Pre-season fire coordination pays dividends for northern Nevada
Organization
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – Wildfire season is ramping up and over the past few months the BLM’s northeastern districts have been hard at work preparing new firefighters and getting experienced ones back into the groove. In support of this pre-season fire training push a Tri-district Mutual Response simulation, which included BLM’s Battle Mountain, Winnemucca and Elko fire programs was held on June 21.
“The simulation focused on coordination between all three dispatch centers and fire crews on the ground, and what role they play in multi-district fire coordination, resource deployment and incident management across district boundaries”, said Matt Murphy, BLM Elko Fire Management Office.
The exercise focused on how the three BLM districts could ensure the fastest and most effective initial response to a wildfire by sending the closest resource, while also identifying opportunities to operate at maximum efficiency. Crews were put through a scenario involving a fire that was located right where all three district boundary lines meet and were guided through a step by step response of how the incident would be coordinated if it was a real fire.
“The BLM operates within district boundary lines that dictate what resources are under the management of the district. In the world of wildland firefighting, these boundaries have the potential to complicate our response to wildfires because the closest fire suppression resources are not always located on the district that has the fire,” said Brock Uhlig, Fire Management Office for BLM’s Battle Mountain District. “Through this tri-district agreement we are able to send the closest resources regardless of whose district it is to ensure success at the Initial Attack phase.”
Two days after the simulation ended, the techniques practiced were put to the test. On Saturday, June 23 around 12:30 p.m., the Power Fire was reported near the district boundary line between Elko and Battle Mountain, a remarkably similar incident to the scenario both districts had just trained on. The report came to the Elko Dispatch Center and the response was coordinated with Central Nevada Dispatch, Battle Mountain fire suppression resources and support from BLM’s Elko and Winnemucca fire staffs. The fire grew to 1,086 acres and was marked fully contained late in the afternoon on the same day with no injuries.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.