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• This document is contained within the Fire
  Management Toolbox on Wilderness.net. Since other
  related resources found in this toolbox may be of
  interest, you can visit this toolbox by visiting
  the following URL http//www.wilderness.net/index
  .cfm?fusetoolboxessecfire. All toolboxes are
  products of the Arthur Carhart National
  Wilderness Training Center.

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Piute Fire ExampleMojave National Preserve
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Ordered by IC via Dispatch

• September 4, 2004 at 2200
• (Friday, Labor Day Weekend)
• Call from Dispatch
• Local Type 4 IC ordering you as READ for an
  initial attack fire in Piute Creek
• Report to Fort Piute 0600 September 5

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What do you do at dispatch?
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What do you do at dispatch?

• Accept assignment per local unit policy
• Get as many details as you can!
• When was fire reported?
• About 1600 today
• Cause?
• Unknown
• Who reported it?
• local firefighter noticed the column when he was
  driving home
• What resources are assigned?
• 2 local Type III engines on it now
• Which engines and whos IC?
• On order for tomorrow FMO as IC3, 1 more engine
  1 helitack crew
• Who?
• Lat/long given to helitack?
• Whats the cell coverage there? Radio coverage?
• What freqs?

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How do you prepare before you go?
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How do you prepare before you go?

• Get your gear together be self contained
• Use GIS to scope the situation
• lat/long
• contours, roads, streams, vegetation
• wilderness, endangered species habitat, cultural
  sites, range
• Print maps (124k one smaller view)
• One with READ details for me
• One basic for everyone else

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Report to Incident
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Arrive on scene
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Arrive on Scene, Now what?
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Arrive on Scene, Now what?

• Tie in with ICs
• Get briefing on suppression effort and fire
  behavior
• Alert incoming IC of resource concerns
• Offer maps
• Work with IC on suppression strategy
• Provide READ briefing to incoming crews
• Survey burned area for resource damage
• Map fire perimeter

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Primary resource concerns

• Potential habitat for two federally listed
  endangered birds
• southwestern willow flycatcher
• least Bells vireo
• Designated critical habitat for federally listed
  threatened desert tortoise
• Documented cultural sites
• Fort Piute Historic District
• Piute historic ranch managed by California Game
  and Fish
• several prehistoric habitation and petroglyph
  sites
• Undocumented cultural sites on river terraces,
  new petroglyphs exposed
• Designated Wilderness
• Locally rare riparian habitat

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Primary resource concerns

• Potential habitat for two federally listed
  endangered birds
• southwestern willow flycatcher
• least Bells vireo
• Designated critical habitat for federally listed
  threatened desert tortoise
• Documented cultural sites
• Fort Piute Historic District
• Piute historic ranch managed by California Game
  and Fish
• several prehistoric habitation and petroglyph
  sites
• Undocumented cultural sites on river terraces,
  new petroglyphs exposed
• Designated Wilderness
• Locally rare riparian habitat

Actions taken to avoid or minimize impacts to
resources?
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Actions taken to avoid or minimize impacts to
resources
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How do you document and who do you notify?
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How do you document and who do you notify?

• After discussion with Danette Woo, Compliance
  Specialist at Mojave National Preserve, consult
  with Dr. Creed Clayton, Endangered Species
  Biologist at the US Fish and Wildlife Service
  Ventura Ecological Services Office, regarding
  potential impacts to listed species and
  restoration needs, if any. Pursue Burned Area
  Emergency Response funding or other funding
  sources to implement any restoration
  recommendations.
• Discuss with Dr. Matt Brooks, Fire Ecologist at
  US Geological Survey Las Vegas Field Office,
  his interest in pursuing any fire effects or fire
  ecology research related to fire response of this
  desert riparian community.
• Discuss with Dr. Bob Bryson, Archaeologist at
  Mojave National Preserve, his interest in
  conducting post-fire site assessment to determine
  if any cultural sites were damaged by the fire or
  suppression effort and to survey for new sites.
• Notify Annie Kearns, Hydrologist at Mojave
  National Preserve, in the event she wants to
  document post-fire floodplain response and to get
  Piute Creek prioritized for annual tamarisk
  treatment for the next several years.
• Notify Kim Allison, Range Specialist at Bureau of
  Land Management Needles Field Office, that range
  improvements (water pipeline) were destroyed in
  the fire. It is unclear if the pipeline was still
  being used to convey water to the adjacent BLM
  grazing allotment.
• Gordon Pine, Lands Officer at Mojave National
  Preserve, regarding status of California Game and
  Fish parcel and contact information.
• PUT EVERYTHING IN THE RESOURCE ADVISOR REPORT!

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Post-fire Concerns?
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Post-fire Concerns?

• Unclear if listed riparian birds use the area
• Tamarisk increase in riparian corridor
• Burned pipeline no longer used
• Potential suppression or fire impacts to known
  and unknown cultural sites
• Exposure of petroglyphs
• Potential for post-fire looting of exposed sites
• Concern for public safety in channel due to flash
  flood, burned stump holes, etc.

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How do you address those concerns?
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How do you address those concerns?

• Do fire suppression rehab
• Map all suppression efforts
• Rehab fire line
• Rake tracks
• Consult Agency Administrator and Regional BAER
  Coordinator then Initiate Emergency Stabilization
  Process
• Use ad hoc team to do assessments
• Develop treatments
• Do SHPO and FWS consultations
• Submit ES Plan on September 12

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BAER Plan
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BAER Plan Approved

• This plan has been approved by Pacific West
  Region with modification. The modification is the
  deletion of Specification 5 ((Evaluate TES
  Habitat recovery) and Specification 6
  (Endangered Species Survey) because they were
  determined to be outside of the Emergency
  Stabilization and Rehabilitation funding
  criteria. Subsequently, the cost of Specification
  8 (Implementation Leader) was reduced by half.
  The total amount approved and funded is 58,933.
• Specification 1 Restrict Public Access
• Specification 2 Law Enforcement
• Specification 3 Install Sensors
• Specification 4 Salt cedar control
• Specification 7 Pipeline removal
• Specification 8 Implementation Leader

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Implement BAER Plan

• Amended in September 2005 to remove the public
  use closure
• Submitted Final Accomplishment Report October 1,
  2005

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Herbaceous Veg Recovery
September 10, 2004 4 days post-fire
July 2005
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Woody Veg Recovery
July 2005
April 2005
April 2005