NDSU - North Dakota Forest Service North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative Budget Request

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1 Agency Information NDSU - North Dakota Forest Service North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative Budget Request North Dakota State Board of Higher Education May 29, 2014 NDSU-North Dakota Forest Service Larry A. Kotchman, State Forester st Street East Bottineau ND Telephone: (701) Larry.Kotchman@ndsu.edu North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative General Funds Requested: $633,731 Match Required: $ 70,414 Total Cost: $704, Name and Description of Initiative: North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative The North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative provides critical financial, technical and educational assistance to rural fire departments for wildland fire prevention, suppression and mitigation. In addition to helping ensure North Dakota s first responders are prepared, the initiative will provide funding to complete hazardous fuels treatments designed to protect local communities from wildland fire and reduce the risk of fire in the future. Protecting forests from harm by restoring fire adapted lands and reducing the risk of wildfire impacts are long-term strategies identified in the North Dakota Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy. On average, North Dakota experiences over 440 human-caused wildfires that burn in excess of 29,000 acres each year. With a dispersed population, North Dakota relies heavily upon rural fire departments and local governments for wildfire protection and suppression. The North Dakota Forest Service Fire Management Program supports the state s 341 fire departments that are essential for enhancing firefighting capabilities and public safety. The program helps provide rural fire departments with cost-share funds for organizing, training, planning, purchasing and repairing fire equipment. Historically, wildfire has been a common and widespread occurrence in North Dakota. Studies indicate wildfire cycles were as short as 3 to 4 years, with larger conflagrations taking place on a 10 to 30 year sequence (North Dakota Forest Service 2009). Today s wildfires follow similar cycles, with larger fires frequently coinciding with drought years. For example, in 2006 North Dakota experienced 1,077 human-caused wildfires that burned 68,122 acres. When wetter conditions prevailed in 2012, there were 376 human-caused fires that burned 31,293 acres. Despite the conversion of much of the indigenous prairie to non-native grasses and crops, the majority of the state s fuels are still highly combustible light fuels that burn readily and rapidly given the right environmental conditions. Natural disturbances, such as drought and flooding, within native forests have also led to high fuel accumulations that can and have resulted in intense fires threatening lives and property. 1

2 Adding to the natural wildfire threat is the rapid increase in population, infrastructure and industry, which has resulted in an increase in fire occurrences across the state. The area of wildland urban/industrial interface, zones where human development intermingles with undeveloped land, is growing across the state. Coincidentally, the number of fire departments registered with the State Fire Marshal s office decreased from 397 in 2009 to 341 in 2013, placing additional responsibility on smaller rural fire departments that are most often staffed by volunteers. Federal firefighting resources are declining and placing more responsibility for initial attack on rural fire departments. These factors result in a higher frequency of emergency responses by fewer departments, all with increased geographic areas of responsibility. Figure 1 illustrates the magnitude of wildfire incidents being experienced in western North Dakota. Figure 1. The Little Swallow Fire burned 9,500 acres on September 24, The wildfire occurred on the Fort Berthold Agency, Three Affiliated Tribes, and was human-caused by equipment. The wildfire s proximity to oil drilling sites and activity added to the complexity of the incident. Seventy firefighters responded to the incident, including engines from the North Dakota Forest Service. Rural fire departments across the state need financial and technical assistance to address wildfire planning and mitigation of hazards as more and more people move into their protection districts. The types of wildfires on the landscape are growing in both size and intensity, based on increasing fuel loads and drier weather patterns. Figure 2 illustrates the Wildfire Risk by County in North Dakota. The majority of the state is in the medium and high risk categories. 2

