chainsaws BLM Handbook 9213-1, Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Management 2004, Page 2 14-6 (H) contains standards for basic (Level A) chainsaw operators. IM No. Office of Fire and Aviation (OF&A) 2004-010 Certification of Agency Chainsaw Operators Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations 2011 [National Fire Equipment System (NFES) 2724] Chapter 13 Chainsaw Operators and Fallers. Coordination: This policy was coordinated with the State Safety Specialist, State Fire Management Officer, State Assistant Fire Management Officer, District Managers, Field Managers, District Fire Management Officers and District Assistant Fire Management Officers. Contact: Questions should be addressed to Mike Ford at (406) 896-2914 Signed by: Authenticated By: Jamie E. Connell Gabriella Torres State Director Staff Assistant (MT925) 5 Attachments 1-Certification Process (1 p) 2-Responsibilities (2 p) 3-Risk Assessment (8 p) 4-Chainsaw Incident Report Form (1 p) 5-Task Book for the faller positions (44 pp) |
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