3 Figure 2. Wildfire Risk by County in North Dakota in The North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative will provide technical, financial and educational assistance to prevent, suppress and mitigate wildland fires. The initiative will support: (1) suppression and mutual aid support for the state s rural fire departments, (2) the implementation of planning and preparedness practices with local jurisdictions, (3) educational outreach to communities, landowners and managers on firewise practices and fire prevention, (4) fire training at the local, regional and statewide level for emergency responders, and (5) grants to at-risk communities and fire departments for equipment, hazardous fuels reduction projects and fire prevention/outreach programs. Project implementation will be achieved through collaboration with local, state, federal and tribal partners. Initiative Goals and Objectives The North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative goals are to sustain and enhance wildland fire prevention, suppression and mitigation across North Dakota, and reduce the risk of wildfire impacts. Specific objectives include: a) Strengthening mutual aid support to rural fire departments, including suppression, preparedness, training and prevention; b) Implementing planning and preparedness practices to provide effective and efficient response to requests for assistance by rural fire departments; 3

4 c) Developing and promoting local and regional fire department training programs to provide required firefighter certifications and supplement State Fire School courses; d) Providing educational outreach with a consistent fire prevention message to landowners, managers and the public to coordinate and promote safe fire use practices; and e) Awarding cooperative fire assistance grants to at-risk communities, landowners and fire departments for personal protective equipment, firefighting equipment, training and hazardous fuels reduction projects to mitigate wildland fire hazards. The North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative will assist communities and fire departments in developing and implementing fire suppression and preparedness plans through risk assessments, wildland urban interface planning, and implementation of emergency response strategies utilizing the State Emergency Operations Plan. The initiative will assist private landowners and natural resource managers with reducing the risk of wildfire threats to homes and property. Funds will be used to conduct risk assessments, provide firewise planning documents and conduct thinning and hazardous fuels reduction projects. The effectiveness of the planning and preparedness projects will be highlighted through field demonstration sites, landowner interaction, emergency response training and development of tactical decision making materials for use in training sessions. Figure 3: The Bucyrus Fire burned nearly 4,000 acres on October 17-18, 2012, in Adams County. The wind-driven wildfire destroyed 10 residences and 24 outbuildings in the community. Twelve rural fire departments and four North Dakota Forest Service engines responded to the incident. 4

5 2. Initiative Supports the North Dakota Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy The North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative will conserve, protect and enhance atrisk landscapes identified in the North Dakota Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy. Upland forests, riparian (streamside) forests, and rural plantings are priority forest landscapes needing improved management, restoration and protection. The North Dakota Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy was required by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). The statewide assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of forest-related conditions, trends, threats and forestry opportunities in North Dakota. The forest resource strategy is a long-term collaborative plan with local, state, federal and tribal partners to help shape and influence forest conservation on a scale and in a way that optimizes public benefits from trees and forests for present and future generations. Strategies include: a) Conserving and managing working forest landscapes for multiple values and uses. b) Protecting forests from threats, including catastrophic wildfires, storms, flooding, insect or disease outbreaks and invasive species. c) Enhancing benefits from trees and forests that include air and water quality, soil conservation, wildlife and fish habitat, biological diversity, carbon storage, forest products, forestry related jobs, production of renewable energy and wildlife. 3. Initiative Incorporates North Dakota State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) The ND State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) Fire Annex defines the primary mission of state agencies as proactively planning, preparing and readying state resources to respond to urban/wildland fire conditions throughout the state. State agencies (as directed by the Governor) will provide/account for resources (personnel, supplies and equipment); and execute unified command, control, communications and intelligence/information management in support of local and tribal authorities in order to minimize the impact of urban/wildland fire on the people, property, livestock, pets and environment as required. As the lead agency in the coordination of wildfire emergencies involving state and private land, the ND Forest service, under the direction of the State Forester, has a responsibility to provide support to rural fire departments in an efficient and effective manner. Tasks assigned include providing personnel, equipment and technical assistance support for the prevention and suppression of wildland fires. The addition of fire management personnel requested in this initiative supports this mission by adding capacity to respond to requests for assistance from rural fire departments. Given the growth in coverage areas, the increase in number and severity of responses, and decreasing federal fire resources, providing additional support to rural fire departments and communities is needed to ensure the direction within the SEOP-Fire Annex is carried out. Building fire management staff capacity also ensures firefighter safety by eliminating multi-tasking demands. Staff are able to focus on their individual duties and improve direct suppression, planning or technical assistance to rural fire departments during a wildland fire emergency. 5

6 4. Initiative Supports Collaboration and Partnerships The North Dakota Forest Service works collaboratively with key partners and stakeholders in public safety, emergency management, fire suppression and prevention and planning to ensure that federal, state and local resources are being focused on important landscape level areas with the greatest opportunity to address shared management priorities. The North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative will leverage local, state, federal, tribal, corporation and private financial assistance for critical wildfire management needs identified in the North Dakota Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy. The initiative will leverage approximately $300,000 in-kind contributions from participating entities, including communities and fire departments for fire prevention projects, fire training seat hours, and outreach including public service announcements. The agency has demonstrated a successful history of engaging local, state, federal and tribal partners and will rely on these partnerships to implement the North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative. Partners will collaborate to assist community leaders, landowners, local emergency managers and fire departments with fire management issues, preparedness and planning activities, prevention outreach, and hazardous fuels reduction needs. Potential partnering entities include: ND Communities ND Department of Agriculture ND Firefighters Association ND Emergency Management Association ND Game and Fish Department ND Health Department ND Parks and Recreation Department ND Soil Conservation Districts ND Tribes NDSU Extension Service Private forestland owners State Fire Programs Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wyoming USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service US Fish and Wildlife Service US Forest Service The Nature Conservancy 5. Estimated Costs Biennium Estimate Estimated Total Cost Estimated FTE Description of FTE Estimate $704, Fire technicians to assist fire departments, emergency managers, landowners and communities Estimate $725, Fire technicians to assist fire departments, emergency managers, landowners and communities Estimate $747, Fire technicians to assist fire departments, emergency managers, landowners and communities. 6

7 NDSU- North Dakota Forest Service North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative Estimated Initiative Costs for Biennium Line Item Description Estimated Totals Cost/FTE Salaries Three (3 FTE) fire technician positions $76,754 $230,262 to assist fire departments, emergency managers, communities and landowners with implementation of fire prevention, suppression and mitigation practices. Fringes 3.0 FTE $43,626 $130,878 Total Salaries/Fringes Operating Travel including motor pool and vouchers to strengthen mutual aid support to rural fire departments, including suppression, preparedness, training and prevention. Office supplies, postage and printing for implementing planning and preparedness practices requested by rural fire departments. Contracts to develop and promote local and regional fire department training programs to provide additional education opportunities and supplement State Fire School courses. Grants to at-risk communities and fire departments for personal protective equipment, firefighting equipment, training and hazardous fuels reduction projects to mitigate wildland fire hazards. $120,380 $361,140 $45,255 $5,250 $42,500 $250,000 Total $343,005 Operating Total Estimated Costs of the Initiative $704,145 10% Match Funds from Hazardous Fuels Reduction $70,414 grant from the US Forest Service General Funds Net Request $633,731 Estimated costs for and were calculated based on a 3% per year increase. 7

8 Required Match Ten percent (10%) of the initiative is funded through agency specific efficiencies. The $70,414 match for the North Dakota Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative has been secured through a FY 2013 Hazardous Fuels Reduction grant from the US Forest Service. The North Dakota Forest Service has been awarded federal funds for work on adjacent non-federal lands for the purpose of protecting communities when hazardous fuels reduction activities are planned on National Forest System lands. This three-year $300,000 competitive grant award will support land treatment projects focused on communities at risk within the wildland urban interface. These projects provide risk mitigation by removing hazardous fuel and offering a higher degree of protection to communities, homes and natural resources in high risk areas. Priority landscapes with communities at risk to wildland fire are identified in the North Dakota Statewide Assessment of Forest Resources and Forest Resource Strategy. The Cooperative Fire Protection Initiative only addresses a portion of the unmet fire protection needs across North Dakota. The effective duration for the FY 2013 Hazardous Fuels Reduction grant is The North Dakota Forest Service will utilize $70,414 from this federal award to match the budget request initiative. The $704,145 initiative costs will fund additional fire protection needs not included in the three-year $300,000 competitive grant award, other than the $70,414. 8